Olympic gold medalist and wrestling legend Kurt Angle is celebrating a historic milestone for women’s wrestling, as the NCAA recently announced its addition as a championship sport.
In an exclusive interview, Angle shared his enthusiasm about this groundbreaking development. “Well, women’s wrestling has grown so quickly. In the last Olympics, the women’s wrestling team dominated the Olympics. They had four medals. They put on a record performance,” Angle said.
The former WWE superstar emphasized the importance of having structured programs at various levels. “Having these structured programs, you have little kids programs, you have high school wrestling, you have college wrestling now,” he noted. “Now they have NCAA wrestling for women’s wrestling, which is really incredible. These girls are going to be able to train their whole lives all the way up to the Olympics.”
Angle highlighted the rapid growth of women’s wrestling globally. “Women’s wrestling is the fastest-growing sport in the whole entire world. We’re on par to be one of the greatest countries in the world with women’s wrestling. This is a huge feat for us to be able to compete at a college level.”
The wrestling icon also addressed the ongoing challenges faced by amateur wrestlers, particularly regarding funding. He pointed out that while USA Wrestling provides stipends to top athletes, the compensation remains modest. Olympic gold medalists receive $38,000, silver medalists $23,000, and bronze medalists $15,000.
Comparing the situation to other countries, Angle explained that American athletes often must balance training with employment. “Russia and Europe and countries like them, their governments pay their Olympic athletes to train and compete full-time. They don’t have to get jobs. They don’t have to earn a living. All they have to do is train and compete, and they’re taken care of. We don’t have that luxury here in the United States.”
To support future generations of wrestlers, Angle continues to advocate for increased funding through his website, KurtAngle.org, where fans can contribute to USA Wrestling’s development programs.
