Confident Askren set to compete at U.S. Olympic Team Trials

Ben Askren said he's always had his share of detractors.

He said people questioned whether he would ever win a state high school title in Wisconsin.

And there were some saying he would never win an NCAA title during his career at the University of Missouri.

And even now - after Askren won April's U.S. Nationals to clinch a No. 1 seed for next week's U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas - he said he knows there are people out there expecting him to fail.

"People have always doubted me - that makes it fun proving them wrong," he said. "I've always wrestled with a chip on my shoulder. Going into the Trials, people still aren't convinced I'm going to win. Come June 15, they are going to be convinced or they are going to be delusional."

The list of people doubting Askren's abilities dwindled after he turned in an impressive performance in winning the U.S. Nationals in freestyle at 74 kg/163 lbs. The 23-year-old Askren now takes aim at trying to win the Olympic Trials and earning a trip to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

Askren has been highly successful at every level of wrestling. He won two state titles before turning in a magical college career at Missouri. Askren was a four-time NCAA finalist, winning national titles as a junior and a senior. He twice won the Hodge Trophy, wrestling's version of the Heisman Trophy, to cap his career.

Askren jumped into freestyle immediately after completing his college career. He dropped a close semifinal match to Joe Heskett in the U.S. Nationals before finishing sixth. Heskett went on to place fifth in the World before being forced to retire because of a heart condition.

Askren placed fifth in the 2007 World Team Trials.

Those finishes had many wrestling observers questioning whether Askren's funky, unorthodox style was the right fit for international wrestling.

Askren has made huge improvements during the 2007-08 season. He's won three tournaments this season.

He briefly moved up to No. 1 in the U.S. freestyle rankings, but then dropped down to the No. 3 seed for the U.S. Nationals. Askren's finish at the 2007 World Team Trials dropped him down to the No. 3 spot when seeds were determined.

"That most definitely was a big motivator for me," Askren said. "I felt like I was the No. 1 guy going in there."

That swagger and level of confidence, as most wrestling observers are well aware, is never in short supply.

"Every time I step on the mat I think I am better than my opponent," Askren said. "There are no limits to what I can do."

Askren's wide-open, go-for-broke style is appealing to wrestling fans.

He said too many freestyle matches, especially in the U.S., don't feature enough action.

"I've only been to one clinch this year," he said. "Letting matches come down to clinches and pushouts, you can't put yourself in that position. I like putting points on the board and going for the big moves. I am going to pressure my opponent and make him wrestle. I'm not going to let him take me to the clinch. You can't get stuck in a mindset where you think you can't score."

As supremely confident as he is, Askren is still continually tweaking his style of wrestling. He's spent hours watching video of freestyle matches in his quest to learn and improve.

"I knew I had to change my style coming out of college," he said. "I'm smart enough to know I had to look at some things that didn't work. I wrestled poorly last year and I knew I had to get better."

Among the wrestlers Askren has spent time training with recently are fellow NCAA champions Jake Herbert and Keith Gavin. He also took part in the recent Sunkist Kids camp in Arizona. He also trains with his younger brother, Max, an All-American for Missouri who qualified for the Olympic Trials at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

Ben Askren's actions, at times, have rubbed opponents the wrong way.

During his physical, hard-fought U.S. Nationals finals win over Tyrone Lewis, Askren and Lewis went nose-to-nose and exchanged words during the match.

"I think he got frustrated because he was having trouble scoring," Askren said. "I'm not going to back down from anybody. I took him out of his element. I never lost my focus."

Askren also has gained valuable international experience this season. He placed third at February's Kiev International in the Ukraine. He also went 2-1 at February's World Cup in Russia, falling to Russia's Denis Tsargush.

"All those guys in the World are beatable," Askren said. "Heskett was right there against (Russian World champion Makhach) Murtazaliev last year. As long as I train hard and wrestle a great match, I am just as likely to beat the best guys as anybody else."

Part of Askren's motivation to win the Olympics came from watching fellow Wisconsin native Garrett Lowney win an Olympic bronze medal in 2000. Askren was in attendance when Lowney won the 2000 Olympic Team Trials in Dallas.

Four years later, Askren competed at the 2004 Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. He placed sixth.

"I think about the Olympics all the time," he said. "It's been a dream for a long time. I'm focused on the Trials - I've got to take care of business in Vegas first. But winning an Olympic gold medal is something I think about all the time."

With the Olympic Trials still more than a week away, Askren is like a kid waiting for Christmas morning to arrive.

"I wish I could wrestle today," he said. "I can't wait.