Austin Klee Gomez (born March 19, 1998) is a

Mexican-American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

freestyle and former folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms. In freestyle, he represented Mexico at the 2024 Summer Olympics and is a Mexico National champion. In folkstyle, Gomez was a two-time

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

All-American, placing second in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

out of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and fourth in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

out of the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

Career

High school

Gomez started

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

around the age of four years old, and went on to attend

Glenbard North High School Glenbard North High School, or GBN, and locally referred to as "Glenbard" or "North", is a public closed campus four-year high school located at the corner of Kuhn Road and Lies Road in Carol Stream, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinoi ...

Carol Stream, Illinois Carol Stream is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. It was incorporated on January 5, 1959, and named after the daughter of its founder, Jay Stream. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,854. Hist ...

, where he became a three-time state champion before graduating in 2017. One of the top-recruits in the country, Gomez was a multiple-time U17 US National champion and a Pan American champion in both freestyle and

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman world , also Greco-Roman civilization, Greco-Roman culture or Greco-Latin culture (spelled Græco-Roman or Graeco-Roman in British English), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and co ...

. Before his junior season, Gomez committed to wrestle for the

Iowa State Cyclones The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 1 ...

. Before going off to college, Gomez placed second at the U20 US World Team Trials.

Iowa State University

2017–2018

Gomez competed under a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

during his first season, grabbing titles from the Willie Myers Open, the Duhawk Open and the Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open and recording a 8–0 record. After the season, Gomez grabbed the U20 US National title and improved from a runner-up finish from 2017 to a first-place finish at the U20 US World Team Trials in freestyle. However, he decided against competing at the U20 World Championships due to a knee injury.

2018–2019

During regular season, Gomez won the Lindenwood Open and placed second at the Southern Scuffle, before a third-place finish at the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

to qualify for the NCAA tournament. At the tournament, Gomez went 4–2 though was unable to place, closing off the year at 24–7.

2019–2020

Gomez was unable to compete during 2019–2020 due to injury, using a medical redshirt. In October 2020, Gomez competed at the US National Championships, where he suffered an injury in a first round loss and forfeited his next match. In December 2020, Gomez made the decision to retire from the sport due to recurrent concussions and injuries, at the age of 22.

University of Wisconsin

2021–2022

After a brief retirement, Gomez entered the transfer portal in April, and in May, he committed to wrestle for the

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...

. Up at 149 pounds, Gomez became the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

champion before becoming an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA National tournament, closing out the year at 23–4.

2022–2023

On November, Gomez competed for Mexico at the Mexico All-Star Grand Prix, winning gold at 70 kilograms and defeating Olympian Agustín Destribats in the finals. During regular season, Gomez held a 10–2 dual meet record, notably defeating four-time NCAA champion

Yianni Diakomihalis John Michael "Yianni" Diakomihalis (born April 11, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 70 kilograms. A two-time US National champion in freestyle, he formerly competed at 65 kilograms, where he was the 2022 ...

early in the year though suffering an injury during his last meet which resulted in a loss. After a first round upset loss, Gomez was forced to default out of his second match due to injury at the Big Ten Championships, though receiving an at-large berth to qualify for the NCAA tournament. At the national tournament, Gomez went 2–2 and was unable to repeat as an All-American, closing out the year at 12–6. A week after folkstyle season was over, Gomez became a Mexico National champion, with notable victories over three-time Pan American medalist

Brandon Díaz Brandon Disair Díaz Ramírez (born March 24, 1993) is a Mexican freestyle wrestler. Career Díaz started wrestling when he was 10 years old and has been active in competition since 2006 under the coaching of Manuel Viramontes. He has compet ...

and Outstanding Wrestler honors. In May, Gomez competed at the Pan American Championships, but was eliminated by Colombia in the first round. In September, Gomez competed at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

, where after defeating India's Anuj Kumar, he was eliminated by two-time NCAA Division I National champion Nick Lee.

University of Michigan

2023–2024

After graduating from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

in the spring, Gomez announced 2022–2023 had been his final season of

collegiate wrestling Collegiate wrestling, commonly referred to as folkstyle wrestling, is the form of wrestling practiced at the post-secondary level in the United States. This style of wrestling is also practiced at the high school, middle school, and elementary ...

, however, he entered the transfer portal in October, and in December, his petition for another year of eligibility was approved by the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

. Days later, Gomez announced his commitment to the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

, and went 7–1 in dual meets for them during regular season. To start off March, Gomez switched to freestyle in an attempt to qualify Mexico for the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament. After a quick victory over Chile, Gomez avenged his loss from the

and defeated Pan American champion Nick Lee in a high-scoring match to advance to the qualification match. In the semifinals, Gomez defeated Lachlan McNeil to qualify for the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

, and the finals of the tournament were not wrestled. Back to folkstyle for the post-season, Gomez placed as a runner-up at the

Championships and claimed the sixth-seed at the NCAA tournament. After defeating three-time All-American Kyle Parco to cruise to the finals, he fell to Caleb Henson to place as a runner-up and become a two-time All-American, closing out the year at 13–3 and ending his collegiate career.

