Who is Mason Parris?All about the WWE star who will take former gold medalist Gable Steveson's place in the Men's 125kg class in the U.S. Olympic team

US Olympic Trial: Wrestling
All you need to know about Mason Parris

Mason Parris is a folkstyle and freestyle wrestler from Indiana who is set to take the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Gable Steveson's place in the men's 125kg category of the US Olympic team. Steveson who emerged victorious in the event four years ago didn't compete for his berth at the trials in Pennsylvania last month due to his WWE commitments (he signed a deal with the brand in 2021).

Parris himself had also signed a NIL deal with the wrestling entertainment brand back in 2021. However, he still competed at the trials, unlike Steveson, who last competed professionally in 2023.

Steveson's absence at the trails gave Parris a golden opportunity to book his berth for his first Olympics and he grabbed it with both hands. The 24-year-old defeated Hayden Zillmer in a best-of-three match to solidify his place for the quadrennial event in Paris.

Following his victory at the trials, the Indiana native sarcastically remarked in the post-match interview:

"I think the universe aligned perfectly for me. I’m 24 years old. It’s 2024. Parris in Paris. There can’t be anything better than that.”

Mason Parris is a worthy replacement for Steveson in the Olympics team considering the promising performances she has produced over his collegiate and senior career. The two had a fierce rivalry themselves during their college days in which Steveson reigned superior most of the time.

With all this said, let's know about the 24-year-old Michigan wrestler, Mason Parris.


Mason Parris: Family and Hometown

Parris at the US Olympic Trials 2024 (photo: Getty)
Parris at the US Olympic Trials 2024 (photo: Getty)

Mason Parris was born on October 1, 1999, in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, to Mark Parris and Shay Parris. His father, Mark, was a football player for the Ball State University in Indiana.


Mason Parris: Education

Parris at the US Olympic Wrestling trials (photo: Getty)
Parris at the US Olympic Wrestling trials (photo: Getty)

Parris completed his schooling at the Lawrenceburg High School in Indiana during which he had an interest in various sports such as football, track and field, and wrestling. Following this, Parris was admitted to the University of Michigan with a major in civil engineering.

During this time, Parris also competed for his university wrestling team, Michigan Wolverines winning a NCAA Division I and Big Ten gold medals in 2023 from the 285lbs category.


Mason Parris: Other achievements of the Michigan wrestler

Parris (left) at the trials in Pennsylvania (photo: Getty)
Parris (left) at the trials in Pennsylvania (photo: Getty)

During his junior career, Parris' major stride in professional wrestling came in 2019 at the 43rd edition of the Junior World Championships in Estonia. He clinched gold in the event from the 125kg category.

Parris' most prominent achievement during his collegiate career was winning the 2023 Dan Hodge Trophy which is given to the most exemplary collegiate wrestler of a particular season.

In 2023, the 24-year-old clinched gold at the Pan American Games beating the two-time Pan American Games silver medalist Jose Daniel Diaz. In the same year, he finished third at the World Wrestling Championships just behind the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist (125kg category) from Iran, Amir Hossein Zare, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist (125kg category) from Ethiopia, Geno Petriashvili.

The Indiana native also won gold at the recently concluded Pan American Championships. In the tournament, his only victory came against Richard DesChateletes, following which his second and final-round opponents withdrew from the tournament due to injuries leading to the 24-year-old clinching the gold medal.

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Edited by Ankush Das
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