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The greatest Olympic athlete from every U.S. state

By Adam Strangis

16th October 1964: Alfred A Oerter, American winner of the Gold Medal in the Tokyo Olympics 1964 for Discus throwing. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
16th October 1964: Alfred A Oerter, American winner of the Gold Medal in the Tokyo Olympics 1964 for Discus throwing. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) /
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Pennsylvania: Kurt Angle

Sport: Wrestling

Olympics: Atlanta1996

Many folks have a poor perception of professional wrestling and would likely be quick to dismiss Kurt Angle from this list. That would be a mistake and Angle fully deserves to make a list full of the best Olympians for what he accomplished as an amateur. During his college career, Angle won multiple championships and continued on his path to Olympic glory by winning the FILA Wrestling World Championships in Atlanta. Angle qualified for the Olympics despite suffering major injuries along the way. He fractured two vertebrae, herniated two discs, and pulled four muscles in his neck. Nevertheless, he dealt with the injuries with pain medications and won his spot in the 1996 Olympics.

Angle would later say he was addicted to Vicodin at this point in his career but was still able to win a decision to take home an Olympic gold medal. He was actually going to attempt a comeback for the 2012 Games but was unable to due to a knee injury. Despite some brushing it off, Angle is an accomplished professional wrestler even though the outcomes are scripted. The athletic ability it takes to be a pro wrestler should not be underestimated.

Among his accolades, Angle is the only man to win the WWE Championship, WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Championship, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In addition, Angle has captured 13 world championships and 21 in total. He is part of multiple Hall of Fames, including the WWE, TNA, and International Sports for his accomplishments as an amateur and professional wrestler. Many of his colleagues rave about Angle, saying he is one of the best wrestlers to ever put on boots.

Angle currently is still on TV, working for the WWE as an on-screen General Manager for the Monday Night Raw program.

Honorable Mention: Mike Powell, track and field in Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, and Atlanta 1996

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