Spencer Lee narrowly missed gold in his final match against Japan’s Rei Higuchi, ultimately securing a silver medal, while Helen Maroulis and Aaron Brooks each won bronze, contributing to the U.S. wrestling team’s total of five medals at the Olympics.
Spencer Lee had a dogfight on his hands in his final match against Japan’s Rei Higuchi. Ultimately, he came up short in his bid to capture a gold medal in his first Olympics.
The former Iowa standout had been dominant through the early rounds. But, he met his match in Higuchi, who displayed similar dominance to punch his ticket to the gold medal match.
Higuchi’s speed countered Lee’s power, winning the match 4-2 and clinching the gold for Japan. Tough break for Lee, but what a fight!
Lee, who missed out on the 2020 Olympics due to injury, still goes home with a silver medal. An incredible run where he won the U.S. Olympic trials and qualified for his weight class to get to Paris.
He had a raucous crowd on his side in the finals. Thanks to Lee’s mother being a famed French judoka, along with strong support from the United States.
While he goes home with a silver medal, Lee also takes the motivation to come back even stronger. The Olympics land in Los Angeles in 2028—watch out!
Meanwhile, Helen Maroulis staked her claim as the best women’s wrestler in U.S. history. She captured her third Olympic medal on Friday with a rapid-fire win in her bronze medal match against Hannah Taylor from Canada.
Maroulis secured an early takedown and then pinned Taylor for the win in just 24 seconds. Blink and you missed it!
Prior to the U.S. Olympic trials, Maroulis, 32, contemplated retirement. But she decided to make another run at the prestigious tournament after becoming the first American woman to win gold in wrestling back in 2016.
For the second straight Olympics, Maroulis wins bronze. She continues to rack up accomplishments in her legendary career.
“This might be my last match ever,” Maroulis said afterward. “It’s hard, I’m getting older. It’s a hard journey.”
Finally, four-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks secured a bronze medal of his own with a 5-0 shutout victory over Javrail Shapiev from Uzbekistan.
Brooks suffered a stunning upset in the semifinals after a last-second reversal from Magomed Ramazanov, who represented Bulgaria. That cost him the match.
Ramazanov went on to capture gold with a win over 2016 Olympic gold medalist and 2020 silver medalist Hassan Yazdani from Iran. What a twist!
On Friday, Brooks powered back to win bronze. At 24, he’s just now entering the prime of his career—undoubtedly looking towards the 2028 Olympic Games.
Following the silver from Lee and the bronze medals by Brooks and Maroulis, the U.S. wrestling team has now secured five total medals. Including a pair of golds for women’s wrestlers Amit Elor and Sarah Hildebrandt.
Quite an impressive haul!