CHIBA, Japan (AP) — With 10 seconds remaining, Gable Steveson trailed the biggest wrestling match of his life by three points.
When the clock hit zero, he was an Olympic gold medalist.
Steveson trailed Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili 8-5 with time running out. The 21-year-old American remained composed and took control against his more experienced opponent, scoring on a spin-behind takedown with 10 seconds remaining, then another with less than a second remaining to win the men’s freestyle 125-kilogram class final 10-8 on Friday night.
Steveson held up two fingers for two points after the move, but even he couldn’t believe what happened.
“I looked at the clock and it was like 0.3,” Steveson said. “And I was like, ‘Ain’t no way.’ And my head just like flushed with everything. And I was like, ‘Wow.’”
Georgia challenged the final points, to no avail. Steveson gained a point on the challenge, giving him five points in 10 seconds.
Steveson, who has aspirations of joining World Wrestling Entertainment, then played to the limited crowd. He walked around the mat with the U.S. flag draped over his shoulders, then dazzled with the backflip he saves for his biggest victories.
“You know, I put on a good show,” he said. “People are going to remember the name Gable Steveson.”
It looked as if Steveson might have another easy day. He outscored his opponents 23-0 in the first three rounds and dominated 2016 Olympic gold medalist Taha Akgul 8-0 in the quarterfinals.
Things got tougher in the final. Petriashvili, the No. 1 seed, is a three-time world champion who was an Olympic bronze medalist in 2016.
Steveson led the final 5-2 before Petriashvili scored on a single leg takedown and two gut wrenches to go up 8-5.
With the pressure on, Steveson came up with a plan to get the points he needed. It makes sense that he came through — he was named for American Dan Gable, the 1972 Olympic gold medalist and a former longtime college coach.
“There’s a lot of possibilities for me with this gold medal,” he said. “A lot of doors opened after me winning a national title, and now the whole world is open for me to see after this Olympic gold medal.”
Steveson earned $250,000 for claiming the gold medal.
“I’ll probably go take my family out to eat,” he said. “We all got to eat steaks back at home. Probably buy my mom a Louis Vuitton purse. She deserves it.”
