For Olympic wrestler Kennedy Blades, Jesus is the only role model she needs.
“People always ask, like, who do you idolize? Who do you look up to? I genuinely say Jesus Christ because it’s literally just Him. Like, no one compares to Him because He’s a perfect man who was morally correct,” Blades said on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast. “Like, everything was perfect about Him. He’s the perfect role model. The things He did, how He cared for others, how He prayed for his enemies, how He always spoke about His father who art in heaven, like just things like that.”
Blades currently competes in the middleweight division of Real American Freestyle (RAF), where she holds the RAF Women’s Middleweight Championship. She also won a silver medal in the women’s 76 kg freestyle event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and a bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb at 68 kg.
As she prepares for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Blades wants to keep her focus on Christ, not the accolades or people she might meet.
“So, I think that’s the best thing is that, like in LA 2028, again, I’ll probably meet these huge celebrities, these huge people,” she told Sports Spectrum. “But then after, like, when you go back to your room — I had to lie in my cardboard bed in Paris. I was just like, ‘Wow, that’s it.’ So, it’s like, let’s just dive in right now into this life, be all in with Christ, because this is the one time that we can give back.”
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“We can deny ourselves and give back to Him, because once you get to heaven, everything is perfect,” she emphasized.
One year after Blades won the RAF tournament, she took to social media to reminisce on her accomplishment and give God the glory.
“God is so good! From not being able to compete in RAF 01, to getting injured and being out all summer, to my opponent being unable to compete (praying for speedy recovery 🙏🏽), it’s been a bumpy road!” she wrote on Instagram in August. “But in the midst of all that, the Lord was able to still put this event in my timeline and I’m forever grateful!”
Even as she racks up Olympic medals, world championship titles and now an RAF crown, Blades consistently credits her achievements to God’s timing and faithfulness. As she looks ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, her message remains consistent: no competition or celebrity compares to the perfection she sees in Christ.
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