A heavy favorite going into the NCAA heavyweight championship with Michigan’s Mason Parris, the Gophers’ Gable Steveson solidified his place in Minnesota sporting history with a dominant 8-4 win.
The junior, from Apple Valley, has been on a 34-match winning streak and follows Gophers alumni Tony Nelson (twice) and Brock Lesnar in winning the heavyweight title.
His record for the Gophers stands at 67-2, and he celebrated his victory with an impressive backflip.
https://twitter.com/joshnorris/status/1373454789607047174
“It’s been a long-time coming,” Steveson said. He has been for years one of the state’s most brightly touted wrestling prospects, but said he has also had to face “a lot of doubters” along the way.
Asked after the bout what’s next for him, with the interviewer noting he could head to the Olympics, or pursue a career in the NFL or professional wrestling, Steveson said: “S***, hey, I’m happy to be here right now, we’ll take it one step at a time.”
Gable Steveson wins at 285-pounds!#NCAAWrestling x 🎥 @espn pic.twitter.com/zGg0chkKFY
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) March 21, 2021
