It’s a whole different ball game having your family in your corner on the biggest stage. However, for Kyle Dake, it’s been a narrowly missed opportunity. Just days before Dake secured his spot on the national team for the Paris Olympics, his father passed away at the age of 62 in their family home. Despite this loss, the overwhelming urge to have his father beside him on the grand stage remains a powerful sentiment for the Olympic medalist, even though it’s no longer physically possible.

Kyle comes from a family with a long history of involvement in wrestling. His father, Doug, was an All-American wrestler from Kent State, while his grandfather, Bob Dake, is a pioneering figure who initiated wrestling programs in the school district of Lansing, New York. Understandably, having their banner on Kyle’s quest for his maiden Olympic gold was a reasonable desire.

Kyle Dake to fly his house banner in Paris

Kyle took to Instagram three days ago to reveal the design that will adorn his shoes at the Paris Olympics, when he takes on the fiercest foes from all four corners of the globe. “This is an outline of my dad’s hand,” reads the opening sentence of Dake’s post, as he talks about how Doug lost his pinky finger as a child while playing on a chain link swing. While the beginning of the story might feel gory, a chuckle cannot be withheld as one learns about how the accident turned Kyle’s father into one of the cooler kids on the block.

“The kids thought it was hilarious when he would pretend to put his whole pinky in his nose or ask for a “high-four”,” writes Kyle, and we can almost see the smirk on his face as he did so. Along with sharing the design, Kyle also took the opportunity to reminisce about how his father lived a good life with his family around him.

In another image from the same post, Doug can be seen with his grandson in his arms, both beaming with happiness. In another snap, Dake Sr. and Jr. are seen hanging out together, quite possibly at a wrestling match or training session, analyzing the technical aspects of the sport. Considering his father was one of the most influential figures in his life, it’s no surprise that Kyle is determined to showcase the lineage he will represent at the French capital.

A blow to the guts that one wouldn’t wish upon their enemies

Doug’s passing has hit Kyle hard, and he probably still hasn’t come to terms with the loss. With his family being the primary motivation for him to take up wrestling as a career, it’s understandable that Kyle is finding it difficult to face the reality of not having his father witness his journey at the Paris Olympics. At the Bryce Jordan Center in April, Dake defeated Penn State’s Jason Nolf in two straight matches to punch his ticket to his second Olympic Games. After the win, Dake was spotted hugging his family to celebrate.

In a post-match interview too, he couldn’t help but mention his father, who seemed to be the driving force behind Kyle’s zeal to show his worth to his peers. “He was the reason I got into wrestling, I just really miss him,” Kyle said to the interviewer and one could tell even from his body language how hard he was trying not to spill his emotions on national TV. But his voice kept breaking and fans could feel the immense void that was left with his father’s departure from this mortal world.

Now, as Kyle’s broad shoulders carry the USA’s responsibilities, we will have to wait to see if his father’s memory serves as a motivator in Paris or if the wrestler’s grief becomes an overwhelming hurdle on his way to the top.