To hell with a high-school state championship. Ellis Coleman is going
The New York Athletic Club’s flying squirrel was never able to pin
It wasn’t surprising that Coleman reached Sunday night’s finals
He said wrestling wasn’t fun and games anymore after his semifinal
"I watched Henry Cejudo win four years ago [in Beijing]," he said as
A quick turnaround
Coleman became famous for his flying squirrel toss
Coleman continued to wrestle at 66 kilograms as the year progressed.
"I kicked off with a burst and was beating everybody," he said. "As
Coleman has yet to lose to anybody from America since making the drop,
"I was a small 66," he said. "I got better from wrestling 66. And now,
The weight-cutting was a challenge in itself — he dropped six
And the toughest competition was more familiar than most people might think.
Facing an old hero
Joe Betterman had been the top dog in the 60-kilo U.S. Greco-Roman
But Betterman also made time for clinics and camps where he helped
Coleman was an attendee at several of these camps.
"He used to coach me a bit, so it was kind of odd," Coleman said. "I
Coleman didn’t need a flying squirrel to win; he
The second match saw more fireworks but the same result, with Coleman
The third period saw the same result of the first match: Coleman
But the charismatic Coleman showed nothing but respect for his former coach.
"I love Joe to death," he said. "He’s really tough."
Greco over Freestyle
Coleman was a nationally-feared wrestler when he grappled for Oak
But he saw much more potential in Greco-Roman than in the other
"I never gave Freestyle a chance," he said. "It was always one or the
Coleman found quick success in Greco-Roman, winning national
All the while, Coleman was being pushed by his coaches to continue to
"They kept pushing me and saying, ‘You’re the guy,’ " he said with a
U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling head coach Steve Fraser was one of the
"He’s not afraid of anything," Fraser said. "It didn’t take a lot of
A new nickname
Almost everybody in Carver-Hawkeye Arena anticipated one thing from
He didn’t use it. He said he only uses the move when he’s losing, and
But his presence was the spark to over 13,000 cheering fans, who
"I heard it, yeah, and it was pumping me up," he said. "It was like
Returning 2008 55-kilo Olympian Spenser Mango was with Coleman in
Mango remembered sitting in Kissimmee, Fla., with Coleman, talking
"Last month, [we] were happy that we qualified the weight," Mango said
Coleman agreed, and smiled at his new name. He’s no longer the ‘Flying
He’s an Olympian.
"It’s awesome," he said. "I love that move, but I love that I have
