Kyle Snyder’s Paris Run Stopped Short of a Third Olympic
Kyle Snyder finished fifth in men’s 97 kg freestyle wrestling at the Paris Olympics on August 11, 2024. Iran’s Amirali Azarpira defeated him 4–1 in their bronze-medal contest, ending Snyder’s bid to medal at a third consecutive Games.
The bronze-medal contest
Snyder reached the semifinals with two victories before losing to Bahrain’s Akhmed Tazhudinov. That defeat sent the American into a bronze-medal match rather than ending his tournament immediately.
Azarpira scored the opening takedown to lead 2–0. Snyder gained an activity point in the second period, but the Iranian added two stepout points to finish with a 4–1 victory and the bronze medal.
Gold and silver before Paris
Snyder had won Olympic gold at Rio 2016 while still competing for Ohio State. He returned at Tokyo 2020 and earned silver, placing his Paris fifth-place finish alongside two earlier Olympic podium appearances.
His college career also brought three consecutive NCAA heavyweight championships from 2016 through 2018. He reached the NCAA final in each of his four seasons and helped Ohio State win its first team championship in 2015.
A sustained international career
Snyder’s senior world championship breakthrough came in 2015. Further titles followed in 2017 and 2022, and he added another gold at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb.
The Paris result was therefore one chapter in an extended international career. Through his first three Olympics, his record stood at one gold medal, one silver and a fifth-place finish in the same 97 kg freestyle division.
Sources
- Ohio State: Azarpira match sequence and Olympic medal history
- USA Wrestling: Olympic placings, NCAA achievements and world titles
