Wrestlers from the United States have taken part in most of the major men's freestyle wrestling competitions over the years, in particular the Olympic Games and World Wrestling Championships. Men's freestyle wrestling competition at the Olympics was first held in 1904. FILA (now known as United World Wrestling) began holding World Championships in men's freestyle in 1951.
During Olympic years there is only six weight classes contested, with the World Championships featuring ten weight classes since 2018. The World Championships contest the six Olympic, along with four non-Olympic weight classes. The United States did not send wrestlers to the championships in 1951, 1957, 1959, 1980, and 2002. No official team standings are kept for the Olympics. Some team finishes are approximate.
| Year | Team Finish | 47.6 kg | 52.2 kg | 56.7 kg | 61.2 kg | 65.8 kg | 71.7 kg | 71.7+ kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | 1st | Curry, Robert (1st) | Mehnert, George (1st) | Niflot, Isidor (1st) | Bradshaw, Benjamin (1st) | Roehm, Otto (1st) | Ericksen, Charles (1st) | Hansen, Bernhoff (1st) |
| Hein, John (2nd) | Bauer, Gustave (2nd) | Wester, August (2nd) | McLear, Theodore (2nd) | Tesing, Rudolph (2nd) | Beckmann, William (2nd) | Kugler, Frank (2nd) | ||
| Thiefenthaler, Gustav (3rd) | Nelson, William (3rd) | Strebler, Louis (3rd) | Clapper, Charles (3rd) | Zirkel, Albert (3rd) | Jerry Winholtz (3rd) | Warmbold, Fred (3rd) | ||
| Holgate, Claude (4th) | N/A | Four Other Competitors | Six Other Competitors | Seven Other Competitors | Seven Other Competitors | Two Other Competitors |
| Year | Team Finish | 54 kg | 60.3 kg | 66.6 kg | 73 kg | 73+ kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 2nd | Mehnert, George (1st) | Dole, George (1st) | Krug, John (5th) | Craige, John (DNP) | Talbott, Lee (DNP) |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Narganes, Fred (DNP) | N/A |
| Year | Team Finish | 60 kg | 67.5 kg | 75 kg | 82.5 kg | 82.5+ kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 2nd | Ackerly, Charles (1st) | Metropoulos, George (DNP) | Johnson, Charley (3rd) | Maurer, Walter (3rd) | Pendleton, Nat (2nd) |
| Gerson, Samuel (2nd) | Shimmon, Joseph (DNP) | Frantz, Angus (4th) | Redman, John (4th) | Meyer, Fred (3rd) | ||
| Year | Team Finish | 56 kg | 61 kg | 66 kg | 72 kg | 79 kg | 87 kg | 87+ kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 1st | Hines, Bryan (3rd) | Reed, Robin (1st) | Vis, Russell (1st) | Lookabaugh, Guy (4th) | Smith, Herschel (DNP) | Spellman, John (1st) | Steel, Harry (1st) |
| MacWilliam, Milton (DNP) | Newton, Chester (2nd) | Martter, Perry (DNP) | Johnson, William (5th) | Wright, Walter (DNP) | Strack, Charles (DNP) | Flanders, Roger (DNP) | ||
| 1928 | 4th | Hewitt, Robert (5th) | Morrison, Allie (1st) | Berryman, Clarence (6th) | Appleton, Lloyd (2nd) | Hammonds, Ralph (4th) | Edwards, Heywood (4th) | George, Ed (4th) |
| 1932 | 1st | Pearce, Robert (1st) | Nemir, Edgar (2nd) | Clodfelter, Melvin (4th) | van Bebber, Jack (1st) | Hess, Robert (4th) | Mehringer, Peter (1st) | Riley, Jack (2nd) |
| 1936 | 2nd | Flood, Ross (2nd) | Millard, Francis (2nd) | Strong, Harley (5th) | Lewis, Frank (1st) | Voliva, Richard (2nd) | Clemons, Ray (5th) | Dunn, Roy (DNP) |
| Year | Team Finish | 54 kg | 58 kg | 63 kg | 69 kg | 76 kg | 85 kg | 97 kg | 130 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 6th | Jones, Zeke (11th) | Purler, Tony (10th) | Kolat, Cary (2nd) | McIlravy, Lincoln (12th) | St. John, Dan (16th) | Gutches, Les (1st) | Douglas, Melvin (9th) | Erikson, Tom (4th) |
| 1998 | 3rd | Henson, Sammie (1st) | Purler, Tony (11th) | Kolat, Cary (3rd) | McIlravy, Lincoln (3rd) | Marianetti, Steve (11th) | Gutches, Les (7th) | Douglas, Melvin (5th) | McCoy, Kerry (4th) |
| 1999 | 2nd | Akin, Eric (16th) | Guerrero, Eric (7th) | Kolat, Cary (4th) | McIlravy, Lincoln (2nd) | Williams, Joe (4th) | Gutches, Les (3rd) | Black, Dominic (17th) | Neal, Stephen (1st) |
| 2000 | 2nd | Henson, Sammie (2nd) | Brands, Terry (3rd) | Kolat, Cary (9th) | McIlravy, Lincoln (3rd) | Slay, Brandon (1st) | Burton, Charles (5th) | Douglas, Melvin (18th) | McCoy, Kerry (5th) |
| 2001 | 5th | Abas, Stephen (16th) | Guerrero, Eric (13th) | Zadick, Bill (7th) | Bono, Chris (13th) | Williams, Joe (3rd) | Eggum, Brandon (2nd) | Black, Dominic (13th) | McCoy, Kerry (4th) |
| Year | Team Finish | 57 kg | 61 kg | 65 kg | 70 kg | 74 kg | 86 kg | 97 kg | 125 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 9th | Ramos, Tony (16th) | Kennedy, Jimmy (10th) | Metcalf, Brent (12th) | Marable, Nick (8th) | Burroughs, Jordan (3rd) | Ruth, Edward (15th) | Varner, Jake (13th) | Dlagnev, Tervel (3rd) |
