Kyle Snyder (wrestler)

In his first three years of high school at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland, Snyder amassed a 179–0 record, won three prep national championships, and only conceded a single takedown. Named the national high school wrestler of the year by both Intermat and ASICS, Snyder was also ranked as the #1 pound-for-pound high school wrestler in America by FloWrestling after his junior season. He spent his senior year training at the United States Olympic Training Center, competing internationally for Team USA. He won a junior world championship in 2013, while becoming the youngest two-time junior world medalist in American history in 2014. To begin his collegiate wrestling career, Snyder accepted a scholarship from the Ohio State Buckeyes, helping them to an NCAA team championship as a true freshman by finishing as runner-up to a fifth-year senior, Iowa State's Kyven Gadson, in the national finals. A few weeks later, he defeated returning Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner to represent the U.S. on its 2015 World Team, then became the youngest world champion in American wrestling history by dethroning the reigning world champion. Snyder continued his extraordinary run by returning to Ohio State and rallying for an overtime victory over NC State's Nick Gwiazdowski, the returning back-to-back heavyweight national champion. Even giving away more than 30 pounds, Snyder ended Gwiazdowski's 88-match win streak and earn his first individual NCAA title as a true sophomore. A few months later, Snyder won his historic gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, capping his unprecedented streak of winning wrestling's three most prestigious championships in succession before his 21st birthday, defeating the man holding each title along the way. After returning to Ohio State and winning his second consecutive NCAA heavyweight title at the end of an undefeated 2016–2017 wrestling season, He then faced another historic bout in the finals of the 2017 Paris World Championships: with Russia and the U.S. tied for first place at 53 points, Snyder stepped onto the mat for "The Match of the Century"—the team championship, an individual title at 97 kg, and two young legacies were on the line. His opponent was Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a young Russian phenom on a three-year undefeated streak that included two world championships as well as an Olympic gold, who was then considered the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world. Sadulaev moved up a weight class to challenge Snyder, and quickly took a 2–0 lead early in their finals match. Snyder battled back and tied the match 3–3 before the end of the first period, only to have Sadulaev score another takedown and regain the lead. A lead that lasted until the final 20 seconds of the match when Snyder's furious pace allowed him to score a late takedown at the edge of the mat—sealing Team USA's first World Championship in over 20 years, Snyder's third consecutive individual World or Olympic championship, and wresting the title of best pound-for-pound wrestler on the planet away from Sadulaev. after Snyder's thrilling come-from-behind overtime victory to clinch his first NCAA heavyweight title in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden, a match chosen by fans to be the final one of the night – a maintenance worker approached Ryan to let him know what made Snyder, who'd already made wrestling history as America's youngest world champion and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of those NCAA Championships, Snyder (USA) lost 0:10 early to Akhmed Tazhudinov (Bahrain) at the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade 2023 ==Freestyle record==

