TOKYO – U.S. wrestling heavyweight Gable Steveson, still a collegian at Minnesota, won the Olympic men’s freestyle 125kg gold medal in the closing seconds Friday.
Steveson, 21, defeated Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili 9-8 at Makuhari Messe Hall, completing an astounding run that includes going undefeated to an NCAA title as a junior and outscoring opponents 42-4 at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Leading 4-0 after the first period, Steveson fell behind 8-5 to Petriashvil, who was third at the 2016 Olympics and top-seeded in Tokyo. The American rallied to a point down with 6.5 seconds left then scored another takedown for the comeback victory, which held up under video review. He then ran off the mat in celebration.
Steveson, whose middle name is Dan, is named after Dan Gable, 1972 Olympic 68kg gold medalist and one of the most renowned coaches in U.S. wrestling history.
The U.S. has won seven wrestling medals in Tokyo with another opportunity later Friday.
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