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Wrestlers from the United States have taken part in most of the major men's freestyle wrestling competitions over the years, in particular the Olympic Games and World Wrestling Championships. Men's freestyle wrestling competition at the Olympics was first held in 1904. FILA (now known as United World Wrestling) began holding World Championships in men's freestyle in 1951.
During Olympic years there is only six weight classes contested, with the World Championships featuring ten weight classes since 2018. The World Championships contest the six Olympic, along with four non-Olympic weight classes. The United States did not send wrestlers to the championships in 1951, 1957, 1959, 1980, and 2002. No official team standings are kept for the Olympics. Some team finishes are approximate.
Olympics and World Championships
1904
| Year | Team Finish | 47.6 kg | 52.2 kg | 56.7 kg | 61.2 kg | 65.8 kg | 71.7 kg | 71.7+ kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | 1st | Curry, Robert (1st) | Mehnert, George (1st) | Niflot, Isidor (1st) | Bradshaw, Benjamin (1st) | Roehm, Otto (1st) | Ericksen, Charles (1st) | Hansen, Bernhoff (1st) |
| Hein, John (2nd) | Bauer, Gustave (2nd) | Wester, August (2nd) | McLear, Theodore (2nd) | Tesing, Rudolph (2nd) | Beckmann, William (2nd) | Kugler, Frank (2nd) | ||
| Thiefenthaler, Gustav (3rd) | Nelson, William (3rd) | Strebler, Louis (3rd) | Clapper, Charles (3rd) | Zirkel, Albert (3rd) | Jerry Winholtz (3rd) | Warmbold, Fred (3rd) | ||
| Holgate, Claude (4th) | N/A | Four Other Competitors | Six Other Competitors | Seven Other Competitors | Seven Other Competitors | Two Other Competitors |
1908
| Year | Team Finish | 54 kg | 60.3 kg | 66.6 kg | 73 kg | 73+ kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 2nd | Mehnert, George (1st) | Dole, George (1st) | Krug, John (5th) | Craige, John (DNP) | Talbott, Lee (DNP) |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Narganes, Fred (DNP) | N/A |
1920
| Year | Team Finish | 60 kg | 67.5 kg | 75 kg | 82.5 kg | 82.5+ kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 2nd | Ackerly, Charles (1st) | Metropoulos, George (DNP) | Johnson, Charley (3rd) | Maurer, Walter (3rd) | Pendleton, Nat (2nd) |
| Gerson, Samuel (2nd) | Shimmon, Joseph (DNP) | Frantz, Angus (4th) | Redman, John (4th) | Meyer, Fred (3rd) | ||
1924–1936
| Year | Team Finish | 56 kg | 61 kg | 66 kg | 72 kg | 79 kg | 87 kg | 87+ kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 1st | Hines, Bryan (3rd) | Reed, Robin (1st) | Vis, Russell (1st) | Lookabaugh, Guy (4th) | Smith, Herschel (DNP) | Spellman, John (1st) | Steel, Harry (1st) |
| MacWilliam, Milton (DNP) | Newton, Chester (2nd) | Martter, Perry (DNP) | Johnson, William (5th) | Wright, Walter (DNP) | Strack, Charles (DNP) | Flanders, Roger (DNP) | ||
| 1928 | 4th | Hewitt, Robert (5th) | Morrison, Allie (1st) | Berryman, Clarence (6th) | Appleton, Lloyd (2nd) | Hammonds, Ralph (4th) | Edwards, Heywood (4th) | George, Ed (4th) |
| 1932 | 1st | Pearce, Robert (1st) | Nemir, Edgar (2nd) | Clodfelter, Melvin (4th) | van Bebber, Jack (1st) | Hess, Robert (4th) | Mehringer, Peter (1st) | Riley, Jack (2nd) |
