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Iowa celebrity Spencer Lee breezed through opponents at the recently held US Olympic Wrestling Team Trials, and not without his fair share of adversities. Despite a knee injury forcing him to the sidelines for months, Lee rose to the challenge and won the 57kg finals defeating fellow Iowan Thomas Gilman in two straight matches. While he is yet to secure his place in the national team in Istanbul next month, fans believe Lee’s chances of a gold medal at the Paris Olympics are high.

After being forced to withdraw from last year’s US Open, Lee’s wrestling future was under severe questions. However, he came back strongly last November to highlight his determination to continue doing what he does best. Now, with Lee once again showing his mettle at the Bryce Jordan Center, fans can’t stop bracing up to see the three-time NCAA champ attaining the highest honors at the Paris Olympics.

Spencer Lee pulled off a mighty feat

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In a recent Reddit post on the group r/Wrestling, Redditor BitterTechnology6 pondered Lee’s possibilities of bringing gold from Paris later this year. “Spencer Lee has to wrestle 3 matches to get to the finals which also means Spencer Lee will most likely have to go through multiple world champions to win the Olympics,” notes the post. Considering that Lee has been suffering considerably from his injury in recent months, the speculations couldn’t be more justified.

How will Spencer Lee do at the Olympics this year
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Despite his victory, fans cannot forget that Lee’s injury has remained a concern for quite some time now. From making him forfeit against arch-rival Nick Suriano to going to rehab for six months, Lee has been dealing with a lot recently. Even after stomping over Gilman, Lee said in the post-match interview “I’m still not healthy, but healthy enough to wrestle hard.”

However, with his win at the US Wrestling Trials, fans can’t stop debating whether his physical condition will take a toll on his way to the top of the podium at the Paris Olympics.

Fans share their take on the matter

The author of the post once again drew the attention of Lee’s fans to the fact that Lee had to get some help after his first match. “I notice in the first match with Nico he had no knee brace while in Zane and Gilman matches he did have a brace,” said the comment, noting that things look a “bit worrying.”

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loudmeowtuco thinks Spencer has a great possibility of bagging gold on the grand stage, despite being out of action for months. “The cut isn’t a problem for him and he’s got Pocket Hercules strength. And it’s mind boggling that a guy who didn’t wrestle freestyle for years seems to understand the style better than just about any other wrestler in the US right now,” says the fan.

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azsoup has their hopes high, given how Spencer Lee himself mentioned that the injury won’t bog him down.

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Another fan commented, “Hoping for gold but he is also obviously still injured,” underscoring that Lee has a tough climb ahead. This fan, too, thinks bright possibilities are ahead for Spencer, but not without several things to work in perfect harmony.

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What do you think Lee’s chances are to bring honor to the USA this July? Tell us in the comments!