Match of the Day: Jake Varner wins gold at the 2012 Olympics
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by USA Wrestling
A year after taking bronze at the 2011 World Championships, Jake Varner claimed gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.
To reach the finals, Varner, a four-time NCAA finalist and two-time champion for Iowa State, defeated 2008 Olympic silver medalist Georgi Gogshelidze of Georgia. Gogshelidze won a World title for Russia in 2001 before competing for Georgia. Gogshelidze also earned a 2006 World silver medal and World bronze in 2009 and 2010. He would go on to win bronze.
In the finals, Varner squared off with Ukraine’s Valerii Andriitsev, a 2007 Junior World champion and a 2010 World University Championships silver medalist. Andriitsev would go on to earn World bronze in 2014 and place fifth at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Watch Varner win gold on the Olympic Channel’s YouTube page.