| 1936 | 2nd | Flood, Ross (2nd) | Millard, Francis (2nd) | Strong, Harley (5th) | Lewis, Frank (1st) | Voliva, Richard (2nd) | Clemons, Ray (5th) | Dunn, Roy (DNP) |
1948–1968
| Year | Team Finish | 52 kg | 57 kg | 62 kg (−1961), 63 kg (1962–1968) | 67 kg (−1961), 70 kg (1962–1968) | 73 kg (−1961), 78 kg (1962–1968) | 79 kg (−1961), 87 kg (1962–1968) | 87 kg (−1961), 97 kg (1962–1968) | 87+ kg (−1961), 97+ kg (1962–1968) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 2nd | Jernigan, William (7th) | Leeman, Gerald (2nd) | Moore, Hal (6th) | Koll, Bill (5th) | Merrill, Leland (3rd) | Brand, Glen (1st) | Wittenberg, Henry (1st) | Hutton, Richard (7th) | |
| 1949 | N/A | Event Not Held | ||||||||
| 1950 | N/A | Event Not Held | ||||||||
| 1951 | DNC | Team Did not compete | ||||||||
| 1952 | 4th | Peery, Robert (7th) | Borders, Bill (DNP) | Henson, Josiah (3rd) | Evans, Jay (2nd) | Smith, William (1st) | Hodge, Dan (DNP) | Wittenberg, Henry (2nd) | Kerslake, William (5th) | |
| 1953 | N/A | Event Not Held | ||||||||
| 1954 | 8th | Delgado, Richard (5th) | Rose, James (5th) | Rice, Alan (5th) | No Recorded Competitor | Holt, Jay (6th) | Hubel, Wenzel (4th) | Thomas, Dale (6th) | No Recorded Competitor | |
| 1955 | N/A | Event Not Held | ||||||||
| 1956 | 6th | Delgado, Richard (5th) | Allen, Lee (DNP) | Roderick, Myron (4th) | Evans, Jay (5th) | Fischer, Ernest (8th) | Hodge, Dan (2nd) | Blair, Peter (3rd) | Kerslake, William (7th) | |
| 1957 | DNC | Team Did not compete | ||||||||
| 1958 | N/A | Event Not Held | ||||||||
| 1959 | DNC | Team Did not compete | ||||||||
| 1960 | 2nd | Simons, Gray (5th) | McCann, Terry (1st) | Giani, Louis (DNP) | Wilson, Shelby (1st) | Blubaugh, Douglas (1st) | DeWitt, Ed (4th) | Brand, Daniel (5th) | Kerslake, William (8th) | |
| 1961 | 6th | Wilson, Richard (5th) | Molino, Carmen (5th) | Allen, Lee (6th) | Rodriguez, Michael (5th) | Perillo, Earl (6th) | Camilleri, Russ (6th) | Brand, Daniel (4th) | Lewis, Dale (DNP) | |
| 1962 | 6th | Wilson, Richard (DNP) | Auble, Dave (4th) | Finley, Ron (4th) | Ruth, Gregory (5th) | Ferguson, James (3rd) | Farrell, Bill (DNP) | Brand, Daniel (3rd) | Solowin, Merrell (DNP) | |
| 1963 | 6th | Fitch, Andrew (6th) | Auble, Dave (DNP) | Finley, Ron (4th) | Ruth, Gregory (3rd) | Lahr, Dean (4th) | Camilleri, Russ (6th) | Winer, Russell (DNP) | Solowin, Merrell (DNP) | |
| 1964 | 8th | Simons, Gray (7th) | Auble, Dave (4th) | Douglas, Bobby (4th) | Ruth, Gregory (5th) | Tribble, Charles (DNP) | Brand, Daniel (3rd) | Conine, Gerald (6th) | Kristoff, Larry (7th) | |
| 1965 | 8th | Sanders, Rick (DNP) | No Recorded Competitor | Douglas, Bobby (DNP) | Burke, James (DNP) | Camilleri, Russ (DNP) | Baughman, Wayne (5th) | Conine, Gerald (DNP) | Kristoff, Larry (3rd) | |
| 1966 | 3rd | Sanders, Rick (3rd) | Powell, Fred (5th) | Douglas, Bobby (2nd) | Holzer, Werner (4th) | Kauffman, Len (4th) | Lahr, Dean (5th) | Lewis, Jess (5th) | Kristoff, Larry (2nd) | |
| 1967 | 4th | Sanders, Rick (2nd) | Sofman, Richard (DNP) | Young, Michael (3rd) | Holzer, Werner (DNP) | Kelly, Patrick (DNP) | Baughman, Wayne (6th) | Houska, Harry (4th) | Kristoff, Larry (3rd) | |
