The 1904 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 1 July to 23 November 1904. Many events were conducted at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. This was the first time that the Olympic Games were held outside Europe.
Sambo is a martial art with Soviet origins, an internationally practised combat sport, and a recognized style of amateur wrestling included by UWW in the World Wrestling Championships along with Graeco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.
John William Smith is an American folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Smith was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, and a six-time world level champion with two Olympic Championships and four World Wrestling Championships. Smith is the only American wrestler ever to win six consecutive World and Olympic championships as a competitor. At the end of his competitive career, Smith had won more World and Olympic gold medals in wrestling than any other American. Smith was widely known for his low single leg takedown, and is considered one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers of all time.
Steve Mocco is an American former amateur wrestler, judoka and mixed martial artist. As a collegiate wrestler, he was a two-time NCAA national champion, four-time finalist, and was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy. In freestyle, he represented the US at the Olympics and was a three-time Pan American Champion. As an MMA fighter, he most notably competed at the WSOF. He is currently a coach at both combat sports, being one of the main coaches at MMA powerhouse American Top Team and an assistant wrestling coach at Lehigh University.
Artur Borisovich Taymazov is Uzbek-Russian wrestler and politician. He was Uzbekistan's most decorated Olympian before being stripped of two gold medals for doping. In 2016, he was elected to the 7th State Duma of the Russian Federation representing United Russia.
Steven Howard "Steve" Fraser is an American Greco-Roman wrestler and coach. He was the 1984 Olympic Games gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, in the 90 kg weight class. Fraser's gold medal was the first ever for the United States in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Michael David Adamle is an American former football player and sports broadcaster. He played professionally as a running back in the National Football League (NFL).
Károly Kárpáti was a Hungarian Olympic wrestling champion of Jewish heritage.
Mijaín López Núñez is a Cuban retired Greco-Roman wrestler. Widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, López is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion, and five-time Pan American Games champion. He is the younger brother of Michel López Núñez, a Cuban amateur boxer. On 3 July 2024, he and the Cuban judoka Idalys Ortíz were designated as the flag bearers for Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Søren Marinus Jensen was a Danish sport wrestler who competed in the 1906 Intercalated Games and the 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics. He won medals at each Game; however, the gold medals he won at the 1906 Games are no longer considered to be Olympic medals. He remains Denmark's most successful wrestler at the Olympics. In addition, he was World Champion in 1905 and won multiple European championship silver medals.
Liang Lei is a male Chinese freestyle wrestler who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He lost in the second round to Steve Mocco.
Sushil Kumar is a former Indian wrestler and two-time Olympic medallist. His 2008 Olympic medal was only the second for India in wrestling, and the first since Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav's bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics. In July 2009, he received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna – India's highest honour for sportspersons. On 3 October 2010, Kumar handed the Queen's Baton to Prince Charles in the Queen's Baton Relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. He carried the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of 2012 London Olympics. Sushil won the gold medal in the 74 kg division at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Sushil won the gold medal in the 74 kg division at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He is the first and only Indian to win a gold medal at World Wrestling Championships.
Egypt competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012, sending one of its largest delegations ever. A total of 110 Egyptian athletes participated in 83 events across 20 sports, with more women taking part than ever before. The nation's flagbearer in the opening ceremonies was Hesham Mesbah, a judoka who was Egypt's only medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Egypt won two medals during the course of the Games: Alaaeldin Abouelkassem earned silver in the men's foil, becoming the first competitor from an African nation to win a fencing medal, while Karam Gaber captured silver in the men's 84 kg Greco-Roman wrestling event. Two Egyptian weightlifters were awarded medals retroactively, after higher-ranked competitors were disqualified for doping: Abeer Abdelrahman took silver in the women's 75 kg event, while Tarek Yehia, received bronze in the men's 85 kg event. Among other achievements, Mostafa Mansour was the nation's first competitor in sprint canoeing while fencer Shaimaa El-Gammal became the first Egyptian female to appear in four editions of the Olympics.
Jacob Stephen "Jake" Varner is an American wrestler. Varner won the gold medal in the 96 kg category at the 2012 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling.
Oleksandr Iosypovych Khotsianivskyi is a Ukrainian freestyle wrestler, who competes in the men's super heavyweight category. He is two-time bronze European medalist and silver Universiade medalist. Khotsianivskyi represented Ukraine at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he competed in the men's 120 kg category. He lost the qualifying round match to Turkey's Taha Akgül, who was able to score three points in two straight periods, leaving Khotsianivskyi without a single point.
Zhan Vensanovych Beleniuk is a retired Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler and politician. He is a three-time Olympic medalist and won the gold medal in the Greco-Roman 87 kg at the 2020 Summer Olympics, the silver medal in the Greco-Roman 85 kg at the 2016 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal in the Greco-Roman 87 kg at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Beleniuk is also a two-time world champion and a three-time European champion. In 2019, he became the first black member of the Ukrainian Parliament.
Ronald "Ron" Finley was an American wrestler. He competed in the men's Greco-Roman featherweight division at the 1964 Summer Olympics. In college, he wrestled for Oregon State and was a NCAA runner-up in 1961. Finley also served as head coach of the University of Oregon wrestling program from 1971 to 1998. He was the U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling head coach at the 1984 Summer Olympics, which featured four medalists, including gold medalists Jeff Blatnick and Steve Fraser.
Stephen "Steve" Daniar is a Canadian former wrestler. He competed in the men's freestyle 100 kg at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Kenneth Bruce Reinsfield is a New Zealand wrestler. He competed in the men's freestyle 82 kg at the 1984 Summer Olympics. His younger brother, Steve, is also an Olympic wrestler.
Steve Reinsfield is a New Zealand wrestler. He competed in the men's freestyle 62 kg at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
