The History of Wrestling at the Olympics

Wrestling Photo by Dave Adamson on Unsplash

A Hopewell, NJ native, Ben Markulec is a sophomore at Virginia Military Institute, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. In high school, Ben Markulec was a four-year varsity letter winner in wrestling who had the 11th best overall record in his school's history.

Considered one of the oldest competitive sports in the world, wrestling was added to the Olympic program in 1904 in St. Louis and has remained a core part of the Olympic Games ever since. Today, men and women compete in freestyle and Greco-Roman across multiple weight categories with the peak being 96-120 kg for men and 63-72 kg for women. While competitors can only use their arms and upper bodies in Greco-Roman, freestyle wrestlers are able to use their legs and can hold opponents below the waist.

The most accomplished American Olympic wrestler is Bruce Baumgartner, who won gold in 1984 and 1992 in addition to silver and bronze medals in 1988 and 1996, respectively. Aleksandr Medved of the Soviet Union is considered one the greatest of all time, as he won three Olympic gold medals and didn't lose a single match in Olympic competition. Women's wrestling wasn't introduced until the 2004 Olympics. Saori Yoshida and Kaori Icho, both of whom are from Japan, are the only two-time gold medal winners in the sport.

VMI Archives Offer a Wealth of Manuscripts and Photographs

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A graduate of Hopewell Valley Central High School in NJ, Ben Markulec balanced his studies with participation in athletics, lettering in wrestling for four years and in football for three years. After graduating from Hopewell Valley Central High School in NJ, Ben Markulec enrolled in the mechanical engineering program at the Virginia Military Institute, which welcomes visitors to explore the VMI Archives. 

Located in Preston Library, the VMI Archives hold a robust collection of primary source materials and artifacts from VMI and US history. For example, the archives feature letters written by Thomas Jefferson in 1821 to Claudius Crozet, one of the founders of VMI. 

History enthusiasts can also find a wide variety of historical documents related to the Civil War, including the diary of VMI cadet John Hanna. The diary contains accounts of life at VMI in 1864, just before the Battle of New Market. 

The archives also hold Civil War manuscripts, including letters written by Andrew Gatewood between 1860 and 1864 describing life in Lexington in the months leading up to the war and the first few months of the war. The VMI Archives also provide digital access to over 10,000 images of cadets, faculty members, and the VMI campus, with the oldest photographs dating back to 1840s.

Visitors to the VMI Archives can view the wealth of manuscripts and photographs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. To learn more, visit www.vmi.edu/archives.