| 1968 | 6th | Sanders, Rick (2nd) | Behm, Don (2nd) | Douglas, Bobby (DNP) | Wells, Wayne (4th) | Combs, Steve (7th) | Peckham, Thomas (4th) | Lewis, Jess (6th) | Kristoff, Larry (5th) | |
1969–1996
1997–2001
| Year | Team Finish | 54 kg | 58 kg | 63 kg | 69 kg | 76 kg | 85 kg | 97 kg | 130 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 6th | Jones, Zeke (11th) | Purler, Tony (10th) | Kolat, Cary (2nd) | McIlravy, Lincoln (12th) | St. John, Dan (16th) | Gutches, Les (1st) | Douglas, Melvin (9th) | Erikson, Tom (4th) |
| 1998 | 3rd | Henson, Sammie (1st) | Purler, Tony (11th) | Kolat, Cary (3rd) | McIlravy, Lincoln (3rd) | Marianetti, Steve (11th) | Gutches, Les (7th) | Douglas, Melvin (5th) | McCoy, Kerry (4th) |
| 1999 | 2nd | Akin, Eric (16th) | Guerrero, Eric (7th) | Kolat, Cary (4th) | McIlravy, Lincoln (2nd) | Williams, Joe (4th) | Gutches, Les (3rd) | Black, Dominic (17th) | Neal, Stephen (1st) |
| 2000 | 2nd | Henson, Sammie (2nd) | Brands, Terry (3rd) | Kolat, Cary (9th) | McIlravy, Lincoln (3rd) | Slay, Brandon (1st) | Burton, Charles (5th) | Douglas, Melvin (18th) | McCoy, Kerry (5th) |
| 2001 | 5th | Abas, Stephen (16th) | Guerrero, Eric (13th) | Zadick, Bill (7th) | Bono, Chris (13th) | Williams, Joe (3rd) | Eggum, Brandon (2nd) | Black, Dominic (13th) | McCoy, Kerry (4th) |
2002–2013
2014–2017[a]
| Year | Team Finish | 57 kg | 61 kg | 65 kg | 70 kg | 74 kg | 86 kg | 97 kg | 125 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 9th | Ramos, Tony (16th) | Kennedy, Jimmy (10th) | Metcalf, Brent (12th) | Marable, Nick (8th) | Burroughs, Jordan (3rd) | Ruth, Edward (15th) | Varner, Jake (13th) | Dlagnev, Tervel (3rd) |
| 2015 | 7th | Ramos, Tony (11th) | Humphrey, Reece (12th) | Metcalf, Brent (10th) | Green, James (3rd) | Burroughs, Jordan (1st) | Herbert, Jake (33rd) | Snyder, Kyle (1st) | Rey, Zach (23rd) |
| 2016 | 3rd | Dennis, Daniel (19th) | Stieber, Logan (1st) | Molinaro, Frank (5th) | Green, James (7th) | Burroughs, Jordan (9th) | Cox, J'Den (3rd) | Snyder, Kyle (1st) | Dlagnev, Tervel (5th) |
| 2017 | 1st | Gilman, Thomas (2nd) | Stieber, Logan (12th) | Retherford, Zain (11th) | Green, James (2nd) | Burroughs, Jordan (1st) | Cox, J'Den (3rd) | Snyder, Kyle (1st) | Gwiazdowski, Nick (3rd) |
2018–present
Multiple-time gold medalists
The tables shows American male wrestlers who have won at least two gold medals at the World Championships or Olympic Games. Boldface denotes active wrestlers and highest medal count among all wrestlers (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
| Rank | Wrestler | Weights | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan Burroughs | 74 kg / 79 kg | 2011 | 2022 | 7 | - | 3 | 10 |
| 2 | John Smith | 62 kg | 1987 | 1992 | 6 | - | - | 6 |
| 3 | Bruce Baumgartner | 130 kg | 1983 | 1996 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| 4 | Kyle Snyder | 97 kg | 2015 | 2023 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| Kyle Dake | 74 kg / 79 kg | 2018 | 2024 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
| David Taylor | 86 kg | 2018 | 2023 | 4 | 1 | - | 5 | |
| 7 | Leroy Kemp | 74 kg | 1978 | 1982 | 3 | - | 1 | 4 |
| Kevin Jackson | 82 kg | 1992 | 1995 | 3 | - | - | 3 | |
| Mark Schultz | 82 kg | 1984 | 1987 | 3 | - | - | 3 | |
