Lansing’s Kyle Dake wins second Olympic bronze medal

One of the most decorated wrestlers in American history adds another accolade to his colossal collection.

On August 10, Kyle Dake captured his second Olympic bronze medal after taking down Serbia’s Hetik Cabolov 10-4 in Paris. It was a repeat of his performance in Tokyo three years ago. While he’s had enormous success outside of the Summer Games—two state titles in high school, four national championships in college, and four world titles, just to name a few—bringing home an Olympic medal means that much more to him.

“Winning any medal is something really special, and to be able to call myself a two-time bronze medalist is a very unique thing,” Dake said. “I’m just really thankful that I had the opportunity to go out and compete and represent the United States of America but also represent Lansing, New York and Ithaca, New York. It’s been an incredible journey, and being able to represent myself, my family and my country well is all I could really ask for.”

Dake entered Paris as the top seed in the 74-kilogram freestyle bracket and started off his pursuit for gold on a strong note. He eased past Venezuela’s Anthony Montero Chirinos with a 10-0 technical fall in the round of 16 before routing Iran’s Younes Emami 11-1 in the quarterfinals. But in the semifinals, Japan’s Daichi Takatani pulled off the upset with a 20-12 victory. Despite missing out on gold, Dake kept a positive mindset heading into the bronze medal match.

“You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it,” Dake said. “I don’t have any regrets about it, because it’s going to lead me into something better. It was meant to happen. Everything is perfectly timed, and there’s no sense in trying to change it. For me, it was looking at it like, ‘Okay, if I wrestle again, what would I do differently?’… If I ever wrestle him again—or if I wrestle again—I’m not going to be letting guys in on my legs, and I’m still going to go score points.”

Dake had to fight through more adversity against Cabolov the following day. Trailing 4-1 with just 48 seconds to, he fiercely rallied back and scored nine unanswered points in a 30-second span to pull off an epic comeback. Dake knew he needed to switch things up to come away with another bronze medal.

“In the past, I’ve always been a very defensive wrestler,” Dake said. “I never let people score points on me, and I would kind of shut everybody down. But in doing so, I shut myself down. This year, I wanted to be a little bit different. I wanted to go out and score points. Every single match, I scored 10 or more points, which is very different than the style that I normally wrestle. Of course, I didn’t get the result I wanted, but I was very happy with the way I was attacking. One of my goals was just to score points, and I accomplished that.”

The biggest difference between Dake’s triumph in Paris compared to Tokyo was that he got to enjoy it with his family. Barred from attending matches in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spectators were allowed back in for the Paris Games and made sure to pack the Champ-de-Mars Arena. After Dake defeated Cabolov, he ran into the stands to embrace his loved ones, creating a lasting memory for all.

“I’m out there by myself, but in reality, all of them are with me,” Dake said. “They’ve sacrificed just as much as I have, if not more, for this goal and for this journey. Being away from family is not easy. Having your dad go away and not be around when you’re two, three and five is something that’s difficult to wrap your head around. Being able to go up there and share it and just say ‘thank you’ and ‘we did it together’ and just remember them and give them the recognition that they deserve and the praise that they deserve for helping me get here, I’m just super grateful for everything that they’ve done and continue to do for me.”

That support was also evident when he returned to Lansing on August 17, as the town held a parade and a meet-and-greet for Dake. Of the many people in attendance, the younger generation will no doubt be inspired by what he has accomplished.

“I think that the best thing is just to inspire young kids and inspire the community, like saying, ‘Hey, there’s something that you can do. There’s greatness that you can achieve, even from being in a small town’ and just be the example for a lot of these kids,” Dake said. “That’s all they really need. That’s all I need.”

Dake will be 37 years old by the time the next Summer Games roll around in 2028. Whether or not he suits up for Team USA in Los Angeles, he has more than cemented his legacy as an all-time wrestling great.