Here are 10 stats that make John Smith one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. 

Six In A Row

This is the ultimate statistic, and no other American compares. Smith won six World and Olympic gold medals in a row from 1987 through 1992. No American had won more than two in a row when he won his third in 1989, and no American has won more than three in a row since. That means Smith has doubled the next-closest domestic streak (Kyle Snyder, Jordan Burroughs, and Helen Maroulis won three straight). 

Broken Record

When Smith won his third straight World/Olympic title in 1989, it was a domestic record. He broke his own consecutive titles streak in 1990, 1991, and 1992. 

Two Fully Contested Olympic Gold Medals

Three Americans have won two Olympic gold medals in wrestling: Smith (1988, 1992), Bruce Baumgartner (1984, 1992), and George Mehnert (1904, 1908). However, Smith is the only one to compete against a fully contested field. 

Mehnert won the 1904 St. Louis Olympics against mostly Americans (43 competitors across seven weights from five nations). Baumgartner won the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics without the Soviet Union after the country retaliated against the United States for its 1980 boycott.

That leaves Smith in a singularly unique category.

Finals Domination

Smith reached six World/Olympic finals and dominated five. He won his first World title in 1987 over 1986 World champion Khaser Isaev and gave up one point in five finals after that. Remember, takedowns were worth one, with no step-outs, and techs were a 15-point margin. These scores would look much different today, and a few would have been techs.

1987: defeated Khaser Isaev (USSR), 5-4
1988: defeated Stepan Sarkisyan (USSR), 4-0
1989: defeated Gary Bohay (CAN), 6-0
1990: defeated Rousen Vassilev (Bulgaria), 10-0
1991: defeated Giovanni Schillaci (Italy), 8-1
1992: defeated Asgari Mohammadian (Iran), 6-0

Golden Streak

Smith led the charge for an impressive collective winning streak. The United States owned the 62 kg men’s freestyle class internationally from 1984 through 1996, before the weight dissolved in 1997.

Americans won the Olympics at 62 kg in 1984 (Randy Lewis), 1988 (Smith), 1992 (Smith), and 1996 (Tom Brands) — spanning four consecutive cycles. 

An American won a medal at this weight for eight consecutive Worlds/Olympics. Joe McFarland won silver at the 1986 Worlds, Smith won from 1987 through 1992, and Brands won the 1993 Worlds. 

Goodwill Games Gold

The now-defunct Goodwill Games were an attempt by TBS founder Ted Turner to create an alternative to the Olympic Games during non-Olympic years (1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2001) after the 1980 Moscow (U.S. boycott) and 1984 Los Angeles (U.S.S.R. boycott) Olympics. 

This served as Smith’s breakthrough moment, propelling him into the international spotlight. The Oklahoma State star didn’t place at the 1984 NCAA Championships and fell to Wisconsin’s Jim Jordan, 7-4, in the 1985 NCAA tournament finals. 

Smith redshirted the 1986 season to focus on freestyle, and the plan worked. He won the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow with a 6-3 victory over the Soviet Union’s Khaser Isaev, the eventual World champion that year. The Oklahoma State superstar won the 1987 and 1988 NCAA championships, earning World gold after his junior year and Olympic gold weeks after graduation. Smith won the Goodwill Games again in 1990. 

Early Retirement

Smith retired from active competition after winning the 1992 Olympics, two days before his 27th birthday. He had prime wrestling years ahead of him, but opted to lead the Oklahoma State program instead.

How Low Can You Go?

Smith revolutionized the sport with his low-level attacks and his precise technique, but he was more than a one-trick pony. His neutral skills were matched only by his par terre offense, and his one-arm gut-wrench was a sight to behold.

“John Smith had positioning skills his opponents can’t match,” said 1972 Olympic gold medalist Dan Gable.

Smith compares the process of learning a wrestling move to that of a scientist experimenting in his lab.

An Almost Perfect Record

Smith competed in four World Championships (1987, 1989-91) and two Olympics (1988, 1992), winning all six. He lost at the 1992 Olympics, but has an overall record of 39-1 at six tournaments. (Age in parentheses)

1987 Worlds: 7-0 (22)
1988 Olympics: 7-0 (23)
1989 Worlds: 6-0 (24)
1990 Worlds: 7-0 (25)
1991 Worlds: 7-0 (26)
1992 Olympics: 5-1 (26)
Total: 39-1

An Elite Club

Smith is one of 12 triple-crown winners (NCAA title, World title, and Olympic gold), but he’s one of three (Smith, Gable, Brands) to lead a team to an NCAA Championship. He coached Oklahoma State to NCAA titles in 1994, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.