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tampa, Florida Tirana, Albania Zagreb, Croatia New York City, New York Paris, France State College, Pennsylvania Zagreb, Croatia Belgrade, Serbia Sofia, Bulgaria Iowa, United States Belgrade, Serbia Stillwater, Oklahoma Detroit, Michigan Arlington, Texas Krasnoyarsk, Russia Oslo, Norway Tokyo, Japan Fort Worth, Texas State College, Pennsylvania Nice, France State College, Pennsylvania Coralville, Iowa State College, Pennsylvania Ottawa, Canada New York City, New York Krasnoyarsk, Russia New York City, New York Tehran, Iran New York City, New York Kharkiv, Ukraine New York City, New York New York City, New York Nice, France High school and junior Snyder amassed a 179–0 record in his first three years of high school as well as Zeke Jones. Although Snyder did not repeat his gold-medal run in 2014, he brought home a bronze medal and became the youngest two-time junior world medalist in American history. Before bringing home his junior world title in 2013, Snyder had already decided to forgo his senior year of high-school competition and instead compete internationally as a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center beginning in fall 2013. Snyder, who competes internationally at 96 kg, lost a tightly contested exhibition match 6–3 against Khadzhimurat Gatsalov, the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the world at 120 kg who at 31 years old had won five World Championships and an Olympic gold medal. A few weeks later, Snyder secured a place on his second consecutive United States Junior World Team, winning by technical fall in the national finals. Snyder hoped to repeat his championship run at the Junior World Championships in 2014, though fell short and lost to Georgy Gogaev of Russia from North Ossetia-Alania in the quarterfinals, and wrestled back for a bronze. Earlier in 2014, Gogaev had defeated two former Division I (NCAA) champions Dustin Kilgore and Cam Simaz, both of whom had won their NCAA titles years earlier, in 2011 and 2012 respectively – while Snyder was still competing in high school. Junior record Olympic, collegiate, and senior Snyder, just 19 years old at the time, defeated the reigning World Champion at 97 kg, Russia's Abdusalam Gadisov, for his 2015 World Championship in Las Vegas. And then less than one year later, Snyder bested Azerbaijan's Khetag Gazyumov, a former World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist, for his Rio Olympic gold. Additionally, to earn the honor of representing the United States of America on each of those national teams, Snyder had to beat reigning London 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner in both America's 2015 World Team Trials and the 2016 Olympic Team Trials. Weighing in for the 285 lb. Heavyweight division at just 226 pounds, Snyder was the lightest heavyweight in the field and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. For his two international championships Snyder was rewarded with over a quarter million dollars by the Living the Dream Medal Fund, which was founded by "two former collegiate wrestlers-turned Wall Street tycoons," billionaire investment banker Michael E. Novogratz and real estate developer David Barry. Snyder was well endowed with $250,000 for his 2016 Summer Olympics gold and earlier received $50,000 for his 2015 World Championship, money he is allowed to keep since the NCAA made an exception to its rules against student-athlete financial compensation for the Fund. NCAA record NCAA stats Highlights In the early minutes of his gold medal Junior World Championships match in 2013, Snyder was thrown to his back by his Armenian opponent, Viktor Kazishvili, and nearly pinned. During his 179–0 run during his first three years of high school, Snyder only gave up a single takedown. Snyder, who stopped playing football for his nationally ranked high school team following his sophomore season, is a two-time Washington Post All-Met Wrestler of the Year, and was named the male 2013 ASICS Wrestler of the Year Snyder won the Walsh Ironman twice, Beast of the East three times, and the Powerade Wrestling Tournament once. but later backtracked saying, "I don't think it's even down the road. I don't think that I'm going to fight. I think I'm going to wrestle as long as I can as long as [God] wants me to. We'll see what happens after that. I don't foresee it being fighting." Awards and honors ;2022 • Pan American Championship 97 kg ;2021 • 2020 Summer Olympics 97 kg ;2019 • World Championship 97 kg • Pan American Games 97 kg • Yaşar Doğu 97 kg • Pan American Championship 97 kg • Dan Kolov Grand Prix 97 kg ;2018 • World Championship 97 kg • Yaşar Doğu 97 kg • NCAA Division I 285 lbs • Big Ten Conference 285 lbs • Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix 97 kg ;2017 • World Championship 97 kg • Ivan Yarygin 97 kg • Pan American Championships 97 kg • NCAA Division I 285 lbs • Big Ten Conference 285 lbs • Ohio State University Male Athlete of the Year • James E. Sullivan Award Winner ;2016 • 2016 Summer Olympics 97 kg • NCAA Division I 285 lbs • Big Ten Conference 285 lbs • Most Outstanding Wrestler NCAA Division I championships • Ohio State University Male Athlete of the Year ;2015 • USA Freestyle Wrestler of the Year • World Championship world 97 kg • Pan American Games 97 kg • NCAA Division I 197 lbs • Big Ten Conference 197 lbs • NCAA Division I (team championship as a member of the Buckeyes) ;2014 • UWW junior world 96 kg ;2013 • ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year • UWW junior world 96 kg • Maryland State Division I 220 lbs ;2012 • Junior Nationals 96 kg • Junior Nationals (Greco Roman) 96 kg • Maryland State Division I 220 lbs ;2011 • Cadet World 96 kg • Cadet World (Greco Roman) 96 kg • Maryland State Division I 215 lbs ==Personal life==

Kyle Snyder is married to former Syracuse soccer player Maddie Pack Snyder. Snyder is a Christian. In May 2018, President Donald Trump appointed Snyder to be a member of his Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. ==Legal issues==

On May 9, 2025, Snyder was arrested at a hotel as part of a prostitution sting operation in Columbus, Ohio. He was released from custody the same day, and had a court appearance set for May 19, 2025. Snyder pled guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct after completing a john school class, and was issued a $250 fine. ==References==