There’s a red mural outside the Harold Nichols Wrestling Room displaying former Iowa State wrestlers went on to become Olympic gold-medal winners. There are six. The most recent belongs to Jake Varner.
The picture of Varner shows him reveling in the moment shortly after he clinched the gold in 2012. He is on his knees, the American flag in his grasp, a slight grin on his face.
“It was a lot better than losing,” Varner recently told the Ames Tribune. “It was a pretty good feeling. It was one of those things that you work your whole life for, then when you accomplish it, it’s a pretty unique feeling.