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Born | October 22, 1948 76) Cumberland, Wisconsin, U.S. | (age||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John Allan Peterson (born October 22, 1948) is an American former wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling. [1]
Peterson grew up in Comstock, Wisconsin, attending nearby Cumberland High School before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 1971. [2] [3]
He would place fifth at the 1971 NAIA Men's Wrestling Championships as a collegiate wrestler. Peterson competed in freestyle wrestling at the 1972 Olympics, earning a silver medal in the 82 kg weight class. [4] At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he won the gold medal at 82 kg. [5] Peterson's younger brother, Ben Peterson, also competed in both the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics as a freestyle wrestler, winning a gold medal in 1972 and silver medal in 1976.
In 1986, Peterson was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member. [6]