Kyven Gadson was close at the 2016 Olympic Trials.

Gadson was close at the 2017 World Team Trials.

The former Cyclone just wasn’t close enough.

After failing to qualify for the 2016 Olympic team and the 2017 World Team, Gadson learned from the losses and took a setback from the big picture to hone in on the day-to-day aspects of training.

“I think the failure helped,” Gadson said. “I honestly think the failures at Olympic Trials and even in the 2017 World Team Trials finals [helped]. When you’re a competitor, which I consider myself a competitor, I enjoy winning, but I hate losing. It just bothers me. I’m not a fun guy to be around [after a loss].

“I think the failure helps you really look at the details. It’s all about the details. Everything is about the details. If you’re not taking care of the details, then you won’t take care of the big picture. The big picture will never become clear.”

Now that Gadson’s collegiate career — a career highlighted by his NCAA Championship, a 30-1 record in 2015 and three All-American honors — is in the rearview mirror, the Waterloo, Iowa, native’s sights are set on the 2020 Olympics.

“[At this point in my career] my top goal is to become the best me that I can,” Gadson said. “In terms of tangible goals, goals that you can feel and see, the goal is to be an Olympic and world champ.”

At the conclusion of Gadson’s Iowa State career, Gadson decided to pursue the 2016 Olympics, but it wasn’t an easy decision at the time.

“There was some level of uncertainty on my end last time around with [the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil],” Gadson said. “I wasn’t absolutely positive if that was something that I wanted to do.”

Ultimately, Gadson elected to compete for an Olympic spot at 97-kilograms.

“When I looked at everything and looked at what I wanted for myself, what I wanted in my life and what I wanted to do with my wrestling goals, it became clear that you can only wrestle for so long,” Gadson said.

In the spring of 2016, Gadson traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, for an opportunity to complete the first step of his Olympic dream.

Gadson started off strong, knocking off Kallen Kleinschmidt in a 3-2 match. The former Cyclone built off his momentum, defeating Scott Schiller 13-2.

Next, Gadson was pitted against 2012 Olympic gold medalist and former Iowa State wrestler Jake Varner.

Varner edged Gadson out 4-0, ending Gadson’s attempt at an Olympic bid.

Meanwhile, Kyle Snyder — the wrestler Gadson managed to pin in the 2015 NCAA Championship — represented the United States after beating Varner twice in a three-match series.

Snyder’s success carried into the 2016 Olympics. The Ohio State standout left Brazil with a gold medal around his neck.

With the Olympics out of the picture until 2020, Gadson channeled his focus towards the 2017 World Team Trials.

Gadson battled through the field and matched up with Snyder. Gadson held a 2-0 advantage in matches against Snyder entering the World Team Trials finals.

With a spot for the Senior World Team on the line, Snyder evened the head-to-head series against Gadson at 2-2.

In a best-of-three format, Snyder snagged a 10-0 win in the first match. In the second match, Snyder added a 13-2 win.

The defeat knocked Gadson down, but Gadson got back up.

“[Gadson] had the opportunity to prove [he’s the best] and didn’t succeed, so now he’s got to wait another year,” said Gadson’s training partner and Cyclone Regional Training Center member Ben Durbin. “Yeah, he wasn’t pleasant to be around, but he was working the next day. He already had everything changed.”

While Gadson missed the cut for the World Team, Snyder showcased his abilities. In the 97-kilogram finals, Snyder sealed first place for Team USA, delivering a 6-5 win over Russia’s Abdulrashid Sadulaev.

The 2020 Olympic Trials could feature a Gadson and Snyder rematch.

With Snyder — currently a senior at Ohio State — still competing at the collegiate level, Gadson shares a common goal with one of the athletes inside the Harold Nichols Wrestling Room: beat Kyle Snyder.

“Kyven’s always been a constant factor in the [practice] room,” said Iowa State’s redshirt junior heavyweight Marcus Harrington. “For the most part, he’s the only guy who can break me for a whole practice. We’re both training right now to beat the same guy, Kyle Snyder, the best in the world.”

While Harrington locks in on a potential collegiate match against Snyder, Gadson received the opportunity to learn from his losses.

After falling short at the 2016 Olympic Trials and the 2017 World Team Trials, Gadson found points of improvement.

Now, Gadson seeks redemption in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Gadson faced a pair of setbacks in his post-collegiate career, but the Olympic hopeful restructured his focus.

“I believe that the way [I become a gold medalist] is by everyday having that big picture,” Gadson said. “[But] it’s [also] about everyday taking care of the details because it’s the details that’s going to allow me to become the best me, and allow me to ultimately reach my tangible goals which is to become a World and Olympic champ.”