An Olympian named Mason Parris is aiming for success this summer in a city that shares his last name. Coincidence or pure liquid luck? A little bit of both are at play here. “Hopefully it’ll be my city that day. Parris with the gold in Paris,” Mason Parris said with a confident chuckle. Three years after Gable Steveson brought home gold for the USA in the 125 kg category at Tokyo, there’s a new contender ready to take over. Steveson has since moved on cross sporting overtures, to the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, Michigan Wolverines’ Mason Parris has won the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy and several championships, capturing the hearts of Americans.

Parris made his mark in the trials this year and is ready for more challenges. Specifically, he is gearing up for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Parris has emerged as one of the top contenders for the U.S. wrestling team and now the litmus test of him surpassing Steveson remains to be seen. Despite the immense expectations, he remains unfazed, focused on his journey to Olympic glory. Hr also recently claimed that nothing will stand in his way, not even his formidable opponents.

Embracing the challenge: Mason Parris is not burdened by expectations

In a recent interview with Mlive, University of Michigan’s Mason Parris spoke about the weight of expectation on him this Olympic season after USA’s win last time. However he’s admittedly not bothered about the pressure of representing the USA after Gable Steveson’s Tokyo win, “I don’t really feel any additional pressure at all. It honestly just gives me more confidence that, here in the U.S., we have a lot of really good really good wrestlers. I think that I’m going to be that next guy in the weight class that is going to win.” He further added that in the USA, the wrestling culture is a little different.

US wrestlers are known for their toughness and endurance, accustomed to maintaining high intensity throughout the match. However, on the international stage, freestyle wrestlers have honed their skills from a young age, boasting extensive experience. They exhibit patience, strategically waiting for the opportune moment to make their moves. So it’s a bit of an adjustment, but otherwise he is as ready as ever to take on the US title carved by Gable Steveson last time. At 21, Steveson proved to be the best wrestler in the world. He defeated Geno Petriashvili with 10-8 to claim a first place podium finish. The two were at 8-5 with just 10 seconds of game time left.

This is when Steveson mounted a comeback. He scored a spin-behind takedown and another two point takedown. Winning the match in the final second with a 10-8. Ahead of that, in the quarterfinals, he outscored the defending Olympic champion and 2x world champion Taha Akgul of Turkey. This was by a stunning score of 8-0. He even defeated Kazakhstan’s Aiaal Lazarev with a 10-0 in the semis. This cemented his dominance in the league. Now it’s Parris’ turn to create his own sort of magic on the mat and bring the title home once again. 

Mason Parris is falling back on his experience in the 125 kg category 

Mason Parris is in top form to win in Paris. He is under the guidance of bodybuilder and 2x Mr Michigan Amir Rad. They train at the Thrive in Ann Arbor. The two focus on strength training and flexibility. He is also part of Cliff Keen wrestling club, which is under the University of Michigan itself. When he qualified for the Olympics in April, Parris said a 7-year-old dream of his had just come true. He wrote on Instagram, “A dream come true. I am very fortunate that I get to represent the United States in the 2024 Paris Olympics.” 

Previously in the category, Parris has represented the USA in 2019 at the Junior World Championship in Estonia. He won the title there with a 4-0 record. Furthermore, he pinned Iran’s Amir Hossen Abbas Zare to win a gold medal. As part of the 2018 Cadet World Championship and 2018 Youth Olympic Games, he became a silver medalist at 1:20. During his collegiate career, he was part of the heavyweight division and in his sophomore year had a record of 28-1. He was also the runner-up at the Big Ten Championships, where he lost to reigning champion Gable Steveson. He lost to Steveson again at the NCAA with 8-4. However, this time his competition is not Steveson and his chances of winning are really high.