Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Travis West, 37, passes away from liver failure

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
06/14/2004


USA Wrestling has been notified that 1992 Olympic Greco-Roman team member Travis West, 37, of Portland, Ore. has passed away on Monday, June 14.    West has been dealing with complications from liver failure. Friends across the nation have been keeping him in their prayers while he has been battling with this serious condition in recent weeks.    The following was posted on the web page created by the family to update his many friends.    "June 14, 2004: Early this afternoon we lost Travis. We will post information here when arrangements have been made for the services. Please use vwest@vwservices.com to get messages to the family as this will limit the phone traffic for us. Please type 'Travis' in your subject line."    The web page from the West family is  http://www.vwservices.com/travis.htm    West competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games at 74 kg/163 pounds. He had a tremendous season that year, winning the U.S. Nationals, the Olympic Team Trials and the Final Olympic Wrestle-off to earn a spot on the team.    For many years, West was one of the nation's best Greco-Roman wrestlers. He qualified for Greco-Roman Team USA five times during the 1990s. During some of that time, he was a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete in Colorado Springs, Colo.    West placed second in the 1991 and 1994 World Team Trials and was second in 1991 and 1994 U.S. Nationals. He was also second in the 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival. Among his international achievements was a bronze medal at the 1992 Pan American Championships.    He was a member of the powerful and successful Portland State teams coached by Marlin Grahn and featuring a number of national champion athletes. West won a NCAA Div. II title for Portland State in 1989, and was a member of the national champion teams in 1989 and 1990. West won three Oregon state high school titles competing for Benson Poly Tech in Portland.    "It is hard," said Grahn. "Travis is a man of high integrity and standards. He had trying times with his health, but it never got him down. He and many others felt he would beat it this time too. He was a pleasure to coach. He would look you in the eye and tell you what he thought, and people appreciated that. He has a great family, also."    According to his family's web page, Travis had "undergone two liver transplants for a rare disease called PCS (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis). It is a chronic disorder of the liver in which the bile ducts become inflamed, thickened, narrowed and finally obstructed. This is the same disease that afflicted the great football star running back Walter Payton."    "Today we lost our brother, Travis. He is at rest now, and we are thankful  for the few years God shared him with us. He fought the good fight up to the very end. We love him and will miss him," said family member Vernell West.    USA Wrestling offers condolences to the West family and his many friends for the tragic death of this great person. More information on arrangements will be posted when available.