09/14/2026
On September 29, 1988, John Smith captured his first Olympic gold medal in Seoul while wrestling through a severely abscessed cauliflower ear and a broken nose. His left ear had become so swollen and painful that doctors repeatedly drained it throughout the Games, and he competed with a protective pad heavily taped over the injury. Despite the pain, Smith shut out Soviet wrestler Stepan Sarkisyan 4–0 in the 62 kg final, beginning a run that would eventually include six consecutive World and Olympic gold medals.