Spencer Lee had a dog fight on his hands in his final match against Japan’s Rei Higuchi, but ultimately came up short in his bid to capture a gold medal in his first Olympics.
The former Iowa standout had been dominant through the early rounds but met his match in Higuchi, who displayed similar dominance to punch his ticket to the gold medal match. Ultimately it was Higuchi’s speed that countered Lee’s power to win the match 4-2 and clinch the gold for Japan.
Lee, who missed out on the 2020 Olympics due to injury, still goes home with a silver medal following an incredible run where he won the U.S. Olympic trials but still had to qualify for his weight class to even get to Paris.
He had a raucous crowd on his side in the finals thanks to Lee’s mother being a famed French judoka, along with a strong contingency from the United States. While he goes home with a silver medal, Lee also takes the motivation to potentially come back even stronger when the Olympics land in Los Angeles in 2028.
Meanwhile, Helen Maroulis staked her claim as the best women’s wrestler in the history of the United States after she captured her third Olympic medal on Friday with a rapid-fire win in her bronze medal match against Hannah Taylor from Canada.
Maroulis secured an early takedown and then pinned Taylor for the win in just 24 seconds.
Prior to the U.S. Olympic trials, Maroulis, 32, contemplated retirement but decided to make another run at the prestigious tournament after she became the first American woman to win gold in wrestling back in 2016.
For the second straight Olympics, Maroulis wins bronze as she continues to rack up accomplishments in her legendary career.
“This might be my last match ever,” Maroulis said afterward. “It’s hard, I’m getting older. It’s a hard journey.”
Finally, four-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks secured a bronze medal of his own with a 5-0 shutout victory over Javrail Shapiev from Uzbekistan.
Brooks suffered a stunning upset in the semifinals after a last-second reversal from Magomed Ramazanov, who represented Bulgaria, cost him the match. Ramazanov went on to capture gold with a win over 2016 Olympic gold medalist and 2020 silver medalist Hassan Yazdani from Iran.
On Friday, Brooks powered back to win bronze, but at 24, he’s just now entering the prime of his career as he undoubtedly looks towards the 2028 Olympic Games.
Following the silver from Lee and the bronze medals by Brooks and Maroulis, the U.S. wrestling team has now secured five total medals, including a pair of golds for women’s wrestlers Amit Elor and Sarah Hildebrandt.