| 2015 | 7th | Ramos, Tony (11th) | Humphrey, Reece (12th) | Metcalf, Brent (10th) | Green, James (3rd) | Burroughs, Jordan (1st) | Herbert, Jake (33rd) | Snyder, Kyle (1st) | Rey, Zach (23rd) |
| 2016 | 3rd | Dennis, Daniel (19th) | Stieber, Logan (1st) | Molinaro, Frank (5th) | Green, James (7th) | Burroughs, Jordan (9th) | Cox, J'Den (3rd) | Snyder, Kyle (1st) | Dlagnev, Tervel (5th) |
| 2017 | 1st | Gilman, Thomas (2nd) | Stieber, Logan (12th) | Retherford, Zain (11th) | Green, James (2nd) | Burroughs, Jordan (1st) | Cox, J'Den (3rd) | Snyder, Kyle (1st) | Gwiazdowski, Nick (3rd) |
The tables shows American male wrestlers who have won at least two gold medals at the World Championships or Olympic Games. Boldface denotes active wrestlers and highest medal count among all wrestlers (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
| Rank | Wrestler | Weights | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan Burroughs | 74 kg / 79 kg | 2011 | 2022 | 7 | - | 3 | 10 |
| 2 | John Smith | 62 kg | 1987 | 1992 | 6 | - | - | 6 |
| 3 | Bruce Baumgartner | 130 kg | 1983 | 1996 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| 4 | Kyle Snyder | 97 kg | 2015 | 2023 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| Kyle Dake | 74 kg / 79 kg | 2018 | 2024 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
| David Taylor | 86 kg | 2018 | 2023 | 4 | 1 | - | 5 | |
| 7 | Leroy Kemp | 74 kg | 1978 | 1982 | 3 | - | 1 | 4 |
| Kevin Jackson | 82 kg | 1992 | 1995 | 3 | - | - | 3 | |
| Mark Schultz | 82 kg | 1984 | 1987 | 3 | - | - | 3 | |
| 10 | Dave Schultz | 74 kg / 82 kg | 1982 | 1993 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| J'den Cox | 86 kg / 92 kg | 2016 | 2022 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| Kenny Monday | 74 kg | 1988 | 1992 | 2 | 2 | - | 4 | |
| Wayne Wells | 74 kg | 1969 | 1972 | 2 | 1 | - | 3 | |
| Terry Brands | 57 kg / 58 kg | 1993 | 2000 | 2 | - | 1 | 3 | |
| Kurt Angle | 100 kg | 1995 | 1996 | 2 | - | - | 2 | |
| Tom Brands | 62 kg | 1993 | 1996 | 2 | - | - | 2 | |
| Dan Gable | 68 kg | 1971 | 1972 | 2 | - | - | 2 | |
| George Mehnert | 52 kg / 54 kg | 1904 | 1908 | 2 | - | - | 2 | |
| Category | 60 kg and below | 61–70 kg | 71–87 kg | more than 87 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total weight classes contested at international championships | 162 | 140 | 156 | 151 |
| Weights in which the United States medaled | 45 | 48 | 77 | 56 |
| Weights in which the United States won championships | 16 | 21 | 34 | 17 |
| Percentage of possible medals won by the United States | 27.7 | 34.3 | 49.4 | 37.1 |
| Percentage of championship titles won by the United States | 9.9 | 15.0 | 21.8 | 11.3 |
| Category | 1904–1936 | 1948–1968 | 1969–1996 | 1997–2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total weight classes contested at international championships | 45 | 128 | 280 | 103 |
| Weight classes in which the United States medaled | 30 | 26 | 127 | 29 |
| Weight classes in which the United States won championships | 20 | 6 | 49 | 7 |
| Percentage of medals won by the United States | 66.7 | 20.3 | 45.4 | 28.2 |
| Percentage of championship titles won by the United States | 44.4 | 4.7 | 17.5 | 6.8 |
| Category | 1904–1936 | 1948–1968 | 1969–1996 | 1997–2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight classes contested by United States wrestlers | 45 | 101 | 269 | 96 |
| Number of United States wrestlers | N/A | 66 | 107 | 50 |
| Average number of international championship appearances per wrestler | N/A | 1.53 | 2.51 | 1.92 |
| Medalists' average number of international championship appearances until first medal | 1.00 | 1.40 | 1.60 | 1.71 |
| Champions' average number of international championship appearances until first title | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.85 | 1.57 |
| Average number of medals ultimately won by United States medalists | 1.02 | 1.67 | 2.23 | 1.38 |
| Average number of championships ultimately won by United States champions | 1.05 | 1.00 | 1.81 | 1.00 |
Greco-Roman, Graeco-Roman, or classic wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1904. This style of wrestling forbids holds below the waist, which is the main feature that differentiates it from freestyle wrestling. This restriction results in an emphasis on throws, because a wrestler cannot use trips to bring an opponent to the ground or hook/grab the opponent's leg to avoid being thrown.
Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the United States are conducted under different rules and termed scholastic and collegiate wrestling. U.S. collegiate women's wrestling is conducted under freestyle rules.
David Lesley Schultz was an American Olympic and World champion freestyle wrestler, and a seven-time World and Olympic medalist. He coached individuals and teams at the college level and also privately.
Wrestling at the Olympic Games first appeared at the first modern Olympics, in the form of Greco-Roman wrestling, held in Athens in 1896. Wrestling would appear at every Summer Olympics held since then, with the exception of the 1900 Summer Olympics when wrestling did not appear on the program. Freestyle wrestling and weight classes both made their first appearance at the 1904 Summer Olympics. Women's freestyle wrestling competition was first held at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
United World Wrestling (UWW) is the international governing body for the sport of amateur wrestling; its duties include overseeing wrestling at the World Championships and Olympics. It presides over international competitions for various forms of wrestling, including Greco-Roman, Freestyle, Grappling, and others. The flagship event of UWW is the World Wrestling Championships.
Wrestling competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, were held at the China Agricultural University Gymnasium from 12–21 August 2008. It was split into two disciplines, Freestyle and Greco-Roman which are further divided into different weight categories. Men competed in both disciplines whereas women only took part in the freestyle events with 18 gold medals being awarded. This was the second Olympics with women's wrestling as an event.
Leslie Lyle Gutches is an American former wrestler and coach. His accomplishments include becoming a World Champion in freestyle wrestling at the 1997 World Wrestling Championships, the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best college wrestler in 1996, becoming the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion in the 177 lb. weight division in both 1995 and 1996, earning All-American status in 1994, 1995 & 1996, becoming a member of the 1996 United States Olympics freestyle wrestling team and winning numerous other tournaments and honors.
Angel Cejudo is an American freestyle wrestler who won the Dave Schultz Memorial International freestyle wrestling tournament in the 60 kg weight class on February 5, 2008. Later that same year he trained with his brother Henry Cejudo in Colorado Springs, who would win an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Leroy (Lee) P. Kemp, Jr. is an American former freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. Kemp would achieve success at the high school, collegiate, and international levels.
Denís Tsargúsh, is a Russian freestyle wrestler. He is a three-time European Champion, three-time World Champion and also won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is a Grand Master of Sports in Freestyle Wrestling.
William Michael Zadick is an American amateur wrestler. He won an NCAA college wrestling championship while competing with the University of Iowa and a gold medal at the 2006 World Wrestling Championships in freestyle wrestling.
Men's freestyle wrestling competition began in the Olympics in 1904. FILA began holding World Championships in men's freestyle in 1951. During Olympic years, FILA suspends the World Championships.
Spenser Mango is an American Greco-Roman wrestler. He has represented the United States in numerous international competitions including the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he competed in the 55 kg weight class. He won his first match against Romanian, Virgil Munteanu, before losing the South Korean, Park Eun-chul.
Taha Akgül is an Olympic, World, and European champion Turkish freestyle wrestler competing in the 125 kg division. He is a 3 time world and 11 time European champion. He won the gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics and the bronze medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics as well as in the 2024 Summer Olympics at 125 kg. He is a graduate of the Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University Physical Education and Sports Academy and completed his master's degree at Sivas Cumhuriyet University.
Kyle Douglas Dake is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 74 kilograms. He is a four-time World Champion, winning back-to-back titles twice, at 79 kilos in 2018 and 2019 and 74 kilos in 2021 and 2022. Dake earned bronze medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics.
The United States first took part in Greco-Roman wrestling competition at the Olympics in 1912. The United States first appearance at the World Championships in Greco-Roman was in 1961. Greco-Roman wrestling was held at the first modern Olympics in 1896 and the first World Championships in Greco-Roman was in 1904.
Kyle Frederick Snyder is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 97 kilograms.
Eric Guerrero is a retired amateur American freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's lightweight category. He won three consecutive NCAA (1997–1999) and four U.S. Open titles (2001–2004), scored two medals in the 58 and 60-kg division at the Pan American Games, and represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Joseph Marion "Joe" Corso is an American wrestler and coach. He competed in the men's freestyle 57 kg at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and was USA Women's Wrestling's first coach.
Iran competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place during the summer of 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the nation's return in 1948 after having made their debut in 1900, Iranian athletes have attended every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of 1980 and 1984 which they boycotted.
