Women's freestyle Olympic Games Session 3 quotes
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John Fuller (USA Wrestling)
08/23/2004
48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Patricia Miranda, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC) Did you wrestle any different in this match? "I didn't really feel any fear out there. I gave up four points early and probably overcompensated after that. My basic nature is to go a little bit harder." Are you still happy to have a chance to win a medal? "It's definitely a consolation prize that I get to say 'Americans bounce back.' I came here to win a gold and I didn't accomplish that goal. Now I need to work past this loss and get ready for the bronze-medal match." 55 kg/121 lbs. - Tela O'Donnell, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC) Did you enjoy your Olympic experience? "Of course. The experience is wonderful. Personally, I would like to do better. I didn't wrestle the best that I feel I can wrestle." What do you need to improve? "There's a lot of holes that I see in my own wrestling. I need to tighten up. Other girls are getting in on my legs a lot." 63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Sara McMann, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) How did it feel to get such a quick pin? "It feels really good. I expected a hard-fought, six-minute match. She's really strong. She keeps a really square stance so her weight is on her heels." What did you change from last night to today? "I was real disappointed in yesterday's match. Coming back from a loss, I was lucky to get a second chance. You want to retain yourself. You have a lot more fire coming off a loss." 72 kg/158.5 lbs. - Toccara Montgomery, Cleveland, Ohio (New York AC) Did you enjoy your Olympic experience? "It was a terrible experience. I didn't like any part of it from day one. We didn't stay in the (Olympic) village, so I didn't get to experience that. It was hot out, which made cutting weight very hard." Olympic Coach Terry Steiner What are your thoughts on Patricia's match? "Merleni is a dominant wrestler, she was last year too. They both were. I think they're both better but today wasn't the day. Merleni got out quick with points, and in a match like that, it's hard to come back from. Right from the start when we got down like that, I thought it was going to be hard. We weren't getting out of the ties like we usually do." Will Patricia be satisfied with a bronze? "She still has a chance at a bronze medal. She may not like it right now, but I guarantee 10 years from now she'll cherish it. We seemed to be mentally ready but we did start slow. That's something probably we need to work on as a national team. Patricia went out there knowing what she had to do, our game plan was to get out and push the pace early, we just didn't control our ties. Merleni had her tie and she went with it, that was the difference I think. She'll hurt, she wanted the gold, but she'll bounce back. Bronze is still a medal."