USA’s Kyle Snyder wins wrestling gold at Rio Olympics

Had he beaten Chamizo, Molinaro could have been the third American man to medal in wrestling during Rio, joining Snyder and and J’den Cox, who won bronze in the 86kg men’s freestyle wrestling on Saturday.

American Kyle Snyder added Olympic gold to his world title with a triumph over Azerbaijan’s Khetag Goziumov in the 97kg championship match at Rio’s Carioca Arena on Sunday.

Snyder, who wrestles for Ohio State, is the second straight American wrestler to win Olympic gold in his weight class.

Snyder’s excellent conditioning was on display throughout the tournament as he battled hard through his four matches, with his opponents often looking worn out late in matches during the later rounds.

Russia’s Soslan Ramonov won gold in the 65kg men’s freestyle match, beating Azerbaijan’s Toghrul Asgarov. Then Snyder came out and dominated the second period, as an exhausted Odikadze could do nothing to prevent Snyder from getting hold of his leg and forcing him to step out. The match ended with a 9-4 advantage to Snyder. Snyder didn’t give the veteran Olympian a chance, earning the point.

“Nobody deserves it more than Kyle”, said fellow American wrestler Frank Molinaro, after he just missed out on a bronze medal in the 65-kilogram division earlier in the day. For Gazyumov, his silver finish is Azerbaijan’s 17th medal of the 2016 Olympics. The 33-year-old Gazyumov was a bronze medalist at the 2008 and 2012 Games.