World bronze medalist Lindsey Durlacher comes back strong after short retirement
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by Michael Carnes
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - When he lost to Sam Hazewinkel in the semifinals of the 2008 Olympic Team Trials, Lindsey Durlacher was finished.
After a career that included a bronze medal at the World Championships and a 2006 national championship, Durlacher left his shoes on the mat to tell the wrestling world that he had retired.
But, just like Silvio Dante said in the classic TV "The Sopranos" - just when Durlacher thought he was out, his friends pulled him back in, and now he's back in the finals in the challenge bracket at the World Team Trials.
Durlacher defeated top-seeded Jermaine Hodge to earn a trip to the finals of the challenge bracket of the Greco-Roman 55-kilogram division against Spenser Mango, who avoided a near-pin situation to beat Sam Hazewinkel. The winner of that best-of-three match will represent the United States in the World Championships, Sept. 21-27 in Herning, Denmark.
Durlacher, who turns 35 in December, said he was ready to enter the work force and end his wrestling career after being upset by the younger Hazewinkel in the 2008 Olympic Team Trials.
"It was hard to walk away, but I took the summer and took some time off," he said. "I had some guys get me back into it, guys like T.C. Dantzler, Dremiel Byers and some of the members of the (2007) World Championship team were asking me to come back and were saying, 'Hey come back, we're just as old as you are and we'd like to see you on the team.' Those guys stayed on me and after the summer got it going again."
Durlacher has had an outstanding career on the international stage after finishing a two-time All-American college career at Illinois with a runner-up finish. He was a U.S. Nationals runner-up five times in six years, was a silver medalist in the 2003 Pan American Championships, and had a career year in 2006 by winning the U.S. Nationals title and claiming bronze at the world tournament and winning back-to-back titles at the Dave Schultz Memorial International tournament.
After his win over Hodge, Durlacher said he feels good about where he's at in his short-lived comeback from retirement.
"It's been a battle this year," he said. "I've had some injuries, and I'm getting older so it's a little harder for me to train. I've got to train smarter and put the time in, but I'm glad to be back with a chance at the finals.
After a career that included a bronze medal at the World Championships and a 2006 national championship, Durlacher left his shoes on the mat to tell the wrestling world that he had retired.
But, just like Silvio Dante said in the classic TV "The Sopranos" - just when Durlacher thought he was out, his friends pulled him back in, and now he's back in the finals in the challenge bracket at the World Team Trials.
Durlacher defeated top-seeded Jermaine Hodge to earn a trip to the finals of the challenge bracket of the Greco-Roman 55-kilogram division against Spenser Mango, who avoided a near-pin situation to beat Sam Hazewinkel. The winner of that best-of-three match will represent the United States in the World Championships, Sept. 21-27 in Herning, Denmark.
Durlacher, who turns 35 in December, said he was ready to enter the work force and end his wrestling career after being upset by the younger Hazewinkel in the 2008 Olympic Team Trials.
"It was hard to walk away, but I took the summer and took some time off," he said. "I had some guys get me back into it, guys like T.C. Dantzler, Dremiel Byers and some of the members of the (2007) World Championship team were asking me to come back and were saying, 'Hey come back, we're just as old as you are and we'd like to see you on the team.' Those guys stayed on me and after the summer got it going again."
Durlacher has had an outstanding career on the international stage after finishing a two-time All-American college career at Illinois with a runner-up finish. He was a U.S. Nationals runner-up five times in six years, was a silver medalist in the 2003 Pan American Championships, and had a career year in 2006 by winning the U.S. Nationals title and claiming bronze at the world tournament and winning back-to-back titles at the Dave Schultz Memorial International tournament.
After his win over Hodge, Durlacher said he feels good about where he's at in his short-lived comeback from retirement.
"It's been a battle this year," he said. "I've had some injuries, and I'm getting older so it's a little harder for me to train. I've got to train smarter and put the time in, but I'm glad to be back with a chance at the finals.
