Women's freestyle wrestlers begin journey towards Olympic dreams with first workout in Athens
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John Fuller (TheMat.com)
08/10/2004
Click Here For Photos Athens, Greece - The 2004 U.S. Women's Freestyle Wrestling Team held its first workout in Athens at the American College of Greece (ACG) on Tuesday afternoon. The workout was significant as this team will represent the United States in the only new Olympic sporting event this year. The women did some light drilling followed by live go's in the workout, giving them their first taste of the heat and humidity on a sticky day in Athens. The first women's practice was closed to media to help give them a feel for the Olympics and their surroundings at the ACG. The team arrived into Athens on Monday evening, and after some much needed rest, went through team processing on Tuesday morning, receiving their Olympic apparel and being briefed on the Olympic Games. All the women were healthy for their first workout, and overall, very excited. Serving as training partners are Katie Kunimoto and Stephanie Murata for Patricia Miranda, Marcie VanDusen for Tela O'Donnell, Levi Weikel-Magden for Sara McMann and Kristie Marano for Toccara Montgomery. According to Olympic Coach Terry Steiner, the acclimation process for the women in Athens will take some time. "We want to do some hard stuff early and get the traveling out of their systems, and help them get used to the heat here in Athens," Steiner said. "It will take some time, but this is why we are over here early." The women's freestyle team will reside at the Park Hotel, near the ACG, until a couple of days before weigh-ins, when they will then move into the Olympic Village. Competition for the women begins on August 22 and ends on August 23.