President Donald Trump recognized the accomplishments of a former Olympian on Monday. He awarded Dan Gable with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor. He held a ceremony with Gable and the wrestler’s family while discussing his exploits on the mat, which include a gold medal during the 1972 Olympic Summer Games in Munich, West Germany.
“During his time in high school, Dan’s beloved sister, Diane — toughest time in his life — was murdered,” Trump said during the ceremony. “Afterwards, Dan poured even more of his energy into wrestling, and his exceptional success brought happiness and pride to his family, especially in overcoming this incredible heartbreak that they had with what happened to Diane.
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One of Dan Gable’s grandchildren lays on the floor as he makes remarks just before receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from @realDonaldTrump in the Oval Office. pic.twitter.com/6W2ecR3GHF
— Doug Mills (@dougmillsnyt) December 7, 2020
“As a high school wrestler, Dan went 64 and 0, not losing a single match,” he continued. “And I have to say Jim Jordan told me all about — I knew all about Dan, but he told me things that are pretty amazing. Right, Jim? Pretty amazing.”
The ceremony continued with Trump detailing Gable’s collegiate career at Iowa State and how the former Olympian secured two NCAA wrestling championships, three Big Eight titles and All-American honors three times. “He won 117 consecutive matches and lost only one,” Trump said. “[…] After that lone defeat, Dan vowed that it wasn’t going to happen again. He couldn’t stand the feeling of losing a match. He rededicated himself to mastering the sport and soon adapted his wrestling style to reach new heights of greatness.”
Following his career at Iowa State and his gold medal win at the 1972 Summer Games, Gable accepted a coaching job at the University of Iowa. He led the Hawkeyes to an overall record of 355–21–5, 21 Big Ten Conference championships and 15 NCAA Division I titles. Gable also served as the head coach of three Olympic teams and six World teams.
“Dan has been inducted into the USA Wrestling Hall of Fame, the United States Olympic Hall of Fame, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame,” Trump continued. “In 2013, he helped ensure that wrestling remained a very important top Olympic sport. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has built a Dan Gable Museum in Dan’s hometown — a permanent reminder of the incredible journey that started in the great state of Iowa.”
Gable is the latest individual to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump. Radio host Rush Limbaugh and former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz also received the medal in recent ceremonies. Other honorees during his presidency include former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, golfer Tiger Woods and former Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera.
