PARIS, France — Former Hawkeye wrestler Spencer Lee is ending his first Olympics with a silver medal.
The 25-year-old was defeated by Japan's Rei Higuchi 4-2 in the men's freestyle 57kg final Friday.
Lee ended the first period leading 2-0, but Higuchi responded in the second period with two separate two-point technical scores.
Just one day earlier, Lee dominated on the mat. He first defeated China's Wanhao 3-2 for his first Olympic win before notching 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 to advance to Friday's gold medal match.
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.