Quotes from Sunday night champions at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials
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by Elizabeth Wiley
96 kg/211.5 lbs. GR - Adam Wheeler, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
On the last few second of the third match…
"I wasn't going to quit no matter what. I was even more nervous when you win the coin flip than I thought it would be. Usually it's a relief, but wrestling against Justin who has an awesome gut wrench. He's a really good wrestler. I didn't know what would happen, but I knew I had to keep moving no matter what."
On whether he was motivated by the loss at Nationals…
"My coach actually pulled me to the side after the tournament. After that happened at Nationals I was like, 'I'm not even sure I want to wrestle anymore.' He said it was a blessing in disguise and I kind of just took it as that. I remember in 2004 Cael Sanderson didn't win Nationals either and he came through and won an Olympic gold medal."
120 kg/264.5 lbs. GR - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
On wrestling Taylor…
"Now I can say that Taylor is pretty good at being a wall when he wants to. I can be in shape now, I am in shape, and I have to fall back on more of that old stuff. You know, I am training with Taylor everyday. I don't have any tricks with him. He knows what I'm going to do every time."
On the camaraderie within the Army team…
"That's my brother from another mother. We live that everyday with our unit. We really are family. If you look around at Nationals or you look into it, we're the only actual team. The other guys are clubs that live all over the country and come together for one event. We're in there pounding it out everyday with each other."
74 kg/163 lbs. MFS - Ben Askren, Columbia, Mo. (Sunkist Kids)
On why he was successful…
"Number one, I work harder than a lot of people. A lot of the senior level athletes don't want to work hard, they want to do that. Number two, I leave my mind open, I'm looking for everybody. I'm watching the Russians, I'm watching the World Champs, I'm watching them and I'm picking everything up."
On whether he was nervous during the second match…
"He wasn't that aggressive in the first match. He's very dirty. I have cuts all over my face from him head butting me. I guess that was his tactic and he surprised me. He did a great job. That throw he had was amazing. I think I was almost knocked out."
4 kg/185 lbs. MFS - Andy Hrovat, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC)
On the end of the match…
"I had no idea. I just knew I had to attack. He was trying to get position. His right leg opened up and I just grabbed it. The only thing I saw was his leg and I snatched it up."
On preparing for the quickness of Ruiz…
"You can't prepare for that. I have no training partners that wrestle like him. The match was a boring match because we were both looking for the same thing. It opened up and I never stopped believing that I could win."
96 kg/211.5 lbs. MFS - Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)
On what he did to win this…
"I think that I have my coaches have really spent time on the areas I need to get better at. You know, I don't give up points anymore. I'm better defensively. Offensively, we've been focusing on my attacks. Last match I didn't get them off as much as I wanted to but the first match I did put up a lot of points. Second match, you know it's the match to get you on the Olympic team. I didn't wrestle my best, but I got it done. It's almost like you want to play it safe because you don't want to make any mistakes."
"I'm confident. I'm getting to the point where I am confident in my abilities and I figure if I go out and wrestle like I'm capable, I'm going to be okay. That's pretty much what's been happening. These guys are tough competitors. I've been lucky enough, blessed to stay healthy and believe in myself. It's been leading to victories."
On how he's going to do to prepare…
"I'm just going to train hard. It's my second Olympic Games. I don't want to feel like I did coming back from Athens in 2004. Losing two overtime matches in the semis and then losing the bronze medal match. I don't want to feel that way. I'm doing everything possible to make sure I'm prepared and ready to go when I get to China. If I do that I think I'll be okay."
120 kg/264.5 lbs. MFS - Steve Mocco, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
On what he wanted to teach his son…
"Not to quit. Not to give up. It's hard when you come so close to something and then you fall short. Today, I wrestled well and chips fell the way they did. I put myself in a position to win and that's what happened. That's a good lesson for anybody."
On the competition between himself and Tommy Rowlands…
"We go back and forth, and he's a great competitor. I knew I'd have to wrestle hard. I knew it'd be a dog fight and it would take everything I had to win. I had a close battle with him in Vegas a few weeks ago. I knew I could win, I knew I could do it. I really believed in myself coming into this tournament.
