Olympic champion Momir Petkovic focused on helping U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers strike gold at 2008 Olympics
Source: Craig Sesker - USA Wrestling
Aug 5, 2008 - 8:19:36 AM
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BEIJING, China - It happened 32 years ago.
But Momir Petkovic still
vividly remembers everything about that special moment.
It was the 1976
Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada and Petkovic reached the pinnacle of his sport
by winning an Olympic gold medal for the former Yugoslavia.
"It was just
an unbelievable joy to do something you dreamed about doing," Petkovic said
after Tuesday night's practice at Beijing Normal University. "Everything came
together in that one moment. When I was a kid, I looked up to the Olympic
champions like they were Gods. To be able to win an Olympic gold medal, it was
pretty special."
Now the Assistant National Coach for the United States
Greco-Roman Wrestling Team, Petkovic is determined to see his athletes
experience the same feeling he did more than three decades ago. The U.S.
Greco-Roman Team will compete in the Olympic Games on Aug. 12-14 at the China
Agricultural University Gymnasium.
One of Petkovic's top athletes is 2007
World silver medalist Brad Vering, a two-time Olympian. Vering is one of the
favorites at 84 kg/185 lbs. in Beijing.
"Successful people talk about
surrounding themselves with good people," Vering said. "That's a huge part of
success because you're not just worried about yourself. Momir is a genuinely
good person in every aspect of his life. He's just a huge example for anyone as
a person. When you have that, it's easy to compete for someone like that because
he's such an inspiration on and off the mat."
Even though he is in his
50s, Petkovic still is in fantastic shape. He does many of the conditioning
workouts right alongside the team, including running the Incline in Colorado
Springs. He was running around barefoot when the team played a soccer game
during a cross-training workout on Sunday at Beijing Normal.
"You could
see his competitive juices flowing in that soccer game," Vering said. "He's just
a guy who is never going to grow old. He loves life and enjoys every second of
whatever he does."
One significant difference between an Olympic Games
and a World Championships is the size of the field in each weight class.
Wrestlers have to qualify for the Olympics, meaning the field is around 20
wrestlers in each division compared to roughly twice as many in a weight class
at a World Championships.
"Every second of every match is going to be a
war, there is no question about that," Petkovic said. "This tournament is going
to be very, very rough and tough right from the beginning all the way through
the end."
Petkovic played a key role as the U.S. won the team title at
the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was the first Greco-Roman
World team title in American history.
Only three members of that team -
Vering, Dremiel Byers and T.C. Dantzler - made the 2008 Olympic Team. Three
newcomers - Spenser Mango, Jake Deitchler and Adam Wheeler - made their first
World-level teams after making the Olympic Team this year.
"The new guys
were welcomed in like they were part of the family, which they are now,"
Petkovic said. "These guys care about each other and pull for each other.
Spenser, Adam and Jake have fit in great with the veteran guys on the team. It's
a great group to work with."
The U.S. has won three Olympic gold medals
in its Greco-Roman history, but only one since 1984. Petkovic said he wouldn't
be surprised if the U.S. won three gold medals next week in
Beijing.
"That would be special to see them do it," Petkovic said. "We
have a number of guys who are capable of winning a gold medal."
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