Quotes from U.S. wrestlers Henry Cejudo and Mike Zadick, after Tuesday's afternoon session of the Olympic Games
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by USA Wrestling
55 kg/121 lbs. - Henry Cejudo (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
On winning an Olympic gold medal:
"I might just sleep with this medal tonight. It's changed my life already."
On his mother's support:
"I wish she was here. I wish I could give her my medal right now because that's who I'm going to give it to anyway. I always give her all of my hardware anyway. I can't thank her enough for all of her support."
On his finals opponent from Japan:
"I have seen him wrestle before. I watched his matches from the Asian Games. The Japanese come out strong every Olympics. I knew he was a real tough wrestler."
On being the son of parents who are from Mexico, but moved to the U.S.:
"I was born and raised in the U.S. and I don't forget that. As much as I love Mexican heritage, I'm American first and foremost. The U.S. is a land of opportunity and you choose your own path."
On the influence of his brother Angel:
"My brother set the bar really high for me and I followed his example. He was really tough on me. I got a few knuckle sandwiches from him when we were growing up. We won the gold together. He's my brother, my coach, everything. He's really been there for me. I couldn't have done this without him."
On being called the future of U.S. wrestling:
"I'm no longer the future, I'm the present. This yellow medal hanging around my neck is proof of that."
60 kg/132 lbs. - Mike Zadick (Solon, Iowa)
On being eliminated:
"It's been an emotional rollercoaster, trying to get ready for this. You believe you're going to get it, but you're not for sure. I was working and striving for this. I thank USA Wrestling for the opportunity I got. I wish I would have represented myself. But it is what it is. I'm disappointed in myself, but I got to move forward from here."
"This is something I've been working for the last 25 years, ever since I started wrestling when I was 5 years old. It happened so quick and ended so quick, it's kind of a shock. I do see more wrestling for me in my future."
On his family support:
"I have an unbelievable support group. I don't think there's a person alive that has the support I have. My brother has done probably 40 loads of my laundry since we've been here - he hates it, but he's doing it for me. He's getting me food and taking care of me. I probably would have brought 30 or 40 people to the Games if I would've known for sure I was wrestling. I have people back home in Montana e-mailing and texting. I have people back in Iowa supporting me. I am really blessed with a lot of great people in my life. I wanted to come with a yellow medal.
On winning an Olympic gold medal:
"I might just sleep with this medal tonight. It's changed my life already."
On his mother's support:
"I wish she was here. I wish I could give her my medal right now because that's who I'm going to give it to anyway. I always give her all of my hardware anyway. I can't thank her enough for all of her support."
On his finals opponent from Japan:
"I have seen him wrestle before. I watched his matches from the Asian Games. The Japanese come out strong every Olympics. I knew he was a real tough wrestler."
On being the son of parents who are from Mexico, but moved to the U.S.:
"I was born and raised in the U.S. and I don't forget that. As much as I love Mexican heritage, I'm American first and foremost. The U.S. is a land of opportunity and you choose your own path."
On the influence of his brother Angel:
"My brother set the bar really high for me and I followed his example. He was really tough on me. I got a few knuckle sandwiches from him when we were growing up. We won the gold together. He's my brother, my coach, everything. He's really been there for me. I couldn't have done this without him."
On being called the future of U.S. wrestling:
"I'm no longer the future, I'm the present. This yellow medal hanging around my neck is proof of that."
60 kg/132 lbs. - Mike Zadick (Solon, Iowa)
On being eliminated:
"It's been an emotional rollercoaster, trying to get ready for this. You believe you're going to get it, but you're not for sure. I was working and striving for this. I thank USA Wrestling for the opportunity I got. I wish I would have represented myself. But it is what it is. I'm disappointed in myself, but I got to move forward from here."
"This is something I've been working for the last 25 years, ever since I started wrestling when I was 5 years old. It happened so quick and ended so quick, it's kind of a shock. I do see more wrestling for me in my future."
On his family support:
"I have an unbelievable support group. I don't think there's a person alive that has the support I have. My brother has done probably 40 loads of my laundry since we've been here - he hates it, but he's doing it for me. He's getting me food and taking care of me. I probably would have brought 30 or 40 people to the Games if I would've known for sure I was wrestling. I have people back home in Montana e-mailing and texting. I have people back in Iowa supporting me. I am really blessed with a lot of great people in my life. I wanted to come with a yellow medal.
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