Olympic champion Gable Steveson is leaving the mat and switching from wrestling to football. The US American, gold medal winner in the heavyweight division at the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo, has signed a three-year contract with NFL club Buffalo Bills

“I’ve been fortunate enough to compete at the highest level in my sport, but I’m looking forward to the challenge of seeing how my wrestling skills translate to football,” Steveson said. It is an honor to be given this opportunity, he added. The 24-year-old, who has also been active in wrestling in recent years, is expected to play defensive tackle.

Steveson could become the second Olympic champion to win the Super Bowl. Bob Hayes, who also triumphed as an athlete in Tokyo (1964), won the NFL title with the Dallas Cowboys in 1972. Hayes died in 2002, winning gold in the 100m and 4x100m at the Summer Games in Japan.

Steveson is not the first athlete to switch sports for the dream of an NFL career. Welsh rugby talent Louis Rees-Zammit (23) recently signed with Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs. The lightning-quick “Rees-Lightning” is set to take up the position of running back in the future.