Heavyweight glory for USA’s wrestling phenom Steveson, who nets $250,000 for his last-second win

USA Wrestling’s heavyweight phenom Gable Dan Steveson won gold on Friday as he outmuscled and outmanoeuvred Georgia’s Rio 2016 bronze medalist and three-time world champion Geno Petriashvili in a gripping final at the Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba on Friday.

Steveson, 21, whose mother named him after legendary US freestyle wrestler Dan Gable - who won gold in the 68kg category at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich - lived up to his namesake’s success as he was the star attraction in the men’s 125kg freestyle field on the penultimate day of the wrestling competition.

The 2021 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I Wrestling champion needed a buzzer-beating takedown in the last second of the final to recapture the lead in dramatic fashion for his country’s third wrestling gold medal at Tokyo 2020.

The charismatic heavyweight executed his trademark flip post-match in celebration before proudly walking around the mat with the USA flag after becoming the second American in history to win heavyweight gold.

Steveson won all three of his matches on Thursday without conceding a point to take his place in Friday’s final which was a topsy-turvy affair as the American favorite was 4-0 up at the break but his Georgian opponent registered eight points in the second period to leave the Minneapolis prodigy trailing in the closing seconds.

The hulking heavyweight won 10-8 with a successful last-ditch takedown worth $250,000 as that is the prize money issued by USA Wrestling, as part of their Living The Dream Medal Fund, for a Tokyo 2020 gold medalist.

“I’m speechless,” said Steveson, who won a third gold medal for the United States in wrestling, the country’s best showing since Atlanta 1996.

“I’ve never done it before. But today was the day. Damn.

“I’m so happy to be here, I’m happy to be here with USA, so many great guys in the team, coaches, and I’m so proud to represent the country and do my job for them.

“Hats off to all my competitors. It was crazy.”

Steveson charmed the media in the mixed zone and minutes later at the press conference with his friendly and articulate responses but stopped short of discussing his next career move.

“I’ll have a lot of options now, I’m thinking about going home and going out for a steak, I can take my family with dinner now with the prize money I’ve won.

“I’d like to buy my mom a Louis Vuitton bag, she deserves it, my mom, dad and brother were all up at 4am to watch me.

“This moment and this gold medal will sit with me forever, it’s something I will treasure.”

When asked if he will compete at the World Championships in two months time in Norway, Steveson said he doesn’t know right now.

“I have no clue if I will get to that point, I’m going to think about it with the coaches and I’ll make the best decision for me, I don’t have a clue for now.”

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