For as long as he can remember, Spencer Lee has always been “the chosen one.”
A three-time PIAA champion at Franklin Regional, a three-time NCAA champion at the University of Iowa and a three-time age-level World champion during his scholastic career, Lee is a certified wrestling wunderkind and a prodigy of the highest order. Yet every time he has appeared to be on the brink of a historic milestone, Lee has run into an obstacle that derailed his quest for greatness. One might even compare his career arc to that of a comic book superhero, albeit one who has yet to fulfill his near-limitless potential.
In high school, Lee won the first 144 matches of his extraordinary career before losing his final bout as a senior against future Iowa teammate Austin DeSanto in the 2017 PIAA Class 3A 126-pound finals. Competing with a torn ACL, Lee gave up a controversial last-second takedown at the buzzer, as DeSanto pulled off the shocking upset with a come-from-behind 6-5 win.
Lee then went on to win three national titles and two Hodge trophies for the Hawkeyes, but the COVID-19 pandemic and an endless string of knee injuries threatened to prevent him from competing for a historic fourth championship. After receiving a medical redshirt in 2022, Lee finally had double surgery on both of his ACLs, then returned for his final season at Iowa and went undefeated up until the 2023 NCAA semifinals, when he lost to Purdue’s Matt Ramos by last-second fall in one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the sport.
Just 16 months ago, Lee was staring up at the ceiling after another heartbreaking defeat, trying to come to grips with the reality of what just transpired. How could it happen again? Was he cursed? Would he ever live up to the massive hype and expectations placed upon him since he was a child? Was this the last time anyone would see Lee take the mat?
Now, with the 2024 Summer Olympics right around the corner and Lee set to represent the U.S. in the 57-kg bracket of the freestyle wrestling competition in Paris, the humble hometown hero from Murrysville has a chance to finally complete his ultimate goal of becoming an Olympic champion while erasing the painful memories of his past defeats. But in order to pick himself up off the mat and work his way back to the pinnacle of the world’s most grueling and unforgiving sport, Lee had to step away from the wrestling world altogether and search deep within himself to find his own answers.
“I just remember I didn’t really know what to do [after the NCAA tournament],” Lee said. “I remember getting a text from [Iowa coaches] Tom and Terry [Brands] saying, ‘Hey, go to Japan.’ I literally booked a flight two days later and left three days after that.
“They’re like, ‘Get out of the country. You need to go figure some stuff out.’”
Lee spent 22 days living with a host family in Tokyo, taking the time to decompress and reflect on what really matters most to him, all while exploring another culture he had always admired from afar through his love of anime and Pokemon. After 20 years of competing year-round at the highest level, he finally allowed himself to take his mind off of wrestling for the first time in his life.
“I had an awesome time. I absolutely love Japan,” Lee said. “It was very peaceful. It was relaxing. The country is amazing. I was able to just enjoy a place I’ve always wanted to visit.
“It felt like a different world. I wasn’t really even thinking of wrestling.”
By the time he returned home, Lee knew exactly what he wanted to do, and it was the same thing he had set out to do from the moment he first stepped on a wrestling mat — to be the very best, like no one ever was.
“Most anime have a happy ending, but some don’t,” Lee said. “I’ve got to go out there and make the plot finish.”
Lee’s comeback tour began at the Bill Farrell Invitational in November, where he defeated fellow Franklin Regional grad and former NCAA champion and three-time PIAA champion Nico Megaludis, 7-4, in the 57-kg finals. That would serve as the first of three meetings between the WPIAL wrestling legends over the next six months, with Lee defeating Megaludis in the finals of the U.S. Open in December, 6-2.
His U.S. Open title earned Lee the No. 4 seed for the Olympic Team Trials in April while Megaludis entered as the No. 5 seed, setting the two on a collision course for the quarterfinal round. Once again, the bout went the distance, and once again, Lee got his hand raised at the end, this time after an 8-0 decision.
For Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe, it was a surreal experience watching the two former Panthers competing for the right to represent their country in the Olympic Games — and although his heart ached for Megaludis in the aftermath, he was ecstatic to see Lee back in top form after all the hardships his former pupil has endured.
“I don’t know that I can even comprehend what he’s been able to do,” Lebe said. “We talk about how you have to wrestle through pain, but we’re talking about ACL tear after ACL tear. … Guys wrestle hurt all the time, but when you talk about significant injuries, that’s why Spencer is special.
“It’s really special to see. He’s the first person to make it from Franklin Regional, and we’ve had all these great guys. It’s really cool for young people to look at.”
After vanquishing Megaludis for the third time, Lee knocked off top-seeded Zane Richards in an action-packed 13-6 rout in the semifinals, setting up a long-awaited showdown in the finals against No. 2 Thomas Gilman, who preceded Lee as the Hawkeyes’ acclaimed 125-pound standout from 2014-17. After graduating from Iowa as a three-time All-American, Gilman embarked on a decorated post-collegiate career, becoming a three-time World medalist, Olympic bronze medalist and the 2021 World champion at 57 kg.
Gilman, who trained with Lee for several years during his time at Iowa, spent the better part of the previous seven years as the top dog in the U.S. and one of the best in the world in the weight class, but Lee had never gotten an opportunity to dethrone him — until now.
“There was never really animosity between me and Gilman,” Lee said. “We always knew it was inevitable that him and I would wrestle, being in the same weight class. I think that’s just a competitive thing. You have to have that competitive nature.”
