He had a chance to become just the fourth American freestyle wrestler ever to win two Olympic gold medals. He had a chance to preserve his own remarkable string of winning a medal in 10 straight Olympic Games or World Championships. And he had the last chance to preserve his nation’s phenomenal streak of winning at least one freestyle gold medal in each Olympic Games dating back to the 1972 triumphs of Dan Gable and Ben Peterson.
But it was not to be. Famous for his top-notch conditioning and his love of competition, Kyle Snyder gave his all in Paris and ended up in fifth place. Fifth best in the world? Not bad unless you’ve won three NCAA national titles, gobs of Pan American and World Championship crowns and both gold and silver medals at the Olympics.
I found myself wondering how the former Ohio State Buckeye who now represents the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club feels about his Paris performance. I suspected that fifth wasn’t a happy place for the superhero who is called “Snyderman” and who has been described by USA Wrestling as “the most consistent performer on the World and Olympic stage in U.S. wrestling history.” On the other hand, I was pretty sure Snyder has the inner resources to cope with such disappointment. As Jose Campo, chaplain for USA Wrestling told me, “He is an unbelievable example of living by faith.”
And so I recently sat down with one of Happy Valley’s most accomplished athletes to hear his perspective on Paris and his outlook for the future. Edited portions of our conversation follow.
What would you say about your experience at the Olympics—exciting things and disappointing things?
Snyder: Overall, the whole Olympic experience was really cool. We started with four days in Paris, enjoying the opening ceremonies, staying in the Olympic Village and just hanging out as a team. It was me, (Kyle) Dake and (Aaron) Brooks in one room together, so that was a lot of fun.
What was the opening ceremony like for you?
Snyder: It rained the entire time, so it was pretty cold. It was unique to be on the boat. Having done the Olympic opening ceremony before in Rio (no such ceremony was held in Tokyo due to the pandemic), it was a completely different experience. It was just fun to be together with the other wrestling guys, to experience it with them.
And then after that we moved to Houlgate, a small town in the Normandy region of France. We were right on the beach, which was so nice, and the training was really good. Everybody was feeling good and doing a nice job of getting ready for the event. We were having Bible studies every night, so I got to hear other people’s stories of faith. Then we came back to Paris and had a week there.
I was in the last two days of Olympic competition, and then obviously made it to the semifinals and lost to the Bahrain guy (Akhmed Tazhudinov, the eventual gold medalist) 6-4. And then I lost for the bronze medal to the Iranian (Amirali Azarpira). So that was disappointing. But losing, to me, is always disappointing. Of course, the Olympics only happen every four years, so there’s a little more emphasis on doing well. I always want to win and I love to compete, so it’s not fun to lose. But it’s just kind of like any match, I’m bummed for a couple minutes and then I remember that it’s all good and God’s in control. He has a better plan than I do, he’s teaching me something and I just need to figure out what it is and listen to him.
Maybe you could tell me more about being bummed inside and then having things turn around.
Snyder: It’s just not fun to lose, you know what I mean? You’re just like, “Dang, that stinks.” But it’s not like I’m going to sit there and sulk and act like somebody whose whole life is dependent upon winning wrestling matches, because my whole life isn’t dependent upon that. But I’m putting a lot of work into it, and I’m doing it because God wants me to. So I know it’s important, but it’s not my number one focus.
What did you learn from your two losses, either athletically or personally?
Snyder: I love competing, and for me it’s fun. But I wasn’t very confident in some positions, which made me be more cautious. So even with a good attitude you can still wrestle cautious and it looks like you’ve got a lot of pressure on you. I needed to work more in those positions and get better in those positions and trust that I can win in those positions. So that was a big takeaway for me. It’s not like you just come in here and do the same thing and expect to get better. And what’s going on in wrestling also has to apply to my faith. So that’s making me think I need to be more detailed and more specific in my faith, too, and listen to him better.
I was thinking about the fact that you lost 10-0 to Tazhudinov in last year’s World Championships, and in Paris, you lost 6-4. You were right there on the cusp…
Snyder: The 10-0 at the World Championships, that seemed kind of fluky. It’s not going to happen again. It was just because I shot and he had a couple of good counters and I ended up giving up big points. Whereas this match (in Paris), I think I was too reserved, and I didn’t trust that I could finish on him when I got to his leg. But with a couple small adjustments, those positions could easily change. I’m glad to have guys like that in my weight class because I’m going to work really hard to get better at finishing.
So how about doing a quick recap of your four matches, starting with the guy from China. That match started off with you down 4-0, so what were you thinking at that point?
Snyder: I was thinking that wasn’t good because I’ve been working a lot on not giving up points like that and being in better position. But I just had to keep attacking, keeping the pace up on him, and then I was able to score.
Do you think you wore him down? (Snyder beat China’s Awusayiman Habila, 9-5.)
