Iowa wrestling icon Lee qualifies for Olympics
The United States will be represented by a Hawkeye wrestler in the Olympics yet again, after Iowa wrestling icon Spencer Lee punched his ticket to Paris on Saturday.
Lee, a three-time NCAA champion at Iowa, qualified in Istanbul, Turkey, at the World Olympic Games qualifier.
Lee will be the 20th Olympian in Iowa Hawkeye wrestling history. Leslie Beers (1928) and Joe Scarpello (1948) were Olympic Team alternates, according to Iowa’s record book. This will be the 23rd time a Hawkeye has made the Olympic team, with Chris Campbell (1980 and 1992), Randy Lewis (1980 and 1984) and Barry Davis (1984 and 1988) each making two appearances.
Lee had a four-match path to the Olympic Games. From the first match, Lee appeared locked in. Facing Morocco’s Ben Tarik first, Lee looked several gears faster than his opponent by securing a go-behind takedown. He secured four leg laces on his way to a 10-0 technical fall in just 23 seconds.
In the round of 16, Lee drew the No. 1seeded Wanhou Zou of China. Lee came out of the gate aggressively, but it cost him a two-point takedown early as Zou scored on a re-attack. After a pair of pushouts from Lee to tie it at two, Zou converted on a four-point feet-to-back takedown to take a 6-2 advantage. Lee would counter with a takedown and three leg laces to eventually hold on for a 10-9 result.
Lee’s next match was against North Macedonia’s Vladimir Egorov. Lee secured a go-behind takedown early in the first period and gut-wrenched his way to a 12-2 technical fall in just 54 seconds.
For his Olympic team spot, Lee faced Rakhat Kalzhan of Kazakhstan. Kalzhan is no slouch, having defeated NCAA
champion Nick Suriano just last year.
Lee shot for the left leg of Kalzhan and earned a two-point takedown. He gutwrenched his way to a 10-0 technical fall in 36 seconds to reach the Olympics.
In total, Lee wrestled just seven minutes and 53 seconds across four matches (24 possible regulation minutes). Take away the match against Zou, and it was 1:23 of match time.
Lee’s qualification makes it three consecutive cycles a Hawkeye wrestler has represented the United States, all at 57 kilograms. Dating to 1980, Iowa has had at least one Olympian in 11 of the last 12 Olympic cycles, with 2012 being the lone year without a Hawkeye.
Lee, who was born in Colorado and grew up in Pennsylvania, follows newly appointed Oklahoma State assistant coach Thomas Gilman in 2020 and Hawkeye Wrestling Club coach Dan Dennis in 2016. Lee will look to become the 11th Hawkeye to win an Olympic medal and could make it back-to-back Olympic medals for Iowa at 57 kilograms after Gilman’s bronze in Tokyo.
After Saturday’s performance, there is good reason to think that he could. There appeared to be zero limitations to Lee in his matches despite knee surgeries and previous injuries in recent years. He had an extra burst to him in Istanbul that looked even more explosive than his April US Olympic Trials run to earn the US Olympic Team bid. His strength in gut wrenches and leg laces made him look unbeatable at times.
After his victory, Lee credited the Iowa wrestling program and the coaching staff for helping him get here. One person in particular he thanked was NCAA finalist Drake Ayala, who made the trip to Turkey to help him train.
“We brought the whole squad here,” Lee said to USA Wrestling. “I got a training partner in Drake Ayala that just came off the national tournament, he’s obviously a great guy and he was there for me. It’s awesome. There was other guys that would have been there for me if I needed it, that’s just how it is. Iowa Hawkeye wrestling was, they were ready to prepare me in any way I needed.”
Now Lee will pursue Olympic glory. While he is ecstatic for the opportunity to compete in France — where his mother, Carry, is from and where his parents met — he’s staying laser-focused on what’s next.
“It’s great and all, but being an Olympian doesn’t mean a whole lot unless you come back with that prized gold medal,” Lee said to USA Wrestling.
Winning at the Olympic Trials in April wasn’t enough to get Lee to the Olympics. That’s because the United States did not have a top-five finish from any of its 57kilogram wrestlers at the 2023 World Championships or finish second or better at the Pan-American Olympic qualifier. Lee had to finish third or better in Istanbul to clinch an Olympic bid.
The victory over Kalzhan ensured that Lee would be in the top three. Once a wrestler qualifies, they’re done competing (i.e. there was no first-place match).
The wrestling portion of the Olympics will begin on Aug. 5 and conclude on Aug. 11. The men’s freestyle division will begin on Aug. 8 at 4 a.m. CT and conclude on Aug. 9 in the early afternoon.