Quotes from U.S. wrestler Henry Cejudo and U.S. Coach Kevin Jackson after Tuesday's morning session of the Olympic Games
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by USA Wrestling
55 kg/121 lbs. - Henry Cejudo (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
On reaching the finals:
"This is my dream - my dream of being an Olympic gold medalist. The job ain't over yet, the job ain't over yet."
On dropping the first period of matches:
"I'm just making too many mistakes early. I know these foreigners get a little tired, so I came right back and took them out."
On keeping his focus for the finals:
"It ain't over until I get the yellow medal. I need to wrestle tough. I can't let up."
On the tough road his family took after moving to the U.S. from Mexico:
"It's a tough road we were on. My mom came from another country and struggled to get into the U.S. But it's all worth it right now, it's all worth it. The rough roads and everything, it's made me stronger and help put me in the Olympic finals for the U.S. The hard work, the dedication, I just keep moving forward."
U.S. Coach Kevin Jackson (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
On Cejudo reaching the finals:
"Henry's been groomed for this ever since he got on the Olympic Training Center campus. He's here sooner than a lot of people thought, but he's a kid that's always believed he was special and had a chance to be World and Olympic champion. Now he's wrestling closer to his potential, but he can go even higher."
On Cejudo's struggles in the first period:
"You can't let that happen. If you do, you're two minutes away from losing. We don't want to get in that situation. We got a tough final against the Japanese wrestler and we need to get off to a good start."
On Zadick's loss in his first match:
"You just never know how that emotional roller coaster will affect a wrestler. Mike was out of the tournament for months and then gets into the tournament the day before weigh-ins. I think he was ready to wrestle. He went through a whole spectrum of emotions. He had to get on the Olympic team, receive all that emotion, try to hold it down and beat a very tough guy in the first match. Hopefully, he can refocus and come back strong in the repechage and win a bronze medal.
On reaching the finals:
"This is my dream - my dream of being an Olympic gold medalist. The job ain't over yet, the job ain't over yet."
On dropping the first period of matches:
"I'm just making too many mistakes early. I know these foreigners get a little tired, so I came right back and took them out."
On keeping his focus for the finals:
"It ain't over until I get the yellow medal. I need to wrestle tough. I can't let up."
On the tough road his family took after moving to the U.S. from Mexico:
"It's a tough road we were on. My mom came from another country and struggled to get into the U.S. But it's all worth it right now, it's all worth it. The rough roads and everything, it's made me stronger and help put me in the Olympic finals for the U.S. The hard work, the dedication, I just keep moving forward."
U.S. Coach Kevin Jackson (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
On Cejudo reaching the finals:
"Henry's been groomed for this ever since he got on the Olympic Training Center campus. He's here sooner than a lot of people thought, but he's a kid that's always believed he was special and had a chance to be World and Olympic champion. Now he's wrestling closer to his potential, but he can go even higher."
On Cejudo's struggles in the first period:
"You can't let that happen. If you do, you're two minutes away from losing. We don't want to get in that situation. We got a tough final against the Japanese wrestler and we need to get off to a good start."
On Zadick's loss in his first match:
"You just never know how that emotional roller coaster will affect a wrestler. Mike was out of the tournament for months and then gets into the tournament the day before weigh-ins. I think he was ready to wrestle. He went through a whole spectrum of emotions. He had to get on the Olympic team, receive all that emotion, try to hold it down and beat a very tough guy in the first match. Hopefully, he can refocus and come back strong in the repechage and win a bronze medal.
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