“Gold medals really aren’t made out of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts” is a sports saying that has been printed on many images. American freestyle wrestler and coach Dan Gable is credited with the saying, and he wrote in the book A Wrestling Life 2: More Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable (2017):
   
“I’ve been given credit for saying this because somebody who interviewed me published it. I didn’t say that exactly, but he put my words together the way he wanted and came out with that quote. I have no problem with it, but it wasn’t exactly the way I said it.”
 
It’s not known when Gable said the quotation, but it was posted on the newsgroup alt.sports.college.ohio-state on February 14, 1997.
 
       
Wikipedia: Dan Gable
Danny Mack “Dan” Gable (born October 25, 1948) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. He is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a world gold medalist, and an Olympic gold medalist. Gable was only the third wrestler to have ever been inducted into the United World Wrestling’s Hall of Fame in the Legend category.
     
 
1 September 1972, Newsday (Long Island, NY), “U.S. Wrestlers: 3 Gold Medals,” pg. 107, col. 4:
Munich (AP)—(...) Determination—and tons of sweat—paid off for Dan Gable, 23, of Waterloo, Iowa, who won a gold medal in the 149.5-pound class.
 
Google Groups: alt.sports.college.ohio-state
Courtland Bullard & other tidbits
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2/14/97
(...)
“Gold medals are not made out of gold, they are made out of sweat, determination and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”
Dan Gable
 
20 November 2001, Morning Star (Wilmington, NC), “Wrestling Preview; New faces to be theme of 2001-02 season; Five coaches, two schools begin eras” by Lee Wagner, pg. 4C:
American Olympic champion Dan Gable once described his gold medal-winning achievements in wrestling like this: “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard- to-find alloy called guts.”
 
Google Books
Winning Words:
Classic Quotes from the World of Sports
By Michael Benson
Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing
2008
Pg. 83:
GUTS
“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard—to—find alloy called guts.” —Dan Gable, freestyle wrestling
         
Twitter
CrossFit Virtuosity
@virtuosity
“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” Dan Gable
12:36 AM - 19 Nov 2008
 
4 August 2009, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA), “Celebrity Cypher,” pg. 4D, col. 3:
PREVIOUS SOLUTION: “Gold medals aren’t made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”—Dan Gable
 
Google Books
A Wrestling Life 2:
More Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable
By Dan Gable
Iowa City: University of Iowa Press
2017
Pg. 127:
“Gold medals really aren’t made out of gold. They are made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”
 
I’ve been given credit for saying this because somebody who interviewed me published it. I didn’t say that exactly, but he put my words together the way he wanted and came out with that quote. I have no problem with it, but it wasn’t exactly the way I said it.
 
Twitter
Prophet Derrick L Young
@RealDLYoung
“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. ” ~ Unknown #Quote
6:15 PM - 7 Jun 2018