Kennedy Blades on Iowa wrestling environment: Best place to 'chase Olympic dream'

Kennedy Blades knew Iowa was the right place for her to chase her Olympic wrestling dreams. Ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, where she took silver at 76 KG, Blades signed with the Hawkeyes and their new Division 1 wrestling team.

Since then, she and the Hawkeyes have dominated. It helps having world class teammates, double digit All-Americans, a world class coach in Clarissa Chun, and yes, Tom and Terry Brands and the historic men’s team.

Everything about Iowa City appealed to Blades, who was enrolled at Arizona State and trained at the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. Now repping Iowa and Hawkeye Wrestling Club, Blades hasn’t lost since the Olympic finals, has won a national title and is fresh off a US Open title last weekend.

“It’s definitely an environment I was looking forward to being in, especially making the transition from ASU, you know, I wanted to find the place where I was comfortable and knew that at the end of the day could still chase my Olympic dream,” Blades told On3. “Because I do plan on being here till 2028 doing so, especially after graduating. But, there’s just so much talent in the room. And like I said, like, just seeing that talent work hard, you know, that pushes me even more. That’s exactly what I needed and wanted and just having people I looked up to, like Spencer (Lee), like, it’s crazy. 

“I remember watching his matches when I was younger … And then he was my teammate at the Olympics. Like, what?  And then now I get to, you know, see him every day, and we get to talk, and we haven’t trained yet. Well, I don’t know I am kind of big, but we’ll see if I wrestle with him. But, yeah, I trained with Macey (Kilty), Kylie (Welker), Reese (Larramendy), a bunch of girls in the room, you know, they’re amazing.” 

Blades went 25-0 this past collegiate season, earning 23 tech falls and two pins during the year. She won the 160 pound NWWC national title and will have an opportunity to win an NCAA title this coming season since the NCAA added women’s wrestling as a Division 1 championship sport.

In addition to Blades dominating the college scene, she’s been a force internationally. Wrestling up, practically, two weight classes than normal, she earned a silver medal at last year’s Olympics. Now the focus is on 2028 and building another championship resume at her more natural weight class. Blades could very well be standing at the top of the podium in Los Angeles three years from now.

“We all go at a high pace, you know, and I have to try different moves and stuff because, you know, everyone kind of knows what I do, so I have to figure out, like, what will work if they sprawl on me and stuff like that,” Blades said. “And so a bunch of different feels in the room, sp high level and I love that. And then, you know, the Brands coaches, I mean, they’re really iconic. I mean, like, they’re literally, like, Iowa, so just being coached by them …

“I mean, it’s funny, because in the wrestling room when I’m wrestling, I thought, like, okay, I’m just here. You know? “Then I get destroyed by the guys, but they’re like, yelling, like, so they pushed me a lot, and they’re yelling at me and pushing me, but not in a bad way. It’s like, in a good way. And it reminds me a lot of coach Izzy, which is perfect, because, you know, just the high level wrestling is exactly what I need. It’s what’s you need at the end of the day to be the champ.”