Joe Rau

Josef Patrick "Joe" Rau (; born March 17, 1991) is an American Greco-Roman wrestler.

High school career Rau wrestled for St. Patrick High School in Chicago, Illinois, but never placed at the state tournament. He was an Illinois state qualifier, two-time conference champion and freestyle state champion.

College career At Elmhurst College, Rau was coached by past NCAA champion Steve Marianetti and won the 184 pound title at the 2013 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. He is a three-time NCAA DIII All-American and 2014 University Nationals Champion. Rau was named Conference Wrestler of the Year, Elmhurst College Athlete of the Year and became two-time place winner at Midlands Championships.

In 2021, he placed fifth in several international tournaments in Europe: Grand Prix of Zagreb Open in Croatia, the Olympic Preparation Tournament in Hungary and the ranking tournament Matteo Pellicone in Italy.

In 2020, Rau won gold at the Pan-American Championships and the Pan-American Olympic Qualifier. In doing so, effectively secured the Olympic spot for Team USA at 87 kg for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Rau became runner-up in the U.S. World Team Trials and U.S. Open. He won gold at the University Nationals Championships and Northern Plains Regional Championships.