What wrestler Payton Jacobson has learned from his namesake, American football legend Walter Payton

When Greco-Roman wrestler Payton Jacobson won the U.S. Olympic Trials at 87 kg in April, he had taken a giant step to making a lifelong dream come true. Jacobson had earned a quota for the Olympic team, and continued the tradition of excellence of the man he was named after.

Jacobson’s family is from the suburbs of Chicago. His mother lived down the street from an American football legend, Walter Payton. In Chicago, Payton is a beloved figure. There’s a high school named in his honor and a statue of him in front of Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears’ stadium. The NFL’s Man of the Year is also named after him.

Walter Payton is known not just for breaking records and winning a Super Bowl, but also for his nonstop work ethic, charitable work and unceasing kindness to fans.

When Jacobson was born, his mother named her son Payton after the football player.

Though Jacobson was born three years after Payton’s life was tragically cut short by complications from cancer, Payton the wrestler has done everything he could to learn from Payton the football player. Even his Instagram handle has the number 34, Payton’s number for the Bears.

*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.

Payton famously ran uphill sprints in the offseason to help him run through defenders in football games, giving Jacobson an idea on how he should train for his grueling wrestling matches.

“You know the story about him running up the hills? That's how I used to train. Lately I've been doing that as well. I kind of live in the name,” he said after winning his matches at the Olympic trials.

“I used to have a fat head of Walter Payton in my room. He was my wallpaper. I've definitely looked up to him. I wish I could have met him.”

Payton Jacobson charted his own course

In the U.S., high school and college teams wrestle folkstyle – a style of the sport that is closer to freestyle wrestling, where the U.S. had had most of its recent wrestling success – than Greco-Roman.

This means wrestlers who want to specialize in Greco-Roman don’t train full-time in the sport until much later, unlike their competitors from other countries.

Jacobson took a different path.

Jacobson wrestled folkstyle at Elkhorn High School in Wisconsin, but when he tried Greco-Roman, he was hooked. He gave up folkstyle to wrestle Greco-Roman full-time, and then went to Northern Michigan University to take part in the school’s Greco-Roman training program.

“Not a lot of guys do it. That's not the most popular thing to do. But if you want to become an Olympian in Greco, that's what you do. You go win medals. You leave folkstyle early, you go straight to Greco,” he said.

Since dedicating himself to Greco-Roman, Jacobson has competed for the U.S. at the U23 and U20 world championships. At just 21, Jacobson wants to continue to grow as a wrestler at Northern Michigan.

“We got some dogs up there. We are really a family. There's a brotherhood. It really takes a community... I couldn't do this without any of my teammates. They're all helping me, all push me to my limits,” he said.

Jacobson wrestled at 77 kg at the U23 World Championships and moved up to 87kg for the Olympic trials, and found this weight suited him well.

“It allows me to eat to my full potential. Be strong, not cutting weight; worrying on the wrestling, not cutting weight,” he said. “I used to be a small guy. Always. I got that quickness to me. And that kind of helps me with the big guys.”

Jacobson is hoping that speed and strength will turn into an Olympic medal in Paris. Those were the same qualities that helped another Payton become a sporting legend.