Jordan Burroughs

Jordan Burroughs happened upon wrestling as a child not because of Olympians, but because of the World Wrestling Federation. That childhood affection for Ultimate Warrior and Macho Man Randy Savage led him to take up wrestling in high school, where he excelled and won numerous titles. By the end of high school, he was ranked in the top 100 wrestlers in America, and by virtue of that success, was offered a scholarship to the University of Nebraska. His early NCAA career was nothing to write home about, but he finished strong, earning a trio of Big 12 titles and two national championships in his senior year in 2011. Almost immediately after he graduated, he earned a spot on the USA World Team and wound up winning a World Championship in Turkey before the year was over. He became the fourth wrestler to win a NCAA and World championship in the same year. High off his victory, Burroughs went to London for the 2012 Olympics, where he won a gold medal. Not content with two gold medals in consecutive years, he won a third at the World Championships in 2013 - a feat only one other American wrestler has ever done. His streak ended in 2014, however, as he only won a bronze medal at the World Championships, though he returned to the championship in 2015, this time on home turf in Las Vegas, to win his fourth gold medal.