Their first matchup was hotly contested, with Lee using a four-point sequence with a two-point takedown and two-point turn to take a 5-1 lead in the second period. Gilman responded with a powerful takedown on the edge of the mat, but officials deemed Lee landed on his side instead of his back, and Gilman was awarded only two points instead of four. An unsuccessful challenge awarded another point to Lee, who won a 6-3 decision to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
With 30 seconds remaining in match two and the score tied, 2-2, Gilman technically found himself in the lead based on criteria. Then, when he needed it more than ever, Lee showcased his unparalleled quick-strike ability that makes him such a joy for wrestling fans to watch and such a nightmare for his opponents to face. After a brief scramble on the mat, Lee emerged in top position for a 4-2 lead while simultaneously locking up a roll-under tilt, scoring six additional points before pinning Gilman with two seconds left on the clock.
In that moment, as the head official slapped the mat and Lee let out a triumphant celebration during a rare display of raw emotion, the torch had officially been passed.
“There’s a lot of respect between me and Gilman,” Lee said. “I knew he was going to be a tough opponent. I knew the matches were going to be tough. Obviously, for me it was almost like a changing of the guard, since he had been the guy since 2017.
“Hopefully I can have a run like him, make multiple [World and Olympic] teams in a row and win as many medals as I can.”
Before he could bask in the glory of his accomplishment, though, Lee still had work to do in order to qualify for the Olympics. Because Richards had failed to place high enough during the previous rankings cycle at 57 kg, Lee had to qualify the weight class with a top-three finish at the Last Chance Olympic Qualifier tournament in Istanbul three weeks later.
After a 10-0 win by technical fall just 23 seconds into his opening-round match against Morocco’s Ben Tarik, Lee faced his toughest test of the tournament in China’s Wanhao Zou, the No. 1 seed and a U23 World Bronze Medalist, in the Round of 16. He fell behind in the first period, 6-1, before securing a two-point takedown right into a textbook leg lace, turning Zou three times on his way to a 10-6 lead at the intermission. Zou mounted a late rally with a one-point step-out followed by a two-point takedown in the final 20 seconds, but Lee held on to win a 10-9 thriller.
In the quarterfinals, Lee was right back to his unstoppable self, rolling to a 12-2 tech fall over Macedonia’s Vladimir Egorov in 54 seconds. He carried that momentum straight into the semifinals, clinching his Olympic berth in style by trouncing Kazakhstan’s Rakhat Kalzhan, a two-time Asian Championships medalist, with a 10-0 tech fall in only 36 seconds. Lee’s lethal trapped-arm gut wrench sealed the deal, proving once again that he remains capable of ending any match in the blink of an eye with his suffocating top control and a vast arsenal of finishing moves.
“I’ve always had a knack for top wrestling, both freestyle and folkstyle. I just kind of tried to combine both of them into similar movements, similar explosive turns,” Lee said. “It was nice to prove to myself and everyone else that I am at that level, and I hope to continue to keep improving and showing everyone that I can be the best in the world.”
The Last Chance Olympic Qualifier is a unique tournament where the finals match is not contested, as both finalists automatically advance to the Olympics along with the third-place finisher. Now, the only thing left for Lee to do next month in Paris is the same thing he has done at nearly every major tournament he has ever entered — bring home the gold.
“Being around him at a young age, he’s always had high goals,” Lebe said. “So when he dealt with some of that heartbreak — he really never showed that it changed where his ultimate goal was to be. I think he certainly had setbacks, but I think understanding the process of where he wanted to be — he always knew what his ultimate goals were.
“I think [the losses] kind of let people doubt him, and I think that’s where Spencer is at his best. He never doubted himself, ever.”
With only six weight classes in the Olympics compared to the 10-weight format at the annual World Championships, Lee’s 57-kg bracket is loaded with decorated competitors with years of Senior-level experience, including a trio of former world champions across multiple weight classes. The reigning 57-kg champion is Stevan Micic, a three-time All-American at the University of Michigan who lives in the U.S. but represents Serbia. Micic spent his college career at 133 pounds, while Lee competed at 125, so the two have never faced off on the mat before.
Among the other leading contenders for gold are Japan’s Rei Higuchi (2022 World champion, 2023 World silver medalist, 2016 Olympic silver medalist), Albania’s Zelimkhan Abakarov (2022 World champion, 2023 World bronze medalist) and Armenia’s Arsen Harutyunyan (three-time World bronze medalist).
The path to an Olympic gold medal is never an easy one, and Lee will certainly have to run through quite a gauntlet in order to reach the top of the podium. Still, you won’t find anybody in his inner circle who expects anything less — and Lee’s stellar track record combined with his show-stopping performances in the lead-up to the Olympics have many fans feeling the same way.
“He will be ready for everyone he has [in front of him],” Lebe said. “Spencer Lee, in my mind, is going to win a gold medal on Aug. 9.”
This year’s Olympics will begin with the Opening Ceremony on July 26, and the wrestling portion of the event takes place from Aug. 4-10. The 57-kg weight class will be contested Aug. 8-9.
Despite the well-documented history of legendary wrestlers to come out of the WPIAL, only one has captured an Olympic gold medal — Mt. Lebanon’s Kurt Angle in 1996. Angle, of course, would then go on to achieve worldwide fame as a pro wrestling superstar in the WWE.
No matter what happens in Paris, Lee has already cemented his place alongside Angle as one of Western Pennsylvania’s greatest wrestlers of all time. But the way Lee sees it, his story won’t be complete until he finally turns his lifelong dream of becoming an Olympic champion into a reality.
“These moments are things that I’ve always seen and dreamed of and looked up to. The biggest stages against the best competition,” Lee said. “I really want to go out there and show what I’m capable of and prove to myself what I’ve known my whole life.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
