Men's freestyle Olympic Games session 3 quotes

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John Fuller (USA Wrestling)
08/28/2004


55 kg/121 lbs. - Stephen Abas, Fresno, Calif. (Sunkist Kids)  What was your game plan going into this match?  "I knew he was real strong with the two-on-one on my left side, so I made sure and just didn't give him my arm. He got it a couple of times and I just kind of yanked it out. I knew if he got me in that position, he would have a good chance to score."    Did any momentum carry over from yesterday?  "I came with pretty good wins yesterday, and I just had to come in and keep the ball rolling."    Are you satisfied with where you are in this Olympics?  "I haven't had a medal yet at this level. Just to get this far is a great accomplishment for me. I've made it this far. I'm not going to stop now. I'm going to try to get that gold tonight."    Did your tough pool draw help you to gain momentum in this tournament?  "Drawing the Cuban in my pool, I knew it was going to be a tough go. Coming back from a deficit like that definitely gave me a positive outlook on my matches to come."      66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Jamill Kelly, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)  How big of a win is this for you?  "He was probably the biggest obstacle at my weight. He has lost on the international scene as far as I've known. He beat me in Krasnoyarsk (Russia) in early January and he's rolled through everybody else. From the first couple minutes of the match, I felt just as strong as him and I felt quick on my feet where he wasn't coming close to scoring. He figured out that he wasn't scoring on top. That was his whole offense, was to score on top."    What were your thoughts on the end scoring flurry?  "Once you see the replay, if you're freestyle knowledgeable, it doesn't seem like there's any question. We were near the out of bounds and he was just going to hold on. It didn't look like he was going to try to score. I felt like it was there and I went for it. Luckily I was able to go all the way through. It was one of those little sixth-grade moves that you work a lot, but sometimes those work with the best of them."      84 kg/185 lbs. - Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)  Did you get strong as the match wore on?  "I started working a little harder for the shot. Early on, I didn't want to shoot when he was real strong. That's where he's real hard to beat - if you shoot into his defense. So I wanted to wait a little bit before I hit a couple of shots."    What did Romero do well in this match?  "The whole time he was controlling me with the underhook. He wrestled real well, real smart. He made it tough."      96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)  Were there any nerves for you in your first match?  "This is the Olympic Games. It was a tough match. The guy was a pretty strong guy. He held some decent position. It felt good to get out and get some points on the board and get the victory."    What do you have to do tonight to advance to the semifinals?  "I just have to come out tonight and wrestle harder - harder than I did just now, because that's not going to get it done. This was the first match. I've been training for a long time. To finally get on the mat was a little bit different. I'll be better tonight."