Gable Steveson facts for kids
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Steveson (left) wrestling against Cory Daniel of North Carolina in December 2018
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 31, 2000 Portage, Indiana, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in |
| Weight | 265 lb |
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Professional wrestling career
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| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Billed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Billed from | Portage, Indiana, U.S. |
| Trained by | WWE Performance Center Ken Anderson |
| Debut | July 30, 2023 |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Sport | Wrestling |
| Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle |
| College team | Gopher WC |
| Club | Minnesota Storm |
| Coached by | Brandon Eggum, Dustin Schlatter |
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Football career |
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| Position: | Defensive tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 280 lb (127 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Apple Valley (Minnesota) |
| College: | Minnesota |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's freestyle wrestling | ||
Representing the  United States |
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Olympic Games
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| Gold | 2020 Tokyo | 125 kg |
| Pan American Championships | ||
| Gold | 2021 Guatemala City | 125 kg |
| U20 World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2017 Tampere | 120 kg |
| U17 World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2015 Sarajevo | 100 kg |
| Gold | 2016 Tbilisi | 100 kg |
| Collegiate Wrestling | ||
| Representing the Minnesota Golden Gophers | ||
| NCAA Division I Championships | ||
| Gold | 2021 St. Louis | 285 lb |
| Gold | 2022 Detroit | 285 lb |
| Bronze | 2019 Pittsburgh | 285 lb |
| Big Ten Championships | ||
| Gold | 2020 Piscataway | 285 lb |
| Gold | 2021 State College | 285 lb |
| Gold | 2022 Lincoln | 285 lb |
| Silver | 2019 Minneapolis | 285 lb |
Gable Dan Steveson (born May 31, 2000) is an American athlete famous for his wrestling skills. He won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling. He was also a three-time world champion in age-group wrestling competitions.
In folkstyle wrestling, Gable Steveson was a two-time winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is like the Heisman Trophy for college wrestling. He also won two NCAA Division I national championships and was named an All-American three times while wrestling for the University of Minnesota.
After his amazing wrestling career, Steveson briefly joined WWE as a professional wrestler. He later signed with the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League to play football.
Contents
Early Life and High School
Gable Steveson was born in Portage, Indiana. He started wrestling very early, following his two older brothers. His mother named him Gable Dan after the famous wrestler Dan Gable. His older brother, Bobby, also wrestled and was known as Damon Kemp in WWE.
When Gable was in seventh grade, his family moved to Apple Valley, Minnesota. This move allowed him and Bobby to wrestle for the strong team at Apple Valley High School. At 13, Gable reached the state finals but came in second. This was his only loss in high school.
After that, Steveson won four state titles in a row. He also had an incredible streak of 171 wins without a loss. His last two state championship matches combined lasted only 28 seconds! He was recognized for his pinning skills and later won the Junior Hodge Trophy. He also won several age-group World Championships in freestyle wrestling. As a top recruit, he chose to stay in his home state and attend the University of Minnesota.
College and Olympic Wrestling Career
Freshman Year (2018–2019)
Gable Steveson started his college wrestling career at the University of Minnesota. He had a great first year, going undefeated in dual meets. He won a title at the Cliff Keen Invitational. At the Big Ten Championships, he reached the finals but lost a close match.
At the NCAA National Championships, he made it to the semifinals. He ended up finishing in third place, earning All-American status. After his college season, he competed in freestyle wrestling. He reached the Final X competition, which is a big step towards making the US World Team. He also won a gold medal at the Bill Farrell Memorial International.
Sophomore Year (2019–2020)
In his second year, Steveson continued to dominate college wrestling. He went undefeated in dual matches and became the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class. He won his first Big Ten championship by defeating Mason Parris in the finals.
Steveson was set to be the top seed at the NCAA championships, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the season was cut short, he was still named a first-team All-American. The NCAA later gave winter athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic.
Junior Year and Olympic Gold (2020–2021)
As a junior, Steveson had an amazing season. He went 9–0 in regular season matches, winning all of them with bonus points. He won his second Big Ten Championship, again defeating Mason Parris. At the NCAAs, he won his first NCAA National Championship, once more beating Mason Parris in the final.
After this incredible season, Steveson was awarded the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy. This award goes to the best college wrestler of the season. He then competed in the US Olympic Team Trials to earn a spot on the Olympic team. He won his matches, including two against two-time World medalist Nick Gwiazdowski, to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. He also won gold at the Pan American Championships.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Steveson was outstanding. He won his first three matches without giving up a single point. In the gold medal match, he faced the reigning three-time World Champion, Geno Petriashvili from Georgia. In a thrilling match, Steveson scored a takedown with less than a second left to win 10–8 and claim the Olympic gold medal! He became the youngest American super-heavyweight to win Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling in 29 years. After his Olympic win, Steveson decided not to compete in the 2021 World Championships to explore other opportunities.
Senior Year and Retirement from Amateur Wrestling (2021–2023)
Even after signing with WWE, Steveson returned to college wrestling under a special deal. He continued his winning streak, earning his third Big Ten title. He was also named the Big Ten Athlete of the Year for 2022.
At the 2022 NCAA National Championships, Steveson won his second NCAA Division I National Championship. After his win, he performed his signature backflip and left his wrestling shoes on the center of the mat. This is a tradition in wrestling that signals retirement from the sport. He was named the most outstanding wrestler of the tournament.
Gable Steveson finished his college wrestling career as one of the most dominant heavyweights ever. He won the Dan Hodge Trophy twice, two NCAA national titles, and three Big Ten titles. He is the only heavyweight wrestler to win the Dan Hodge Trophy multiple times. In 2023, he returned to freestyle wrestling for the US Open and won, but later decided not to compete in the World Championships.
Professional Wrestling Career
Gable Steveson had always dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler in WWE. After winning his Olympic gold medal, he gained a lot of attention. In September 2021, WWE announced they had signed Steveson to a contract. He was only the second Olympic gold medalist to join the company, after Kurt Angle.
Steveson made a brief appearance at WWE's SummerSlam event in August 2021. He was later drafted to the Raw brand. He appeared at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022 and even performed a suplex on another wrestler, Chad Gable. He also appeared on SmackDown for Kurt Angle's birthday.
In 2023, Steveson moved to the NXT brand. He had his first official match at NXT The Great American Bash against Baron Corbin. The match ended without a clear winner. In May 2024, Steveson was released from his contract with WWE.
Professional Football Career
On May 31, 2024, news broke that Gable Steveson had signed a three-year deal with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was set to play as a defensive tackle, even though he had never played football before. He put on football cleats for the first time during his workout for the Bills. However, he was released by the Bills in August 2024, before the regular season began.
Images for kids
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Steveson (left) wrestling against Cory Daniel of North Carolina in December 2018
See also
In Spanish: Gable Steveson para niños
