BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS / DAY 14 : OTHER FINALS : Smith, Campbell Help Fuel One of Best U.S. Squads

The United States had two medal winners besides Kevin Jackson in freestyle wrestling Friday, defending Olympic gold medalist John Smith and Chris Campbell.

Smith, 26, won another gold in the 136.5-pound class, and Campbell 37, won a bronze at 198.

Smith defeated Iran’s Asgari Mohammadian, 6-0, in their championship match. Smith said that he was motivated by a 3-2 overtime loss to Cuba’s Lazaro Reinoso earlier in the day. That defeat had no effect on Smith’s competing in the championship round, however, because he had already qualified with a high number of positive points.

“It was the first time in my life that a match had no importance because either way I was going for the gold,” Smith said. “That’s why I screamed and hollered after I lost, because I wasn’t motivated. But it was different tonight. I felt like my old self out there.”

Smith had struggled to regain his legendary form ever since the U.S. Olympic trials in Pittsburgh two months ago. It was there that Smith, considered to be the best wrestler in the world, was shocked by John Fisher in the first of three qualifying matches. Reflecting later on the near-disastrous meet, Smith said: “I have never brought the best out of myself until the most important events. The worlds, the Olympics, to me that’s the ultimate.”

Now he has a second gold medal to prove it.

Meanwhile, Campbell secured a front headlock and rolled Mongolia’s Puntsag Sukhbat at the 7:23 mark to score a 3-1 victory in the bronze-medal match.

The United States finished with three golds, two silvers and a bronze for its best showing in the Olympics against former Eastern Bloc countries in the last 20 years. The Commonwealth of Independent States finished with seven medals.