Henry Cejudo celebrates his Olympic victory in 2008. Larry Slater photo.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Olympic wrestling champion Henry Cejudo has competed just once since his historic win at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

But Cejudo, who has been training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, said Tuesday he’s fully committed to making another run at Olympic gold in 2012.

Cejudo appeared on a U.S. Olympic Committee teleconference on Tuesday, along with Olympic track and field bronze medalist David Oliver and two-time Olympic fencing champion Mariel Zagunis.

The teleconference was held to recognize the one-year countdown to the Olympics, which start July 27, 2012 in London, England.

“It’s definitely exciting that the Olympics are 365 days away,” Cejudo said. “For us athletes, it’s not every four years. It’s every hour, it’s every minute, it’s every second, that we continue to work toward that specific day. It’s scary, it’s exciting. It’s an emotional roller coaster to defend your title. For me, I had a three-year layoff. I’m back now. I competed recently in New York. I’m working hard. My complete focus is on the Olympics. Day in and day out, I’m in the wrestling room training.”

Cejudo, 24, said he is scheduled to appear on NBC’s Today Show on Wednesday in New York City to promote the Olympics being exactly one year away.

Cejudo earned a win over Russia’s Rasul Mashezov at 55 kg/121 lbs. in the Beat the Streets Dual on May 5 in New York City. He was slowed recently by an ankle injury during training in Colorado Springs.

Cejudo said he has two main reasons for returning to the mat.

“My story is unique,” he said. “One reason I’m returning is because my mother (Nelly Rico) couldn’t attend the 2008 Olympics. My mother wasn’t a U.S. citizen at that time, she was a resident. She just got her U.S. citizenship two weeks ago and now she can travel overseas to watch me wrestle. I want her to be able to see her son win a gold medal. The second reason is I’m young, hungry, strong and injury-free. I’m excited for London.”

Cejudo was asked to recall how he felt in 2007 when the last Olympic Games were just a year away. He lost in the first round of the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“In 2007, I was feeling a lot of stress,” he said. “I wrestled poorly at the World Championships and I still had to qualify my weight class for the Olympics. It was a big burden just trying to qualify the weight class. Hopefully, I don’t have to go through the same drama.”

Nick Simmons will receive the first crack at qualifying the weight class of 55 kg/121 lbs. for the Olympics. Simmons will compete for the U.S. at September’s World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. The top six finishers in each weight class at the Worlds qualify their countries for the Olympic Games. There will be three additional Olympic qualifiers following the 2011 Worlds.

Once the weight is qualified, the winner of April’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City will compete in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Cejudo qualified his weight for the U.S. for the 2008 Olympics after winning a Pan American qualifier in Colorado Springs in early 2008. Cejudo then beat 2004 Olympic silver medalist Stephen Abas in the finals of the 2008 Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas.

Cejudo was asked what his plans were after the 2012 Olympics.

“I have an opportunity to compete in mixed martial arts,” said Cejudo, who also answered a handful of questions in Spanish during the teleconference. “I’ve done some boxing. We will see what happens there. I know I want to finish school and get my degree in business administration.”