Snyder: Yeah, I wore him down. But now that I’ve been wrestling internationally for 10 years, a lot longer than anybody else in my weight class, a lot of people have been coming up with game plans for me. People are getting a good understanding of how I wrestle. They know I lead with my right leg; I attack with my right hand; I shoot with my head outside to the right side; I ankle pick. So they’re just becoming a lot more aware of all these things, and I can feel that when I’m wrestling. I need a revamp of my wrestling, so that’s something that I took away from the competition. My strength and conditioning and the desire to win is there — I believe it’s greater than with them, but they have good game plans.
In my second match, against the Cuban (Arturo Silot), I just needed to be more diverse and start doing some different things so that he had to make more adjustments.
So you used a whipover (a high leverage move from the front headlock position) and put him on his back for the pin. Talk to me about that.
Snyder: He was just driving in and leaning, so I knew that I’d be able to whip him over. I’m pretty good in that position, so that was nice.
Wow, that must’ve been exciting. And then you wrestled Tazhudinov in the semifinals. I know he’s 6-feet-2 and has a lot of reach. And from what I’ve read, he scrambles real well. And you felt like your earlier loss to him was a bit of a fluke.
Snyder: I don’t think the previous loss was reflective of my ability. But I also think I can wrestle him a lot better and wrestle him harder (than in Paris). And that’ll be the stuff that I need to work on this year.
So you’re going to beat him next time?
Snyder: Lord willing. He’s in control of the results, so I always expect the best.
Finally, let’s talk about the bronze medal match. As I watched the telecast, I felt like you were the aggressor. Your opponent, Iran’s Amirali Azarpira, didn’t seem to do much apart from countering your shots. Did you anticipate that?
Snyder: Yeah. Iranians are very defensive, and the one thing they’re very good at offensively is an underhook. But I’m pretty hard to underhook, so they don’t usually try that against me. But he’s just long and keeps you away, and he got an early takedown, and then I knew he was just going to be defensive after that. The blood stoppages weren’t good for me.
Could you elaborate on that? Jordan Burroughs (a former Olympic gold medalist) said on television that those stoppages were hurting your effort to wear down the Iranian who was already looking really tired.
Snyder: I think that God’s in control of everything. So people were thinking that I had this big cut that needed stitches. I literally had the tiniest scratch in my head, but it just bled a lot. For some reason God’s plan was not for me to win that match, because if I didn’t bleed, I believe I would’ve won. He was exhausted and he was falling over even with all the breaks. So now I’ve got to trust God’s plan and think about how I can move forward the way that he wants me to and pray that he gives me wisdom.
There could be some people who read this and say, “Oh, God’s plan…that’s just a way to rationalize defeat.” What would you say to them?
Snyder: I would say that the Bible says that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without him knowing it. And he’s got all the stars numbered and named, and that he knows the beginning from the end, and every day of my life has been accounted for. So I believe when I’m saying things like that, that’s just the truth. And it’s not that I don’t go out and do my best. I go out and compete as hard as I can every time. I asked God to help me win and to honor and glorify him, but he’s got a better plan.
What are your best memories from Paris?
Snyder: I loved seeing my son (Judah) and wife (Maddie) after I competed in my first match. They got front row seats, so they were right there. That’s one of my favorite memories. I hadn’t seen them in three weeks, so it was a long time.
And speaking of family, you’re approaching a big event.
Snyder: Yeah, my wife is going to be having our second baby in about a week. We’re having a baby girl, so we’re excited about that. And our son will be two on October 4, so she’ll be here before he even turns two years old. It’s exciting for us.
My final questions have to do with recent changes surrounding the Penn State team and the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. For example, David Taylor, who you worked with at M2 Training Center, is now the head coach at Oklahoma State. I happen to think that’s great for college wrestling in general and Penn State will gain a worthy rival. What do you think?
Snyder: It’s pretty cool that Dave got that coaching opportunity and I think he’s going to do a good job. I know he is a great coach. He’s a really great technician, and he’s got a great game-planning mind. But Penn State’s just very, very strong in regards to their collegiate team, and they have so many good guys at every weight. So it’ll definitely be interesting to see what anybody else can do about that.
Someone said that David Taylor is even better as a coach than he is as a competitor. And that’s saying a lot. Do you think that’s true?
Snyder: That’s hard to say. We’ll have to see. If he wins multiple NCAA team championships, then maybe. But he’s an Olympic champion; he’s an NCAA champion; he’s a world champion. So he was literally the best in the world when he competed.
Another transition took place when Jason Nolf announced his retirement from wrestling competition. How’d you feel about that? He’s a good friend of yours.
Snyder: Yeah, yeah. He’s a great friend. He’s got a business called “Athletes Ocean” that he’s pursuing and wants to grow. I think it’s pretty courageous to stop wrestling and attack that with your whole effort. Building a business is hard, and I think the only way you can do it is if you’re fully into it. So I think that played a large role in him wanting to retire.
What’s the nature of the business?
Snyder: It’s all about technique videos and resources for wrestling, jiu jitsu and martial arts.
Transition three took place when your Olympic teammate, Zain Retherford, was hired to come back to State College as a coach with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. How do you feel about that?
Snyder: I feel great. Zain’s the best. I mean, he’s going to be a great guy to have around. Everybody loves him. He is always about good energy, great technique, great mentality, and he elevates the room.
