Olympian Daniel Cormier looks to make the most of a second chance

In a fight that has everyone seeing gold, Daniel Cormier has a little extra motivation: missing a chance at an Olympic medal four years ago.

In 2004, Cormier made his first Olympic team. He advanced to the bronze medal match and was leading late in the match but ended up losing.

"I was up 2-0 in the bronze medal match," Cormier said. "It has to motivate me. I can't allow it to happen again. It was really a learning experience. I experienced the Olympics on the wrong side."

Now as Cormier prepares for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, he pushes a little harder and is a little more deliberate than he was four years ago. He also has the advantage of knowing exactly what he is up against.

"I'm embracing everything," said Cormier. "I am embracing my training; I'm actually excited about training. I am going in with an open mind."

According the National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson, how Cormier trains may make the biggest difference in his chances to earn a medal at the Olympics.

"Daniel is a different kind of athlete than a lot of these guys," said Jackson. "He has a lot of athletic ability and because of that can sometimes get away with less training than those around him."

So far, Cormier has shown that he is motivated to do whatever he needs to achieve his goals in Beijing.

The men's freestyle Olympic team recently traveled to the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz. for their first Olympic Training Camp. There Cormier showed his teammates and the coaching staff that he is willing to work hard.

"Through the first camp he's trained harder and he's been more focused than in the past," said Jackson. "He's done everything we've asked even if he's complained some. But Daniel did it when it came down to it, when in the past he might not have.

"This year he's very focused on his goals. I've been happy so far with what he's done in terms of training and conditioning."

Now, the team is in Colorado Springs, Colo. for a second training camp before heading across the Pacific Ocean to China.

Jackson, and Cormier himself, have high expectations for how Cormier will do at the Games. But in this competition regarded as the ultimate achievement in a wrestler's career, he faces a tough weight class.

"He's shown he's at the top of the list in this weight class," said Jackson. "There's not one guy in the weight class that wants to draw Daniel Cormier."

Cormier will still have a number of top level wrestlers to go through to reach the medal stand. The competition he will face includes Georgia's Georgi Gogshelidze and Uzbekistan's Kuban Kubanov, ranked No. 2 and 3 in the most recent international rankings.

Russian Khadjimourat Gatsalov, a five-time World champion and defending Olympic gold medalist, recently finished behind his countryman Hadzimurad Gachalov at the Russian Nationals. Either has the potential to do well in Beijing.

"I'm going to train for the best, then assume the rest will fall in line," said Cormier. "They have all been behind him (Gatsalov) the past few years at Worlds and at the Olympics in 2004, so if you can beat the best you should be able to beat everyone else."

As the only returning Olympian on the U.S. men's freestyle team, Cormier has the advantage of experience. While this experience is something his teammates may draw on as they prepare, he can only help them so much.

"I can't tell them what their experience is going to be, but I can tell them how to approach different situations," said Cormier.

He can't prepare them for everything, but Cormier is ready to help them however he can.

"I can offer bits of advice about what to expect," said Cormier. "I can tell them how to not get intimidated by the hugeness of the Games. It's so big."

To become the leader of the team, however, Cormier must prove to the coaches that he deserves that title.

"He has some given leadership responsibility because of his experience, but as far as an elected team captain or team leader, it has to be proven through leading by example," said Jackson.

Cormier has proved that's he is worthy of that role so far, but the freestyle team is still weeks away from competition. He will compete August 21, a month from now, and there is still work to be done.

"He needs to continue to work on his gold medal attack," said Jackson. "At camp, we worked with the team on being able to score whether the guy is a left leg lead or a right leg lead. For Daniel, his style is aggressive. It's action packed and it's scoring a lot of points. If he does those things I don't think there's anyone who can stick with him."

If Cormier can focus on those areas, and perform to his potential, he should be able to make good on his second trip to the Olympics.

"Very few athletes have the opportunity to chase their dreams," said Jackson. "Having a second chance to capture an Olympic medal is even less common."

Cormier is not taking this opportunity lightly, and the opportunity he has to represent the U.S. on perhaps the greatest stage in sports is one he relishes.

"When you represent Oklahoma State, or the Boston Celtics in the NBA, you are representing that city or that organization," said Cormier. "But you put on your singlet or your basketball uniform or your swimsuit and you are representing the United States. Not many people get that chance. There are only seven freestyle wrestlers that compete at the Olympics and think of how many wrestlers there are in the U.S.