Kyle Dake reacts to Carter Starocci's subtle dig after nail biting clash at World Team Trials Finals

On Saturday, May 17, Kyle Dake and Carter Starocci faced off against each other in a nail-biting final at the World Team Trials. After the match, Starocci took a humorous dig at his coaches while congratulating Dake for the victory, and the latter was quick to react to the message.

The clash between Dake and Starocci was perhaps the most anticipated battle of the WTT. The duo are two of America’s greatest wrestlers from the current generation, with Dake having won four World Championships, while Starocci is the first five-time NCAA champion in history. Dake and Starocci are also training partners, as they both train at the Nittany Lions Wrestling Club under PSU head coach Cael Sanderson.

The 86 kg final between the two Americans went down to the wire, with Dake claiming a 3-3 decision on criteria victory after a controversial call towards the end of the clash. Post the match, Carter Starocci took to X to make his feelings known about his defeat, writing,

“Man it’s super weird having your coaches coach against you 🤣 Dake deserved it, good job man and thanks for the help along the way!”

Responding to this, Kyle Dake wrote,

“Heard that, thanks for not splitting my eye open more 😅.”

Kyle Dake heaps praise on Carter Starocci after their WTT clash

Dake at the Paris Olympics (Image Source: Getty)

After their tense encounter at the World Team Trials, Kyle Dake was quick to heap praise on his friend and rival, Carter Starocci. Speaking to media in a post match interview, the 34-year-old emphasised Starocci's skills and dedication, saying,

“I mean Carter's just a beast you know. He's really hard in every position, keeps really good position, hard to get to. When you're in a room like what we have at the wrestling club at Penn State, you're going to have the two best guys in the world. I know how good Carter is and just to train side by side with him, it's just like ‘all right I got to get in there’ you know. He's the kind of kid that says ‘all day work’ and it's true, he's in there all the time.”

With this win, Kyle Dake will now head to Final X as he competes for a spot on Team USA. Final X is scheduled to take place on June 14, and Dake will face Zahid Valencia for a spot at the World Wrestling Championships.

Edited by Riddhi Acharya