Kyle Snyder, a resounding force over two Olympic cycles has now etched his name amongst the greats in the sport of wrestling. Snyder captured his fourth World Championship by knocking off Batyrbek Tsakulov (SVK) in the finals of the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. This also marks the eighth straight year that Snyder has brought home a World/Olympic medal, tying legend Bruce Baumgartner for the longest streak in American wrestling history. At 27, Kyle is a record setter, cultural leader, and role model who embodies wrestling’s greatest lessons and virtues.
Defined by unrelenting pressure and an unbreakable will, Snyder shocked the world in 2015, by defeating the defending World champ to capture his first title in front of an American crowd in Las Vegas. A year later, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Kyle became the youngest American wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal at 20 years old.
The year 2017 saw Snyder’s greatness rise to new levels. In the last bout of the event, facing fellow 2016 Olympic gold medalist Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia, and with a team World title on the line, Snyder came through with a win that had the crowd in Paris on their feet. It was Snyder’s third gold medal in as many tries, and Team USA’s first team title since 1995.
A cornerstone of Kyle’s greatness is his resilience in the face of adversity. From 2018 through 2021, he suffered heartbreak at the World Championships and Olympic Games; bringing home a medal, but falling just shy of another gold medal. But like a true warrior, Snyder was resilient in defeat and continued to march forward, certain that the next day’s victory would be his.
At 27, Kyle is a record setter, cultural leader, and role model who embodies wrestling’s greatest lessons and virtues. In a manner indicative of his greatness, he’ll wake up tomorrow with more competition to chase…Krasnoyarsk, RUS and #5 awaits.
