John Peterson (wrestler)
American wrestler (born 1948)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Allan Peterson (born October 22, 1948) is an American former wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling.[1]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | October 22, 1948 (age 77) Cumberland, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Wrestling career
Peterson grew up in Comstock, Wisconsin, attending nearby Cumberland High School before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 1971.[2][3]
He placed fifth at the 1971 NAIA Men's Wrestling Championships as a collegiate wrestler. Peterson competed in freestyle wrestling at the 1972 Olympics, earning a silver medal in the 82 kg weight class.[4] At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he won the gold medal at 82 kg.[5] Peterson's younger brother, Ben Peterson, also competed in both the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics as a freestyle wrestler, winning a gold medal in 1972 and silver medal in 1976.
In 1986, Peterson was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[6]
