PARIS, France — Former Hawkeye wrestler Spencer Lee is headed to the men's freestyle 57kg final after winning three matches in Paris on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Lee started the day on the mat against China's Wanhao Zou, defeating his opponent 3-2 for his first Olympic victory.
Later, Lee secured a decisive win over Bezkat Almax Uulu of Kyrgyzstann by technical superiority with a score of 12-2.
Lee then defeated Uzbekistan's Gulomjon Abdullaev via technical superiority 14-4 in the semifinals. He will wrestle Rei Higuchi of Japan for the gold medal on Friday.
Before heading to college, Lee attended high school in Pennsylvania, where he was a three-time state wrestling champion and named the No. 1 wrestler in the country for all four years, according to his bio.
At the University of Iowa, Lee became a three-time NCAA Champion and a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner. He finished his college career with a 98-6 record and went 26-0 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
His time in Paris marks his first Olympic bout.
What is technical superiority?
A wrestler can win by technical fall, or technical superiority, if they are winning by 10 points before time expires in freestyle wrestling or eight points in Greco-Roman wrestling.
