NLWC member Kyle Snyder has added to his legendary legacy with another world title win.
Competing at 97 KG, Snyder beat Amiri Azapria 4-2 to take Gold at the World Championships in Croatia.
Azapria beat Snyder in the Bronze Medal match at last summer’s Olympics in Paris.
Simply put, Snyder is one of the best to ever do it in the sport.
At Ohio State, Snyder won three national titles and was national runner-up the one year he didn’t win it. While still at Ohio State, Snyder won a Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. But his senior freestyle success even predates that.
In 2015, before beginning his sophomore season, Snyder became the youngest World Champion in history at just 19 years old.
Now, he’s 29, in the midst of what’s been a tumultuous year.
In early May, Snyder was arrested as part of a prostitution sting.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.This arrest took place May 9 and Snyder was reportedly one of 16 men involved in the operation.
Police released Snyder from custody in the same setting and he was summoned to appear in court May 19.
But Snyder kept competing, made the world team and, finally, won another world championship.
Snyder was asked by Christian Pyles of FloWrestling afterward to reflect on his journey.
“Without God and his love and my wife and my family, I would have been in big trouble, without that, more than I was,” Snyder said. “God’s love is unconditional… I’ve failed God many times, but he’s never failed me. So, I’m just so thankful for him, and so thankful for the opportunity to compete. I didn’t even know if I was going to compete at Final X, and then I did and was able to wrestle well here and just have a great team. So, I’m very thankful.”
Although Kyle Snyder wrestled at Ohio State, he currently trains with NLWC.
He was one of four wrestlers associated with either Penn State wrestling or NLWC to compete at worlds. The others were Roman Bravo-Young, who took fifth at 57 KG competing for Mexico, PJ Duke, who went 1-1 at his first world championships and Levi Haines, who took silver at 79 KG.
