USA’s Wrestling Olympic Champion Shares the Game-Changing Moment that Pushed His Wrestling Career to New Heights

Sports are not always about honing one’s skills in the field or practice arena. A significant amount of mastery in any sporting discipline involves watching those who have already made their marks. From there stems the concept of motivation. And it is nothing short of a champion-maker. The paramount importance of having someone to idolize was once again reiterated recently with precedence from the wrestling realm.

As the USA is celebrating Black History Month, intriguing stories of black athletes are coming to the fore. Along similar lines, USA Wrestling recently showcased Olympic wrestling champion Kevin Jackson. In a conversation, the ace wrestler described how watching a wrestling icon affected him as a growing child and how it shaped his dreams in the coming days.

A lesson for learning through the eyes 

USA Wrestling posted a couple of pictures alongside clips of Kevin Jackson wherein he shared inspirational words with aspiring wrestlers. Quite aptly, the post carried the caption, “Seeing is believing | #blackhistorymonth Olympic champion @coachkj__ speaks to the moment he believed he could go far in the sport of wrestling.”

Kevin Jackson was a high schooler when he saw Nate Carr Sr. performing as a part of Iowa State and made it to emerge victorious at the event. That was where the dream was born. Jackson said, “In high school, I turned on ESPN one time and I saw Nate Carr Sr. win a national championship for Iowa State. And right from that moment on, I could see myself as a college wrestler.”

Like Carr, Jackson ended up being in Iowa State’s gear. But according to him, “it could have been anywhere.” Citing himself as an example of how much motivation means in sports, Jackson said, “It does mean something for young athletes…to see people that look like them performing at the highest level.” His words were kind of reiterated in his staunch career records. 

He became unstoppable with a collection of accolades added to his massive list of accomplishments, including the 1991 World Championships, 1995 World Championships, 1993 World Championships, 1995 Pan American Games, 1991 Pan American Games, and 1992 Olympic gold Medalist. With all this in his kitty, Jackson had a thought to spare for humility as well. He conceded, “Even after I became a world Olympic champion, I never changed.” With that very humility, he is continuing his journey in a new gear.

Giving away his learnings for the future stars

After a successful wrestling career, Kevin opted for a coaching position at Iowa State, the collegiate wrestling team that first introduced him to the wrestling world. After eight years of coaching excellence, along with his first 2010 Rookie Coach of the Year title, head coach of Iowa State, Kevin made another shift to join Michigan Wolverines. 

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For Michigan, Kevin has a 12-1 dual meet record as he helped the team claim their first Big Ten Championship since 1973 while helping them clinch a second position at the National Championships. Apart from that, Nick Suriano, who captured 125 pounds NCAA title flourished under his guidance. Jackson also coached Mason Parris to claim the 2023 NCAA heavyweight crown and Michigan’s first-ever Hodge Trophy. Interestingly, Penn State wrestling’s sensational HC Cael Sanderson is also a product of Jackson’s stable. He coached Sanderson during his 15-year stint with USA Wrestling’s freestyle program in several coaching capacities.

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