Ask Jesse Thielke about his goals for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and he’ll give an answer without hesitation. It’s clear, concise and to the point.
“Gold medal,” he says.
Thielke, who wrestled at the University of Wisconsin for two seasons and redshirted for another, will participate in the Greco-Roman wrestling event in Rio. And a gold medal is the only thing on his mind.
“That’s the only option,” Thielke, 24, said by phone from USA Wrestling’s training center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “If you’re willing to accept anything else when it comes to crunch time, you’ll settle for something else.