Woodbine native Kyle Snyder will head to his third Olympic Games this summer, as the wrestler will travel to Paris in search of the second Olympic gold medal of his career.
This trip to the Olympics takes on a little different meaning for Snyder than the previous two. His son, Judah, will be along for the ride for the first time.
“I’ve always wanted to be a dad, so I wouldn’t say that it’s really changed my perspective on wrestling too much other than an added emphasis on competing the way that God wants me to and competing as hard as I can and winning,” Snyder said. “I want to be a good example to him. There aren’t a lot of kids that get to watch their dad compete. I feel like it’s a great way to show them the way that you think and that you’re not afraid and you’re willing to put it on the line every time and go as hard as you can.”
Snyder, 28, won the 97kg freestyle title at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials at Penn State to qualify for the same competition at the Paris Games this summer. His family and friends, including Judah and his wife Maddie, sat mat side. He didn’t know exactly where they were sitting as he locked up his spot in Paris, but he found them after. His first hug was for Judah, who turns 2 in October.
“It’s fun, but also I’m used to wrestling overseas,” Snyder said. “My family isn’t there, so after you wrestle you’re not really used to seeing them, so it takes a second to really take that in.”
Snyder will look to complete some unfinished business in Paris. The 5-foot-11 grappler became the youngest gold medalist in U.S. Olympic wrestling history at the Rio Games in 2016, taking home the 97kg freestyle title. However, he fell just short at the Tokyo Games in 2021, losing to rival Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) in the 97kg freestyle final.
Snyder quipped that he “learned in Tokyo that gold is a lot better than silver.”
“Being an Olympic year does add even more motivation because it’s only every four years and nothing is guaranteed that I’ll be on the team in another four years, so I want to make the most of this opportunity and wrestle like my life depends on it,” Snyder said.
Typically, Snyder trains Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday on the mat, in the weight room and for his conditioning work. Wednesday and Sunday serve as recovery days. The State College, Pa., resident trains at Penn State, but he still has a lot of family in Maryland.
Snyder finds plenty of ways to stay connected to his home state. He holds a summer camp at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pa., attended by plenty of Maryland wrestlers. He recently held a free wrestling clinic at South Carroll High, where his cousin Davy wrestles. He also stays engaged with his old high school wrestling program at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney.
Falcons wrestling coach Skylar Saar worked with Snyder from 2010 to 2013, spanning Snyder’s freshman, sophomore and junior years. Snyder went 179-0 at Good Counsel, then spent a year at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs before attending Ohio State.
When he returns to Good Counsel, Snyder hands out new shoes for every wrestler, Saar said. Then he sinks his teeth into teaching.
“Whenever he’s home, he comes in for a practice and he’ll run some stuff. He asks what I want. ‘Whatever you want to do,'” Saar said. “He goes and teaches technique. He usually ends the practice and talks about how they should think about competition and how to be grateful for the fact that they get to compete rather than worry about the nerves or what might happen or losing or making a mistake.”
Snyder keeps in regular contact with Saar, including the occasional round of golf. It’s been more than a decade since Snyder moved on from Good Counsel, but Saar doesn’t see any change in the immense passion Snyder has always had for wrestling.
One big change, though? Snyder focuses on his diet now, which Saar joked was not a top priority for Snyder in high school.
“We’d go to a buffet and he’d go sneak over to the ice cream section and he’d be filling up ice cream cones and eating them, trying to [do it] out of my sight, but I caught him,” Saar recalled. “What are you going to do? He was a kid.”
Snyder has authored a historic wrestling career since leaving Good Counsel, securing gold medals in a wide array of major events throughout the years. Snyder is the 11th American wrestler to earn a spot in three straight Olympic competitions and second to do so before the age of 30, according to USA Wrestling.
Asked what fans should look for if they’re watching Snyder for the first time this summer, Saar had some tips.
“He is in my opinion probably the best hand fighter, the intricacies and the physicality that he uses his hands within his stance. He never leaves his stance,” Saar said. “His mat awareness is better than anybody I’ve ever seen. He can be close to the edge and knows exactly where he is. His gas tank, they have a 30-second break after the first period and those second three minutes are really, really tough. He’ll be back in the middle of the mat before the other wrestler every single time.”
As it turns out, that enthusiasm for wrestling has already been passed down to Judah, who already has a move he likes to show visitors to the Snyder home.
Wrestling might not be the only sport in Judah’s future, though.
“My wife’s dad is 6-foot-4, so I’m hoping he gets a little bit of height,” Snyder said. “I’d like to see him on the football field, maybe defensive end.”
Photo Credits: Richard Immel/USA Wrestling, Courtesy of Kyle Snyder and Courtesy of Skylar Saar
Originally published June 19, 2024