- Title: Olympics-Rio inspiration may turn wrestling Gray to Gold
- Date: 20th May 2016
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MAY 19, 2016) (REUTERS) U.S. WOMEN'S WRESTLER ADELINE GRAY WALKING ONTO MAT TO MEET OPPONENT CROWD GRAY (IN BLUE) WRESTLING
- Embargoed: 4th June 2016 19:29
- Keywords: wrestling Olympics Adeline Gray sport Zika USA Rio
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Sport,Wrestling
- Reuters ID: LVA0014IM69MN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. women's wrestling needs a leading lady to inspire young girls to embrace the sport, says three-time world champion Adeline Gray, who intends to play that role at the Rio Olympics.
During an appearance in New York City, Gray was one of many Rio-bound Americans who wrestled in Times Square on Thursday (May 19). Wrestlers from the U.S., Canada, Iran and South Korea showed off their skills in hopes of drawing new fans to the sport. The event was also a fundraiser to benefit city-area youth athletes. Gray won two matches against Canadian opponents.
Gray missed making the U.S. team for the 2012 London Games, but in the past few years she's been on a winning streak and now she sees herself becoming the first American woman ever to claim Olympic wrestling gold.
"I think it's very important for the United States to come home with a gold medal this year. We don't have an Olympic gold medalist for Team USA for women's freestyle wrestling and we need that," the 25-year-old Gray told Reuters.
The heavyweight (75kg/165 pounds) from Colorado plans to take care of that milestone herself.
"It's something I've dreamt about for a very long time," she said on a New York Athletic Club rooftop terrace overlooking leafy Central Park.
"But there is a bigger picture to it - the idea that young girls need those role models, and they need that opportunity to dream about somebody special.
"And dream about someone who's life is going really well and that's going to be me, standing on top of that podium getting to live this fabulous life that wrestling has presented to me."
Gray, who won world titles in 2012, 2014 and 2015, is also on a high off the mat, having just earned a business degree from DeVry University through a program with Team USA that enables athletes to balance training demands with their studies.
The 5-foot-10 (1.78 m) Gray, who wrestles in pig tails, was introduced to wrestling as a hyperactive six-year-old by her father, a Denver police officer.
Now the effervescent Rocky Mountain woman has the chance to be one of the U.S. stars at the Rio Games and inspire young girls to take up the sport.
"Girls just need to know this is an option, this is a sport that they can get into," enthused Gray. "That you can be strong and beautiful and powerful and have your femininity still be a part of you.
"I just want to make sure young girls don't brush of this sport because it looks hard or dirty. It's an awesome sport, it's a beautiful sport. It teaches you so much about yourself...it just transfers to life so easily."
Wrestling and training, of course, are hard work.
Gray, who has a current 37-match winning streak, typically puts in a pair of two-hour workouts on the mat each day, plus weight work in the gym and cardio workouts thrown in.
She has also had T-shirts made up that say "Gray to Gold" and longs to have a wrestling shoe marketed with her name.
Gray said she was unconcerned about health scares in Rio.
"I trust the Olympic Committee and USA Wrestling is going to do everything they can to keep us safe."
As for after the Olympics, Gray said, "We'll sit down and kind of have a debriefing of what I need to do with my future." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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