| 10 | Dave Schultz | 74 kg / 82 kg | 1982 | 1993 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| J'den Cox | 86 kg / 92 kg | 2016 | 2022 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| Kenny Monday | 74 kg | 1988 | 1992 | 2 | 2 | - | 4 | |
| Wayne Wells | 74 kg | 1969 | 1972 | 2 | 1 | - | 3 | |
| Terry Brands | 57 kg / 58 kg | 1993 | 2000 | 2 | - | 1 | 3 | |
| Kurt Angle | 100 kg | 1995 | 1996 | 2 | - | - | 2 | |
| Tom Brands | 62 kg | 1993 | 1996 | 2 | - | - | 2 | |
| Dan Gable | 68 kg | 1971 | 1972 | 2 | - | - | 2 | |
| George Mehnert | 52 kg / 54 kg | 1904 | 1908 | 2 | - | - | 2 | |
Statistics
Medalists by weight, 1904–2016
| Category | 60 kg and below | 61–70 kg | 71–87 kg | more than 87 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total weight classes contested at international championships | 162 | 140 | 156 | 151 |
| Weights in which the United States medaled | 45 | 48 | 77 | 56 |
| Weights in which the United States won championships | 16 | 21 | 34 | 17 |
| Percentage of possible medals won by the United States | 27.7 | 34.3 | 49.4 | 37.1 |
| Percentage of championship titles won by the United States | 9.9 | 15.0 | 21.8 | 11.3 |
Medalists by era
| Category | 1904–1936 | 1948–1968 | 1969–1996 | 1997–2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total weight classes contested at international championships | 45 | 128 | 280 | 103 |
| Weight classes in which the United States medaled | 30 | 26 | 127 | 29 |
| Weight classes in which the United States won championships | 20 | 6 | 49 | 7 |
| Percentage of medals won by the United States | 66.7 | 20.3 | 45.4 | 28.2 |
| Percentage of championship titles won by the United States | 44.4 | 4.7 | 17.5 | 6.8 |
Average performances by era
| Category | 1904–1936 | 1948–1968 | 1969–1996 | 1997–2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight classes contested by United States wrestlers | 45 | 101 | 269 | 96 |
| Number of United States wrestlers | N/A | 66 | 107 | 50 |
| Average number of international championship appearances per wrestler | N/A | 1.53 | 2.51 | 1.92 |
| Medalists' average number of international championship appearances until first medal | 1.00 | 1.40 | 1.60 | 1.71 |
| Champions' average number of international championship appearances until first title | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.85 | 1.57 |
| Average number of medals ultimately won by United States medalists | 1.02 | 1.67 | 2.23 | 1.38 |
| Average number of championships ultimately won by United States champions | 1.05 | 1.00 | 1.81 | 1.00 |
Notes
- 61 kg and 70 kg were non-Olympic weights and were therefore wrestled at the 2016 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary on December 10–11, 2016.
See also
- USA Wrestling
- Wrestling in the United States
- United States results in Greco-Roman wrestling
- United States results in women's freestyle wrestling
- Soviet and Russian results in men's freestyle wrestling
- List of World and Olympic Champions in men's freestyle wrestling
- List of Cadet, Junior, and Espoir World Champions in men's freestyle wrestling
- Iranian results in men's freestyle wrestling
References
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