On the last few second of the third match…
"I wasn't going to quit no matter what. I was even more nervous when you win the coin flip than I thought it would be. Usually it's a relief, but wrestling against Justin who has an awesome gut wrench. He's a really good wrestler. I didn't know what would happen, but I knew I had to keep moving no matter what."
On whether he was motivated by the loss at Nationals…
"My coach actually pulled me to the side after the tournament. After that happened at Nationals I was like, 'I'm not even sure I want to wrestle anymore.' He said it was a blessing in disguise and I kind of just took it as that. I remember in 2004 Cael Sanderson didn't win Nationals either and he came through and won an Olympic gold medal."
120 kg/264.5 lbs. GR - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
On wrestling Taylor…
"Now I can say that Taylor is pretty good at being a wall when he wants to. I can be in shape now, I am in shape, and I have to fall back on more of that old stuff. You know, I am training with Taylor everyday. I don't have any tricks with him. He knows what I'm going to do every time."
On the camaraderie within the Army team…
"That's my brother from another mother. We live that everyday with our unit. We really are family. If you look around at Nationals or you look into it, we're the only actual team. The other guys are clubs that live all over the country and come together for one event. We're in there pounding it out everyday with each other."
74 kg/163 lbs. MFS - Ben Askren, Columbia, Mo. (Sunkist Kids)
On why he was successful…
"Number one, I work harder than a lot of people. A lot of the senior level athletes don't want to work hard, they want to do that. Number two, I leave my mind open, I'm looking for everybody. I'm watching the Russians, I'm watching the World Champs, I'm watching them and I'm picking everything up."
On whether he was nervous during the second match…
"He wasn't that aggressive in the first match. He's very dirty. I have cuts all over my face from him head butting me. I guess that was his tactic and he surprised me. He did a great job. That throw he had was amazing. I think I was almost knocked out."
4 kg/185 lbs. MFS - Andy Hrovat, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC)
On the end of the match…
"I had no idea. I just knew I had to attack. He was trying to get position. His right leg opened up and I just grabbed it. The only thing I saw was his leg and I snatched it up."
On preparing for the quickness of Ruiz…
"You can't prepare for that. I have no training partners that wrestle like him. The match was a boring match because we were both looking for the same thing. It opened up and I never stopped believing that I could win."
96 kg/211.5 lbs. MFS - Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)
On what he did to win this…
"I think that I have my coaches have really spent time on the areas I need to get better at. You know, I don't give up points anymore. I'm better defensively. Offensively, we've been focusing on my attacks. Last match I didn't get them off as much as I wanted to but the first match I did put up a lot of points. Second match, you know it's the match to get you on the Olympic team. I didn't wrestle my best, but I got it done. It's almost like you want to play it safe because you don't want to make any mistakes."
"I'm confident. I'm getting to the point where I am confident in my abilities and I figure if I go out and wrestle like I'm capable, I'm going to be okay. That's pretty much what's been happening. These guys are tough competitors. I've been lucky enough, blessed to stay healthy and believe in myself. It's been leading to victories."
On how he's going to do to prepare…
"I'm just going to train hard. It's my second Olympic Games. I don't want to feel like I did coming back from Athens in 2004. Losing two overtime matches in the semis and then losing the bronze medal match. I don't want to feel that way. I'm doing everything possible to make sure I'm prepared and ready to go when I get to China. If I do that I think I'll be okay."
120 kg/264.5 lbs. MFS - Steve Mocco, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
On what he wanted to teach his son…
"Not to quit. Not to give up. It's hard when you come so close to something and then you fall short. Today, I wrestled well and chips fell the way they did. I put myself in a position to win and that's what happened. That's a good lesson for anybody."
On the competition between himself and Tommy Rowlands…
"We go back and forth, and he's a great competitor. I knew I'd have to wrestle hard. I knew it'd be a dog fight and it would take everything I had to win. I had a close battle with him in Vegas a few weeks ago. I knew I could win, I knew I could do it. I really believed in myself coming into this tournament.
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