PARIS – Former University of Iowa All-American and three-time National Champion Spencer Lee won a silver medal Friday at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the 11th Hawkeye wrestler in school history to medal at the Olympic Games.
Lee fell to top-seeded Rei Higuchi of Japan in the gold medal match, 4-2. Lee earned two push out points in the first period to lead 2-0 at the break. A scramble led to a Higuchi takedown to tie it at 2-2 and give the Japanese wrestler the lead on criteria. Higuchi countered a last second attack from Lee with a takedown to make the final 4-2.
The Murrysville, Pennsylvania, native earned a spot in the gold medal round winning a tight decision over China’s Zou Wanhao in the round of 16. Lee earned a passivity point and a takedown before Wanhao scored two pushout points at the end of the match. Lee rolled to a 12-2 victory in the quarterfinals over Bekzat Almaz Uulu of Kyrgyzstan. After Lee gave up an early takedown, he locked up the technical superiority with 12 unanswered points.
Lee defeated Uzbekistan’s Gulomjan Abdullaev in the semifinal with his second straight first period technical superiority winning 14-4. Lee used three takedowns and gut wrenches to punch his way into the gold medal match.
The last Hawkeye to medal at the Olympics was Thomas Gilman who won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Iowa’s 11 Olympic medalist include:
Terry McCann, 1960 (G)
Ed Banach, 1984 (G)
Lou Banach, 1984 (G)
Barry Davis, 1984 (S)
Randy Lewis, 1984 (G)
Chris Campbell, 1992 (B)
Tom Brands, 1996 (G)
Terry Brands, 2000 (B)
Lincoln McIlravy, 2000 (B)
Thomas Gilman, 2021 (B)
Spencer Lee, 2024 (S)