Meet Lyme-Old Lyme Wrestler Taiyo Gemme
After starting wrestling at age six, the Lyme-Old Lyme junior has battled injuries and built an undefeated season capped by a 215-pound State Open title.
Editor’s Note: This athlete profile was contributed by Lyme-Old Lyme High School student Sadie Lukasiewski.
LYME/OLD LYME, CT – After a perfect season capped by a State Open championship, Lyme-Old Lyme High School junior Taiyo Gemme is set to compete at the New England Wrestling Championships this weekend.
In an interview Thursday, Gemme said he started wrestling when he was only six years old. He decided to try out the sport after friends mentioned it would be a good outlet for his energy – and he’s been working hard to improve ever since.
Injuries have been one of his biggest obstacles.
“It has always held me back and, due to it, I’ve never been able to complete an entire season,” Gemme said. “To prevent it, I make sure to take extra time to stretch and be ready to go.”
After ending the regular season with a 20-0 record, Gemme recalled almost losing during the Class S division final due to what he described as a mistake that could have cost him the entire match.
“I knew, after I fought off my back and was down seven points, I had to go to work and do what I knew I needed to do,” Gemme said. “I kept competing and ended up winning.”
He went on to claim the 215-pound championship at the CIAC Connecticut Wrestling State Open by pinning Julian Rousseau of Staples High School in 1:37.
He said his focus for the rest of the season is “to dominate” – and to be the best version of himself.
“The best advice I’ve gotten was simply just ‘let it fly, kid,’ because the coaches know what I’m able to accomplish,” he said. “And if I trust in myself and all the work I’ve done, I can do great things.”
This season also brought a change to the program when Lyme-Old Lyme formed a co-op program with Westbrook. Gemme said the partnership has been a positive experience.
“It helped me create bonds with kids I would’ve never created bonds with,” he said. “And also, it adds numbers to our teams, which makes it a bigger and all around better team.”
Looking ahead, Gemme hopes to continue wrestling in college.
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Congratulations Taiyo! We are all proud of you! Keep up the hard work in the 2026-2027 season.