Joseph Atiyeh

Joseph Atiyeh (Arabic: جوزيف عطية, born October 8, 1957) is a retired Syrian wrestler and the winner of Syria's first Olympic medal.

[1] Atiyeh was born in Amar al-Husn, Homs Governorate, Syria to a Christian family.

Though Atiyeh lived most of his life in the United States, and attended Louisiana State University, where he was on the school's wrestling team, he qualified as a dual citizen and wrestled for Syria.

Atiyeh made it to the Olympic finals against Lou Banach of the United States, where he lost by fall in 61 seconds.

Puscassu went on to win the 1988 Summer Olympics gold medal in the heavyweight category in Seoul, South Korea.