Current:Home > Contact-usU.S. wrestler Spencer Lee appreciates French roots as he competes for gold in Paris-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
U.S. wrestler Spencer Lee appreciates French roots as he competes for gold in Paris
View Date:2024-12-23 16:31:17
PARIS – The U.S. wrestling team will have a chance to add a third gold medal to its haul from the Paris Olympics, and the Americans might get some help from the locals.
Spencer Lee, who has advanced to the gold-medal match in the men's 57kg freestyle against Japan's Rei Higuchi set for Friday, has been playing the French card.
“I’m talking in French to some people,’’ Lee said Thursday after he demolished Uzbekistan's Gulomjon Abdullaev in the semifinals, 14-4. “Like in the line right before I go out (to matches), because they find out that I’m half French.’’
Lee, who was born in Denver, said his mother is from France and his parents, both black-belts in judo, met in Paris. They married a year later, according to Lee, and in 1998 welcomed future U.S. Olympian Spencer Richard Lee.
Twenty-five years later, Lee may draw some extra fan support when he faces Higuchi thanks in part to his Francophile ways.
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
“It is in my mother’s home country, which is really cool,’’ he said. “I love France. Been here a lot. And I’m really excited to tomorrow do my best.''
Already, he has rock-solid support from one local – his grandmother. The Olympics have given her a chance to watch him compete in person for the first time ever, Lee said.
So far, he has treated her to three victories in as many matches. “She’s just very proud,’’ Lee said. “She’s excited.''
veryGood! (432)
Related
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chancellor to step down at end of academic year
- Mississippi bill seeks casino site in capital city of Jackson
- How Two Top Car Salesmen Pitch EVs, One in Trump Country and One on Biden’s Turf
- Michigan man who was 17 when he killed a jogger will get a chance at parole
- Ariana Grande's Brunette Hair Transformation Is a Callback to Her Roots
- Last Call for the Amazon Big Spring Sale: Here Are the 41 Best Last-Minute Deals
- Everything we know about Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter
- Suki Waterhouse Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Robert Pattinson
- Sister Wives’ Christine Brown Shares Glimpse Into Honeymoon One Year After Marrying David Woolley
- Georgia officials pushing to study another deepening of Savannah’s harbor gets a key endorsemen
Ranking
- Will Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul end in KO? Boxers handle question differently
- Pennsylvania county joins other local governments in suing oil industry over climate change
- Bruce Springsteen 'literally couldn't sing at all' while dealing with peptic ulcer disease
- The Bachelor Status Check: Joey Graziadei Isn't the Only Lead to Find His Perfect Match
- ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ review: Darren Criss shines in one of the best musicals in years
- Georgia officials pushing to study another deepening of Savannah’s harbor gets a key endorsemen
- The irony of Steve Martin’s life isn’t lost on him
- The 4 worst-performing Dow Jones stocks in 2024 could get worse before they get better
Recommendation
-
NFL Week 11 picks straight up and against spread: Will Bills hand Chiefs first loss of season?
-
Feds search Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ properties as part of sex trafficking probe, AP sources say
-
Trump’s social media company starts trading on Nasdaq with a market value of almost $6.8 billion
-
Bill that would have placed the question of abortion access before Louisiana voters fails
-
Brian Austin Green Shares Message to Sharna Burgess Amid Ex Megan Fox's Baby News
-
Man convicted of killing 6-year-old Tucson girl to be sentenced in April
-
Powerball jackpot climbs to $865 million as long winless drought continues
-
How a cigarette butt and a Styrofoam cup led police to arrest 2012 homicide suspect