Mike Mal recalls watching John Smith begin his journey of winning six straight gold medals:

In 1988, the Olympic Games were held in Seoul, Korea, and my dad woke me up in the middle of the night to watch John Smith win his first Olympic gold medal. I still remember wiping the sleep out of my eyes and immediately having my heart rate spike watching the first time John level-changed and Russian Stepan Sarkissian got in on Smith's leg. John fought through with some incredible rubber-knee defense for a takedown and things only got worse for the Soviet after that. Smith went on to put on an extraordinary display of wrestling versatility, that sparked a lifelong passion for wrestling technique. He scored offensively. He scored defensively. He used freestyle technique to get takedowns. He utilized some Greco technique to avoid throws late. He even confounded the Russian with folkstyle technique by hitting a stand up from bottom. I still find myself watching that match with my mouth open.

Watch Smith win his first Olympic gold medal.