Spencer Lee’s 83-year-old grandmother lives in France, but has never seen him wrestle in person.
She will do so this summer.
The Franklin Regional College and Iowa State University graduate advanced to the finals of the Last Chance Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey on Saturday, earning him a spot at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Lee won 4-0. There will not be a final as the finalists have already qualified for the Olympics, which will be held from July 26 to August 11.
Lee was selected to Team USA last month during Penn State’s qualifiers, but did not receive an automatic berth to the Olympics in the 57-kilogram weight class. Because the United States did not finish in the top five at the 2023 World Championships or the top two at the 2024 Pan Am Olympic Qualifiers, Lee had to qualify through the Last Chance Olympic Qualifiers.
He won that bid with an impressive four wins on Saturday.
“That’s great, but being an Olympian doesn’t mean much if you don’t come home with that precious gold medal,” Lee told USA Wrestling.
Li faced China’s Zou Wanhao in the round of 16 and had to come back from a 6-1 deficit to win 10-9.
The remaining three wins were overwhelming wins.
Wang Ho was a bronze medalist at the 2018 World Championships.
Lee opened the match with a 10-0 win against Morocco’s Ben Tarik. After defeating Zou, he defeated Vladimir Egorov of North Macedonia 12-2 in the quarterfinals, and Rahat Karjan of Kazakhstan 10-0 in the semifinals.
Lee was a three-time NCAA and PIAA champion.
His mother, Cathy, was an Olympian in judo representing France. Lee’s parents (Cathy and Larry) met in France 33 years ago.
“I was talking to Kathy and it came full circle,” said Lee’s father, Larry. “We’re so proud of Spencer and what he went through to overcome his injury. He really grew because of the obstacles that were in front of him.”
Lee will compete in the Olympics from Westmoreland County along with former Greensburg Central Catholic great Colleen Rosenstiel. She competed in judo in 1992, 1996, and 2000.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. Contact him at pschofield@triblive.com.
