Akron wrestling star wins gold

Wrestling star Harry Lester continues to prove that he's one of the most dominant athletes to come out of the Beacon Journal's coverage area.

Lester, an Akron native and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy graduate, won a gold medal in his first Pan American Games on July 24, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Lester, a four-time Ohio high school state champion at CVCA from 1998 to 2001, lifted Anyelo Mota of the Dominican Republic in the air and slammed him onto his back for a first-period fall in the finals of 145.5-pound weight class in the Greco-Roman style.

It has been a good summer for Lester.

On June 10, Lester earned a spot on the U.S. World Team for the third consecutive year by winning a title at 145.5 pounds in the Greco-Roman style at the U.S. World Team Trials in Las Vegas. Lester, who won a World bronze medal in 2006, will get another shot at gold at the World Championships, which will be Sept. 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

If you know wrestling, you know that Lester is a favorite to win gold in the 2008 Olympics. What do you think of his recent success? Do you think he's one of the most dominant area athletes to come our of the Akron area in the past 10 years? I do. If he wins a gold medal in 2008 and LeBron James doesn't win a title by then, is it fair to say he could pass James in the category of dominant local athletes?