Olympic Hero Busted in Undercover Prostitution Sting

Olympic gold medalist and former Ohio State wrestling star Kyle Snyder is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The 29-year-old was arrested Friday night as part of a prostitution sting on the North Side of Columbus, Ohio. Snyder was one of 16 men caught in the operation, which was run by Columbus police and involved online ads for fake escort services.

Police say Snyder responded to one of those ads around 8:15 p.m., calling and texting what he believed was an escort. He then allegedly showed up to a nearby hotel, handed cash to an undercover officer, and requested oral sex. That’s when cops moved in and made the arrest. Snyder was cited at the scene and released.

The scandal marks a shocking fall from grace for the wrestling icon, who made history at the 2016 Rio Olympics by becoming the youngest American wrestler to ever win gold—just 20 years old at the time. He went on to win silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and competed again in the 2024 Paris Games, finishing fourth.

During his time at Ohio State, Snyder was nothing short of a legend—racking up three straight NCAA heavyweight titles from 2016 to 2018 and helping the Buckeyes secure a national team title in 2015. Just last year, he was inducted into Ohio State’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

Now, instead of celebrating athletic triumphs, Snyder is facing a court summons scheduled for May 19.