"I was worried about Rei Higuchi dragging me off"- Spencer Lee makes honest admission on what impacted his Olympic final performance

Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee revealed that 'overthinking' was one of the reasons behind his loss to Rei Higuchi in the men’s freestyle 57kg final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Lee admitted that his focus on Higuchi’s potential moves made him hesitant which prevented him from taking offensive actions.

In an interview with FloWrestling, he was asked to reflect on whether he had ever focused on something or someone so much that it negatively affected his performance. The 26-year-old responded, mentioning that it happened during the Olympic final (2:19 onwards):

“Yeah, absolutely. I definitely was overthinking in Olympic finals. I mean I was worried about him dragging me off of like a bad shot or something [Rei Higuchi] he's really good there. I think that definitely made it, so that I didn't really do anything offensively. I think when you overthink like that, you slow down. If you're thinking in a match, you're not wrestling very well so I think a lot of that attributes to that.”

Lee is set for his next challenge as he faces another Japanese opponent, Masanosuke Ono, in the headline bout of FloWrestling's Night in America on February 26, 2025, at 7:30 PM Eastern Time. Ono's major accomplishments include winning the 2024 World Championship and the U20 global title in the 61kg freestyle category.

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Spencer Lee reflects on his mixed emotions after winning silver at Paris Olympics

Spencer Lee and other Olympic medalists at Paris Olympics. Source: Getty

Spencer Lee advanced to the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics after defeating Gulomjon Abdullaev in the semifinals, Bekzat Almaz Uulu in the quarterfinals and Wanhao Zou in Round 1. However, he fell short of becoming an Olympic champion, losing to Rei Higuchi by a narrow 2-4 margin, resulting in heartbreak for Lee.

After capturing the silver medal, Lee reflected on his mixed emotions by acknowledging his disappointment at not winning gold but expressing pride in bringing home a medal. He shared his thoughts on Instagram, captioning his post:

“I was disappointed yesterday in not bringing home the gold for the United States. I am however proud to bring a silver medal back to the United States and the University of Iowa…To see so many fans travel for team USA and myself was an honor.”

The three-time NCAA champion also expressed gratitude to his coaches, Hawkeye wrestling club and fans among others, for their constant support.