PARIS — Chicago-area wrestlers Kamal Bey and Joe Rau had nearly identical Olympic debuts Tuesday morning, yet one of them still has a shot at a medal and the other is taking the outcome in stride.
The pair — who have known each other for years and are rooming together at the Games — both entered the tournament as unseeded competitors facing No. 3 seeds. And they both dropped their first match within minutes of each other.
Rau, who grew up on the Northwest side, remains in contention for a bronze after losing his first-round match to Iran’s Mohammadhadi Saravi in the 97kg class. If Saravi qualifies for the finals later Tuesday, Rau will have a chance to wrestle for third place on Wednesday.
Rau declined comment after the match, saying he would wait until after he learns Saravi’s fate before speaking with the media.
Bey, 26, lost 4-1 to Akzhol Makhmudov of Kyrgyzstan at 77kg. He was eliminated from medal contention when Makhmudov lost in the quarterfinals.
The Bellwood native won the U.S. trials last spring, but was not expected to compete in the Olympics because no American wrestler in his weight class had finished high enough in certain international tournaments to secure a berth. However, a spot opened up this summer after Russian wrestler Sergey Kutuzov was deemed ineligible to compete and Bey’s results at the most recent qualifying competition made him next in line.
The last-minute invite gave Bey — a specialist in the U.S. Army — a different perspective than most athletes in Paris. He approached the entire two weeks with the excitement and gratitude of a man given a second chance.
“I wasn’t supposed to be here, but I got the invitation late and answered the call, of course,” Bey said. “I love USA wrestling. I love USA Greco. So when I got the opportunity to come out here and compete, I was going to go out and wrestle as hard as I could.”
Bey was so determined to remain positive about his Olympic experience that he wouldn’t even concede that his first-round loss was disappointing. He applauded his opponent on the mat after the match and flashed a seemingly genuine smile when speaking to reporters a few minutes later.
“No, no, I’m not disappointed at all, man,” he said. “This is the Olympic Games, right? You’re competing against the cream of the crop at your weight class. I had a lot of fun. It was a blast.”
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The Chicago-area wrestlers have been nearly inseparable in France, documenting their various adventures on social media. They have posed for pictures with Snoop Dogg, met LeBron James, appeared on national television multiple times during the opening ceremony and toured Normandy while training there last week.
Rau, 31, has made Bey the star of many of his Instagram stories as he encouraged him to do things such as running a 60-meter dash in his slides or model his Ralph Lauren opening-ceremony outfit.
Rau also did short videos on the various dining options in the athlete’s village, usually leaving Bey — who maintained a strict diet so he would make weight for the tournament — out. One afternoon, he recorded himself ordering quiche, croissants and chocolate at three different places.
His so-called “Chow with Rau” videos are so well-known in the international wrestling community that the Olympic announcer called him “a noted internet food critic” during his match.
“It’s insane being able to make the team with Joe Rau,” said Bey, who has known his roommate for 16 years. “This is something we’ve talked about, but we never knew how it would happen. His story is incredible.”
In 2016, Rau won the U.S. Olympic trials but did not compete in the Rio Games because no American wrestler in his weight class had finished high enough in international competition to secure a spot. He went instead as a training partner for one of his teammates, watching from the stands.
He decided to keep training for another four years, a quadrennial in which every decision was made with the 2020 Olympics in mind. He was in the best shape of his life heading into the trials, having won the U.S. Open and the Pan-Am Championships.
In early March 2020, he won the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier in Canada, securing the United States a spot in the 87-kg weight class in Tokyo. The trials were postponed that year because of COVID, icing Rau’s dream when he was in peak form.
At the 2021 trials, he finished second amid a refereeing controversy and did not compete in Japan.
Rau’s previous heartbreaks made Bey appreciate their time together in Paris even more.
“I’ve literally watched this man grow up,” Bey said shortly after arriving. “And this seems like the most important part of his journey. As his roommate, I get to see all of it up close and it’s special.”
Bey, for his part, hopes Paris isn’t the end of his Olympic journey. He plans to re-enlist in the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete program and compete for a spot in 2028.
“I honestly believe I’ve got about eight more years before I turn into a suplex dummy for the kids and start coaching,” he said.
And he hopes Rau is there with him. Bey said he spoke with his Olympic roommate after the match and told him as much.
“Regardless of the result, I told him we’re going to rise up from this because there’s not a huge difference between us and people (we compete against) internationally,” Bey said. “He’s a warrior, man, and I’m super-duper proud of him.”
