John Smith (wrestler)
John William Smith ( born August 9, 1965 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ) is a former American professional wrestler, two -time Olympic champion and Hall of Famer.
Career
Smith grew up in a large and loving family of rings on in Del City, a suburb of Oklahoma City and began at the high school with the rings. Later he attended Oklahoma State University, where he was one of the most successful students wrestler in the history of this university. He was very successful there coached by coach Tommy Chesbrow and his brother Lee Roy Smith, who became in 1983 Vice World Champion in wrestling in free style at featherweight. After his university years he started for the Sunkids Wrestling Club in Stillwater / Oklahoma.
1985 began his international career when he finished 3rd in the featherweight in Colorado Springs at the Junior World Championships in freestyle. In 1992, after his second Olympic gold medal in Barcelona, he ended his active time and was coach at his home university and supervised in 2000 along with Dan Gable, the U.S. freestyle team at the Olympic Games.
From 1987 to 1992 he lost at the Olympics and World Championships only a fight in 1992 against Reinoso, Cuba, as he had the entrance to the finals already and it was about nothing more for him. The ring manner of John Smith was very spectacular. He often difficult situations conjured up yourself, but in order to ultimately make his points from these situations. After he was admitted to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1997, followed in September 2003, recording one of the first in the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame.
International success
(all competitions in free style, OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, Fe = spring weight until 62 kg, light weight, up to 68 kg body weight)
National success
- NCAA Collegiat championship: 2 nd place in 1985, 1 st place in 1987 and 1988, respectively F, Fe;
- United States Freestyle Championship: 1 st place in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991, respectively F, Fe;