Post-collegiate career

2024

In June, Gomez competed at the Polyák Imre & Varga János Ranking Series, where he won one match while losing three to place fifth. In August, Gomez made his Olympic debut at the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he was eliminated in the first round by three-time World champion

Haji Aliyev Haji Aliyev (; born 21 April 1991), is an Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani freestyle wrestler. He competed at the 61 kg division in the 2014 European Wrestling Championships and won the gold medal after beating Bekkhan Goygereyev of Russia. ...

from

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

, who failed to advance in the tournament.

2025

Gomez opened up the year in February, racking up a bronze medal from the Grand Prix Zagreb Open up at 70 kilograms. He then competed against Bryce Andonian on February 26, at FloWrestling: Night in America, and defeated him by technical fall. In May, after three victories over foreign opposition, Gomez claimed the gold medal at the Pan American Championships.

Freestyle record

! colspan="7", Senior Freestyle Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 18–8 , align=left, Ian Parker , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, May 11, 2025 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2025 Pan American Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

Monterrey, Mexico Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

, - , Win , 17–8 , align=left, Sixto Auccapiña , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 16–8 , align=left, Jorge Gatica , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–0 , - , Win , 15–8 , align=left, Bryce Andonian , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , style="font-size:88%", February 26, 2025 , style="font-size:88%", FloWrestling: Night in America – 72 kg , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;",

Coralville, Iowa Coralville is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb of Iowa City and part of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 22,318 at the 2020 census. History Coralville is the location of the Edgewa ...

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 14–8 , align=left, Ebrahim Elahi , style="font-size:88%", 9–3 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, February 5, 2025 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2025 Grand Prix Zagreb Open , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

Zagreb, Croatia Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, - , Win , , align=left, Patryk Ołenczyn , style="font-size:88%", FF , - , Loss , 13–8 , align=left, Kanan Heybatov , style="font-size:88%", 5–9 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 13–7 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 0–7 , style="font-size:88%", August 8, 2024 , style="font-size:88%",

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 13–6 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–12 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, June 6, 2024 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4,

2024 Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial Tournament The 2024 Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial Tournament, was a wrestling event held in Budapest, Hungary between 6 and 9 June 2024. With an aim to reward wrestlers participating in Ranking Series tournaments, the United World Wrestling awarded pr ...

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Budapest, Hungary Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, - , Loss , 13–5 , align=left, Kotaro Kiyooka , style="font-size:88%", 6–12 , - , Win , 13–4 , align=left, György Szilágyi , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Loss , 12–4 , align=left, Abbas Ebrahimzade , style="font-size:88%", 2–7 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 12–3 , align=left, Lachlan McNeil , style="font-size:88%", 6–3 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, March 1, 2024 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2024 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

Acapulco, Mexico Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicircular bay, Acapulco has been a port since the ear ...

, - , Win , 11–3 , align=left, Nick Lee , style="font-size:88%", TF 22–12 , - , Win , 10–3 , align=left, Matias Muñoz , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 9–3 , align=left, Nick Lee , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, September 18, 2023 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2023 World Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

Belgrade, Serbia Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, - , Win , 9–2 , align=left, Anuj Kumar , style="font-size:88%", 8–7 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 8–2 , align=left, Uber Cuero , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–11 , style="font-size:88%" , May 3–6, 2023 , style="font-size:88%" , 2023 Pan American Continental Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;",

Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 8–1 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 25, 2023 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2023 Mexican Campeonato Nacional , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Oaxaca, Mexico , - , Win , 7–1 , align=left, , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 6–1 , align=left, Carlos Lizarraga , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 5–1 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 15–4 , - , Win , 4–1 , align=left, Diego Olvera , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 3–1 , align=left, Agustin Destribats , style="font-size:88%", TF 14–4 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, November 22, 2022 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2022 Mexico All-Star Grand Prix , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, - , Win , 2–1 , align=left, Victor Dominguez , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 1–1 , align=left, Jesus Doroteo Rivas , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , , align=left, Michael Jaffe , style="font-size:88%", FF , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, October 13, 2020 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2020 US National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

, - , Loss , 0–1 , align=left, Jaden Abas , style="font-size:88%", TF 2–12 , -

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez, Austin 1998 births Living people American male sport wrestlers Mexican male sport wrestlers Wisconsin Badgers wrestlers Iowa State Cyclones wrestlers Michigan Wolverines wrestlers People from Carol Stream, Illinois Amateur wrestlers American people of Mexican descent Olympic wrestlers for Mexico Wrestlers at the 2024 Summer Olympics 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century Mexican sportsmen