Legendary Iowan Dan Gable overcame unbelievable adversity to make history at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Some 50 years later, in the 2024 Paris Games, Spencer Lee looks to do the same.
While wrestling at Iowa State, Gable — a native of Waterloo, Iowa — was a two-time national champion, boasting an unbelievable undefeated record of 117 wins and not a single loss as he moved into the final match of his senior season. This one was for a third title, and Gable was the heavy favorite.
But he lost.
In a devastating end to his collegiate career, Gable was bested by Larry Owings of Washington in the championship match, suffering his only collegiate loss.
“I couldn’t face my parents,” Gable said, admitting he cried when he lost, according to History.
But where many crumble and fade away, Gable rose higher.
He bounced right back, transitioning to international competition in freestyle wrestling. And he returned to his dominating ways, winning gold at the 1971 Tbilisi Tournament and 1971 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria — sending him to the highest stage of them all: the 1972 Olympics.
Wrestling at 68 kilograms, not only did Gable emerge with the gold medal around his neck, but he did so without surrendering a single point in six matches.
“I needed to get beat [in college] because it not just helped me win the Olympics, but it helped me dominate the Olympics,” Gable said, according to History. “But more than that, it helped me be a better coach. I would have 100 times rather not have [the loss] happened, but I used it.”
Five decades later, after Gable solidified himself as one of the best collegiate wrestling figures ever as he took the helm of the Iowa wrestling team and led it to 15 NCAA titles, onto the scene in Iowa City came Spencer Lee.
Lee, at 5-foot-3, 126 pounds, a Pokémon fan and Twitch streamer with a soft smile, mature demeanor. And a story very similar to Gable’s.
Likewise, Lee quickly became one of the greatest collegiate wrestlers ever, gathering three Big Ten Championships, three NCAA Championships, and a 95-6 career record to go along with three age-group World Championships and two U.S. National Championships beyond Iowa City.
But like Gable, one blemish remains on his college career.
In the 2022-23 wrestling campaign, Lee had been dominant all year and was the heavy favorite to win a fourth NCAA Championship. Undefeated on the year, Lee cruised to the semifinals where he was poised to rematch Matt Ramos of Purdue, who he had pinned earlier in the season.
Instead, Ramos locked Lee down against the mat in the final minute of the third period, pinning him with just seconds left in one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history. And Lee medically forfeited, finishing sixth.
Again, where many may still fall off and away, Lee too rose higher. After passing some time in Japan right after the loss to gather his thoughts about what to do next, he realized he still had unfinished business on the mat.
“I got to reflect a lot on myself, and obviously I realized I want to keep competing,” Lee said. “This was where I belong.”
Turning his focus to freestyle wrestling, Lee dominated on the international circuit, snagging a Pan-American title this year at 57 kilograms, beating 2020 Olympian Óscar Tigreros.
And in April in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Lee crushed the likes of NCAA Champion Nico Megaludis, U.S. World Team member Zane Richards, and World Champion Thomas Gilman — twice — to make the team.
Lee then advanced to compete in the World Qualification Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey, cruising past Morocco, Zou Wanhao of China, European Champion Vladimir Egorov of North Macedonia, and Asian medalist Rakhat Kalzhan of Kazakhstan.
With that, Lee confirmed his spot in representation of the U.S. at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“It was good,” Lee said at a press conference back in Iowa City on July 18. “I really enjoyed competing against those guys.”
Now, it’s on to Paris, where Lee will exchange the black and gold for the red, white, and blue alongside the likes of athletic greats Simone Biles and LeBron James.
He said he’s most excited for his family due to his French background and family in the country, calling it “a good excuse to get the whole family out together.” There, his grandmother will watch him wrestle for the first time.
Lee has been spending most of his training in Iowa City, although he did spend nine days in the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. But with the U.S. flag on his back now instead of the Tigerhawk, his approach hasn’t changed.
“I feel like I’ve been representing the U.S. and Iowa … the same way,” Lee said, noting he still feels like he’s wrestling for the Hawkeyes. “I’m honored to have the U.S. flag on my back.
“I feel like Iowa is me,” he added. “This is a part of me — part of who I am.”
With Lee set to wrestle from Aug. 8-9 from the qualification rounds to the finals, his path to Paris has been parallel to Gable before him. And only one thing remains from making their journeys identical: a gold medal.
“I’m finally an Olympian now, so that’s great,” Lee told FloWrestling. “But to me, [being an] Olympian doesn’t mean a whole lot unless you come back with that prized gold medal.”