USA Olympic Star Kyle Dake Takes a Trip Down Memory Lane to Recall his Debut Wrestling Tournament

The 2024 wrestling season has been quite fortunate for the Spartans as the team has made an incredible start this year. Just like in 2023, this year, Spartan Combat’s roster also features phenomenal, gifted wrestlers. As the 2024 Paris Olympics nears, the team is counting a gold this year from its staggering additions: world champions Kyle Dake and Vito Arujau. 

Kyle Dake is expected to dominate the upcoming Olympics event not only due to his experience as an Olympian but also as he is a force that needs to be reckoned with this year. “I knew what I had to offer and I knew there was a place I could reach with my wrestling,” the 2020 Olympic Bronze medalist said in 2019 as he shined among others with a stellar resume. However, this attitude is familiar to Dake. 

Kyle’s journey to the first wrestling mat

Recently, Kyle Dake sat with his parents in an interview, and all of them recalled his experience the first time he stepped onto the wrestling mat. Directly after this, Kyle took to his official Instagram account and shared the snippet. Apart from the video, he penned, “What is your first memory of wrestling?! I love to hear these types of stories! Let me know in the comments!“

Kyle Dake’s performance on the mat is something that he has been trained with since his childhood, as it was his parents who introduced him to the wrestling mat. The first time Kyle came up on a wrestling tournament mat was when he was four. Interestingly, since childhood, Kyle Dake hated losing. His dad says, “And the first night he wrestled, he lost, and he hated losing.“

In the same video interview, Kyle said, “ I couldn’t tell you the first time I wrestled. I remember pictures of it, and now I’m looking through albums. I remember sleeping with my trophy like this in the car, like it took third place. But I didn’t, I was just tall, and I got a trophy. Like, I think four of us got a ribbon. And my Dad’s like, well, you get a ribbon,…. At least that’s how my Dad did it to me.“

Eventually, this support from his parents led him to what he is today. Currently, Kyle features a 2020 Olympic bronze medal, four-time world champion and four-time NCAA Championships titles. Now, he is eyeing the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, it is much harder than it may seem to be at first glance. 

Kyle Dake’s last 2024 Paris Olympics?

While most of the athletes are gearing up to take up a spot at the Olympics this year, Kyle stands among those who have already punched their tickets to Paris. He clinched the coveted spot by winning a silver medal at Worlds last year. Despite losing to Zaurbek Sidakov at 76kg, Kyle got the tickets for being counted among the top five. 

Read More: Exciting New Paris Olympics 2024 Medals Pumps Reigning Olympic Wrestling Champ to Retain His Title

Since he was defeated in the finals of the world championships in Serbia, Kyle Dake is required to reanalyse his game and change his strategies so that it does not happen at the Olympic games. Given his age, the 2024 Olympics is the last chance for Kyle to perform and take redemption for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. However, the question is still the same: Will Kyle Dake be able to hit gold this year?

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