Kyle Dake has established himself as one of the greatest wrestlers in U.S. history. The only NCAA wrestler to win national gold in four different weight classes dominated the 74 kg category at the U.S. Olympic Trials. However, Dake has to carry the weight of a legacy that might prove too heavy for a once-in-a-generation talent like the 33-year-old.

Team USA wrestling has had an Olympic champion every year since 1984. At Paris, all eyes will be on the former All-American to win Team USA’s 10th consecutive wrestling gold. Dake is in impeccable form, having lost only to Zaurbek Sidakov since the last Olympics. Another silver lining for the Olympian is that his Russian rival, Sidakov, won’t compete in Paris.

So, will Kyle Dake secure gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics? The Sports Geek puts his chances at 88.2%. This prediction comes after looking at the EIWA Hall of Famer’s performance since the Tokyo Olympics. Since winning bronze, Dake has torn through the competition in national and international contests. Even his loss to Sidakov was a competitive one.

However, Sports Geek isn’t the only entity predicting success for Kyle Dake. U.S. wrestler and 97 kg prospect Kyle Snyder made a bold prediction for his team members ahead of Paris. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we won six gold medals,” Snyder said during the USA Wrestling press conference. The 28-year-old has faith in Dake’s abilities.

While Sidakov’s absence has bolstered Dake’s chances even more, it came as an unexpected boon. After losing to the Russian wrestler in 2023, Dake was eager for a chance at redemption. However, last-minute decisions by the IOC and the Russian Wrestling Federation changed the circumstances.

Why Kyle Dake’s arch nemesis won’t be competing in Paris

Reuters reported on July 6th that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had started the process of inviting Russian athletes to compete under a neutral banner. Although Zaurbek Sidakov’s name wasn’t included in the initial invitations, these special invitations were met with unanimous rejections. Shortly after the invitations, the entire Russian wrestling team decided to boycott Paris 2024.

The Russian Wrestling Federation (RWF) also expressed their displeasure toward the IOC’s last-minute invitations for certain selected athletes. The RWF claimed the IOC’s selection process as “unsportsmanlike,” and designed to “undermine the principle of unity of our team.” However, another more recent development saw Kyle Dake’s rival retire from wrestling in a shocking move. The Olympic gold medalist now plans to transition into MMA.

As a 4x world champion, Dake has earned his place in the U.S. Paris Olympics Team as a prolific and dominant wrestler. All signs indicate Dake’s potential success in Paris. However, gold medals aren’t won through predictions. Only time will tell if the Olympic bronze medalist can upgrade his medal to gold.