So far, the Olympic wrestling semifinals have not gone well for Penn State wrestling fans.
Thursday, Aaron Brooks looked good in his first two wins, but fell in the semifinals.
The same thing happened to Kyle Dake, a Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member who was the favorite to win Gold at 74 KG.
Dake won his first two bouts by a combined 21-1, but in the semifinal bout, Japan’s Sosuke Takatani was ready, and upset Dake, 20-12.
It was a shocking first three minutes, with Takatani leading 9-4 at the intermission.
But Dake got back in it quick, with a four-point takedown roughly 30 seconds into the second three minutes to bring it to 9-8.
A “two and two” exchange made it 11-10, then Takatani got a four-point takedown to make it 15-10.
Dake never recovered, and ended up falling 20-12. He still has a chance for a Bronze Medal, which would be his second. But Dake will be 37 by the next Olympics, so there’s a good possibility his last chance at Olympic Gold has passed.
