Neal: Gable Steveson is back for one final ride — and Minnesotans should appreciate it

As Gable Steveson rode through the Twin Cities on Wednesday, he made his case for how his return to college wrestling is coming during robust times on the local sports scene.

“I’m just excited to be back in Minnesota, putting on for the city,” he said over the phone. “You know, we’ve got a lot of great athletes, and I think Minnesota is really on fire right now, with the Timberwolves led by Anthony Edwards, the Vikings led by Justin Jefferson. I mean, Suni Lee with the Olympics and myself with the wrestling. The soccer team is doing well in the playoffs, and the Wild are going good, too.

“There’s so many great things going on in Minnesota, and it’s going to keep building and building.”

He’s right. And wrong.

Indeed, encouraging things are going on with local stars and teams (just wait until the playoffs, though). But his return is, at the moment, significant enough to stand on its own. He’s a hero. And, at 24, he is using his final year of college eligibility to return to the sport in which he became a colossus.

When Steveson steps onto the mat at Maturi Pavilion on Sunday, it will be 977 days since he last represented the Gophers. The two-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist will be back.

Despite being away for more than two years, he’s already been installed as the No. 1 heavyweight in college by WIN Magazine and is set to square off Sunday against Campbell heavyweight Taye Ghadiali, who just moved up to No. 4 in the rankings.

The Minnesota Frost had former gold medal winners in Lee Stecklein, Kelly Pannek and Maddie Rooney as they won the inaugural PWHL championship in May. And I’ll recognize the Lynx’s Napheesa Collier and the Wolves’ Edwards, who aren’t from here but won gold medals for Team USA this summer in Paris.

All this occurred in just the past 10 months.

Steveson always believed a return was possible. A year ago, he teamed with Max Sang, a multimedia content producer for the Gophers, to record a comeback video with footage of him jogging around campus and grabbing the wrestling shoes he hung up back in 2022. It was released Monday.

Steveson’s return isn’t just great for the Gophers, who are ranked fifth in InterMat’s tournament rankings and eighth in its dual rankings. And it isn’t just great for college wrestling, which will thrive off the star power Steveson brings.

It’s Minnesotans who will benefit the most. How often does someone with local ties who has won an Olympic gold medal get to perform in front of fans again?

Regardless of the sport, winning for the Stars and Stripes should be cherished. And Minnesota gold medal winners have been on tour here all year.

Lee won a gymnastics gold medal in all-around during the 2021 Tokyo Games and enjoyed a homecoming this year when she qualified for the 2024 Paris Games at the U.S. Olympic team trials held at a raucous Target Center in June.

Jessie Diggins, who won a team sprint gold at the 2018 PyeongChang Games and is the most decorated U.S. cross-country skier, brought the Stifel Loppet Cup to Theodore Wirth Park in February. It was the first World Cup cross-country event in the United States since 2001, a realization of her dream to compete in her country and in front of her fans.

“I’m all ready to go,” Steveson said. “I was ready to go last week. But this week, I’m even more ready. Next week, I’ll be even more ready. And when March comes, I’ll be the readiest man on Earth, with the greatest performance you guys will ever see.”

It sounded like a little showmanship from a man who spent more than two years trying to break through with the WWE. There will be no need for bluster on Sunday when he walks into Maturi Pavillion to begin his final season of college wrestling. It will be the resumption of his career and a quest for his third NCAA championship, and he’ll be the latest Olympic hero to get back to local fans.