John Smith (American wrestler)

This article is about the American Olympic wrestler. For the Zambian wrestler, see John Smith (Zambian wrestler). For the American professional wrestler, see J.T. Smith (wrestler).

John Smith
Personal information
Full nameJohn William Smith
BornAugust 9, 1965 (1965-08-09) (age 59)
Del City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight62 kg (137 lb)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Weight class62 kg
Event(s)Freestyle and Folkstyle
College teamOklahoma State
ClubSunkist Kids Wrestling Club
TeamUSA
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul 62 kg
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona 62 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1987 Clermont-Ferrand 62 kg
Gold medal – first place 1989 Martigny 62 kg
Gold medal – first place 1990 Tokyo 62 kg
Gold medal – first place 1991 Varna 62 kg
Goodwill Games
Gold medal – first place 1986 Moscow 62 kg
Gold medal – first place 1990 Seattle 62 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1987 Indianapolis 62 kg
Gold medal – first place 1991 Havana 62 kg
Grand Masters of Olympic Wrestling
Gold medal – first place Pittsburgh 1990 62 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Oklahoma State Cowboys
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal – first place 1987 College Park 134 lb
Gold medal – first place 1988 Ames 134 lb
Silver medal – second place 1985 Oklahoma City 134 lb

John William Smith (born August 9, 1965)[1] is an American folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Smith was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, and a six-time world level champion with two Olympic Championships and four World Wrestling Championships. Smith is the only American wrestler ever to win six consecutive World and Olympic championships as a competitor. At the end of his competitive career, Smith had won more World and Olympic gold medals in wrestling than any other American. Smith was widely known for his low single leg takedown,[2][3] and is considered one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers of all time.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "John Smith". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016.
  2. ^ Brownlee, Shannon. (March 14, 1988). How Low Can You Get?. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  3. ^ History Of The Low Single Leg and Overlooking the Legend who Invented it – John Smith. bjjee.com. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  4. ^ John Smith Named Greatest American Wrestler of All Time. okstate.com. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  5. ^ Steen, Alex. (September 3, 2016). Top 10 Greatest Olympic Wrestlers of All Time - Men's Freestyle. The Open Mat. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  6. ^ Binoy, Allan. (July 26, 2021). Top 5 American Wrestlers to Ever Compete at the Olympics. Essentially Sports. Retrieved September 23, 2022.