There is one thing that has never changed about Spencer Lee since he began wrestling when he was 8.

Lee strived to be the best. And during the past 17 years, it’s hard to argue he hasn’t been one of the best.

Now the 25-year-old Franklin Regional and Iowa graduate, who lived in Saegertown and Murrysville while growing up, can prove it one more time on the largest stage: the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Lee is eagerly awaiting the trip to Paris to compete and visit with some of his family.

The U.S. Olympic freestyle team heads to Paris on July 22. The opening ceremonies are July 26, and Lee won’t take the mat until Aug. 8-9.

“I can’t wait to get there and put on a show,” Lee said. “This has been my goal, to wrestle in the Olympics.”

Putting on a show is nothing new for Lee. He’s done it all his life.

He did it in juniors and in high school. He was a three-time PIAA Class 3A champion, a four-time WPIAL champion and a three-time world champion.

In college at Iowa, he was three-time NCAA Division I champion and one-time runner-up at 125 pounds, a three-time Big Ten champion and a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner (given to the nation’s top wrestler). Earlier this year, he was a Pan American champion at 57 kilograms.

Despite numerous knee injuries, Lee fought through it all.

He dominates his opponents with his quickness, balance and strength.

In April, Lee competed in the U.S. Olympic team trials at Penn State. He defeated NCAA champion and Franklin Regional grad Nico Megaludis and then reigning U.S. world team member Zane Richards.

That advanced Lee to the best-of-three finals against world champion and former Iowa teammate Thomas Gilman. He defeated Gilman twice to earn a spot on the team, but not a spot in Paris.

He earned a spot in France early last month at the World Olympic Games Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey, when he defeated Ben Hachem Tarik of Morocco, Zou Wanhao of China, Vladimir Egorov of North Macedonia and Rakhat Kalzhan of Kazakhstan.

“Obviously, I’m extremely happy to be wrestling in the biggest tournament,” Lee said. “All I was hoping for was an opportunity to compete.

“It’s exciting because not only am I getting that chance, but to do it in front of family in France, especially my grandmother (Michelle Descot). After the Olympics, I’ll get to visit with them.”

Lee said his grandmother has never seen him wrestle in person and that she’ll be making the two-hour trip to Paris to watch him. He said the last time he was in France was for the 2016 Junior Worlds.

His mother, Cathy, was born in France. She was a 1991 Pan American silver-medal judo champion and an alternate on the U.S. Olympic team in 1992. His dad was one of the Olympic judo coaches.

Lee said he feels ready and is staying healthy.

“I want to show people what I’m capable of,” Lee said. “I have to credit the Iowa medical staff and trainers for helping me and giving me this opportunity. They’ve been great.”

While this is his first time competing at the Olympics, he did go to the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro as a training partner for former Hawkeye Daniel Dennis.

“I got to train with him and observe what to look for,” Lee said. “It was definitely worth the trip. It was a great experience.”

Because Lee hasn’t accumulated enough rankings points, he won’t be seeded in the top eight.

“I’ll get a random draw and placed in the bracket,” Lee said. “I don’t care who I get. I just have to get to my attack and wrestle my style and see what happens. There are some great wrestlers in the bracket.”

That includes former Penn State wrestler Roman Bravo-Young, who is wrestling for Mexico, and Lehigh grad Darian Cruz, who is competing for Puerto Rico. Serbia’s Stevan Micic is ranked No. 1, and 2016 silver medalist Rei Higuchi of Japan is ranked No. 2. Wanhao is ranked No. 7.

No matter how things turn out, Lee won’t hold back. That’s not in his nature.

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