Fun Facts!
First African-American World Champion: In 1962, Larry H. Shoemake became the first African-American to win a world championship in wrestling.
Women's freestyle wrestling was added to the Olympic program in 2004, marking a significant step in gender equality in the sport. Prior to that, women were allowed to compete in the Olympics only in artistic and rhythmic gymnastics.
The 20-Second Pin: The fastest pin in Olympic wrestling history was by Charles Wilson of the United States, who pinned his opponent in just 20 seconds during the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
Wrestling was not included in the Olympic Games held in Paris in 1900, making it one of the few times in modern history that wrestling was not part of the Olympic program.
Wrestling has a long-standing history in the Olympic Games. However, there was a brief period when it was removed from the list of core Olympic sports in 2013. Fortunately, due to popular outcry and efforts from the wrestling community, it was reinstated for the 2020 Olympic Games and beyond.
In high school wrestling, coaches are allowed to give instructions to their wrestlers during the match from the edge of the mat. This real-time guidance adds an interactive element to the sport.