“First thing I thought of was to take it off, but that’s OK, right?” commented Spencer Lee on his silver medal at the Paris Olympics. In the French capital, all he wanted was to take home the gold. But in the 59-kg freestyle final, he had to face defeat by Rei Higuchi, the veteran who had tasted many glories in the past. Ultimately, the match was not a dead rubber; both wrestlers put on a nail-biting fight. Yet Spencer couldn’t accept his defeat. He blamed himself for not giving his all. Only the support of his peers could soothe his wounds, and it seems he has that now.

Recent pictures suggest that the American wrestler may have found joy as a former UFC champion has showered him with praise. Additionally, he has forgiven Lee for his previous loss.

Spencer Lee did not lose gold, he won silver 

Chael Sonnen has a reputation for being a cutthroat host. He had remained a critic of Spencer Lee for losing the NCAA wrestling final last year against Matt Ramos. But not today! On his YouTube podcast, the former UFC fighter mentioned, “There’s many times in life you lose, there’s only a few times where you don’t lose, you just ran out of time.” As per him, Spencer’s defeats—at the 2023 NCAA Division 1 wrestling and the Paris Olympics—are that kind of defeat. Furthermore, he saluted the 25-year-old wrestler for making the journey from his ACL repairs on both of his knees to the Olympic podium. Those feats are commendable, and in Paris, Spencer Lee looked to be no less than a phenomenon. 

He advanced to the final after securing victories by technical superiority in both the quarterfinals and semifinals. Even in the final, Rei Higuchi’s experience met its match in Lee’s power. At one point, the score was tied at 2 points each. However, in the final seconds, Higuchi earned two more points, clinching the match. Even without that final move, the Japanese wrestler would have likely taken the win.

The reason for this outcome was that Rei Higuchi’s 2 points came from a takedown, while Spencer Lee earned his points by forcing his opponent out of bounds. The three-time NCAA champion acknowledged this difference, reflecting on where he fell short in the match. However, his opponent had only the highest praise for him.

Rei Higuchi checks on the invincible nature of his opponent

Rei Higuchi once accepted Spencer Lee’s challenge of fighting with him at the Paris Olympics. However, on Friday night, he checked the box as the winner of the duel at Champ de Mars Arena. Still, he acknowledged his opponent’s superpower. 

“When I was fighting with him, I could feel his power,” the veteran claimed. “He’s very powerful, very speedy, very physically fit as well. I was aware of that, but what impressed me most was his power and strength.” That could soothe Spencer Lee. He could have motivation from his opponent’s story as well. 

In the post-match conversation, when asked about his overall experience, Rei Higuchi went down to his memory lane. In Rio, he missed the gold, ultimately winning the silver. Five years later, in Tokyo, he couldn’t even qualify because of the weight issue. Still, he was on the top podium at the Paris Olympics. Revealing the juice of success, Rei Higuchi explained, “I’ve passed through a setback and despair, but I managed to succeed by believing myself.” That’s almost Spencer Lee’s story, isn’t it? Let’s see how he handles the thing from here.