Dake wins fourth straight world title

The pride of Lansing and Cornell University wrestling has done it again. Kyle Dake claimed his fourth consecutive world title after winning the 74-kilogram men’s freestyle gold medal match at the 2022 Senior World Championships on Sept. 17 in Serbia.

Dake took down Slovakia’s Tajmuraz Salkazanov in a 3-1 decision, which was also a rematch of last year’s final. Despite the same outcome, it was a different kind of challenge this time around.

“I did a really good job shutting down all of his offense,” Dake said. “I did a lot of lateral movement, and I was able to get to a bunch of my shots. I was able to convert a takedown and get a push out. I really just controlled the match the whole way, where in the past I gave up a couple push outs and needed to dig deep to find another way to score. I was really happy with this performance, and being able to go out and really dictate the whole pace of the match was something that I wasn’t able to do the previous year. But you always try to make improvements, change strategy and see what you can do better next time out.”

Dake was part of a U.S. team that collected six gold medals, which is the nation’s most at a single world championship. He described the current state of U.S. wrestling as the “golden age,” filled with many talented athletes including himself, six-time world champion Jordan Burroughs and three-time world champion Kyle Snyder. Dake attributed the country’s recent success to multiple factors.

“The regional training center model allows for athletes to compete longer,” Dake said. “We’re able to have a little boy come in and continue to pursue these goals, whereas in the past, a lot of guys would have to move into coaching or move into MMA or any one of those things. Another huge reason for our success is the fact that we have more opportunity to compete at age groups. When I was in high school, I was able to wrestle at the World Championships in Greco-Roman, but it was still relatively small in America. Now, it’s a really big deal. We have guys going over and competing under the USA flag and winning world titles at their age group.”

Dake continued.

“The last thing that makes the biggest difference is the fact that we’re able to watch videos online,” he said. “I could watch tens of thousands of wrestling matches, and I could get so much information that, in the past, people really wouldn’t be able to get unless you had an elite-level coach. So, I think ease of access to information has played a big role, as well.”

One newcomer to this “golden age” is current Cornell wrestler Yianni Diakomihalis, earning silver in the 65-kilogram men’s freestyle in Serbia. Diakomihalis has shared a special bond with his fellow Big Red grappler. He was Dake’s training partner at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, helping him win bronze.

“I was just super proud to see his development [at Worlds],” Dake said. “I felt like he made a lot of improvements and a lot of adjustments. He pours his heart into the sport, and he’s such a good guy to have around. He’s so positive and active and just loves doing it. We’re always bouncing ideas off each other and seeing how we can make each other improve, and I’m definitely going to miss him when I leave. But I know that the Cornell wrestling program for the foreseeable future is in great hands with Yianni and head coach Mike Grey.”

Dake is leaving because, immediately after winning his fourth world title, he announced that he would be joining the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, the regional training center associated with Penn State University. After living in Lansing and Ithaca for his entire life, the move will be a new journey for Dake and his family. He’s also had time to reflect on the remarkable legacy he will leave behind for young wrestlers in the area.

“I see flashes of it every once in a while, which is really cool,” Dake said. “I’ve seen kids that I coached who are maybe not still wrestling, but they wrestled one year in rec league or they know me from just being around. Those kids were just babies 10 years ago. Now, I’ve seen them grow up, and they’re starting to make huge impacts on the community and achieving their goals. Even if I only had a small part in that, just to inspire them to pursue greatness is something that’s really special to me.”

Dake concluded, “It’s sad to leave the community, but I’ll always be a Cornellian and I’ll always be a Lansingite.”

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