Combining Dedication with Heart

By: Mike Chapman

Originally Published in: Wrestling Tough

Provided by: Human Kinetics

The same can be said of Cael Sanderson's march to an Olympic gold medal in 2004 in Athens. Few wrestlers have ever faced more pressure than the sensational Iowa State star did. After going 159-0 in college, collecting four NCAA titles, and winning the Dan Hodge Trophy three times, some expected Cael to win every freestyle event he entered.

But that would not happen, of course. Nearly every college star must go through a learning curve in freestyle, except for John Smith, who won his first world championship while still in college. After his college career was over, Sanderson lost eight matches in freestyle competition. He took third in the 2003 Pan American Games and second in the 2003 world championships. He finished second in a tournament in Russia and was beaten in the 2004 U.S. nationals by Lee Fullhart. Sanderson then lost a match to Fullhart at the trials, although Sanderson won two out of three to make the Olympic team.

His showdown in Indianapolis with Fullhart for the 185-pound spot on the American team was a true test of the heart of both men, and both passed with flying colors. Fullhart, NCAA champion for Iowa in 1997 and a four-time All-American, had defeated Sanderson in the freestyle nationals, and Sanderson had to come up through the mini trials. In the finals, he edged Fullhart 3-1 in the first match and then lost in overtime, 2-2 criteria. With the suspense building in the arena, the two warriors retreated to their sanctuaries to prepare for the biggest match of their lives. There, with everything on the line for Sanderson, including his place in wrestling history, he scored a 4-1 triumph.

The faces of both men bore evidence of their commitment. Sanderson's right ear sported a nasty gash. Blood streaked across his face and neck as sweat poured off his forehead. Fullhart had a gash over his right eye and on his ear, and his head was wrapped in a large white strip for the final match.

"He's real physical," said Sanderson after the showdown with his longtime rival. "It's more of a fight than wrestling match against him." But the ex-Cyclone was pleased to be an Olympian at last.

"That last match wasn't real pretty, but it doesn't need to be," said Sanderson. "I was just trying to get on that team. It's crazy to make an Olympic team because you dream about it for years and years, but it seems so far away. It is strange to finally make it after thinking about it for 20 years. But it's pretty neat."

Talk in the wrestling world was that Sanderson might have lost his competitive fire after his incredible final season of college wrestling and all the hoopla that followed. The emotionally draining experience had not let up for three years. He admitted that was the case and said that his loss to Fullhart in the freestyle nationals helped get him motivated once more. "I've gotten a lot more excited about wrestling again," Sanderson said. "I wrestled poorly in the match at nationals."

Heart played a huge role in his matches to make the Olympics and win the gold medal two months later on the other side of the world. After a 9-1 victory in the first round of the Athens Games, Sanderson had a close 4-2 match and then had to rally from behind and go into overtime to defeat the Iranian wrestler, 6-5. Facing Yoel Romero of Cuba, who owned a 2-0 record against the American star, Sanderson posted a crucial 3-2 win, putting him in the finals against Korea's Moon Eui-Je. There, Sanderson earned his gold medal with a 3-1 triumph.

"You can say all you want about talent, but the reason Cael Sanderson is an Olympic champion is he has the heart of a champion," said Bobby Douglas after Sanderson won his final match in Athens.

Douglas had witnessed that display of Sanderson's heart for five years as his head coach at Iowa State and as his Olympic coach. He has seen the young man from Utah arrive as a freshman and win 159 consecutive matches, most of
them with skill but sometimes with just plain grit and heart. He saw him face up to the steadily mounting pressure as the national media zeroed in, and he saw him
sit and sign autographs for hours on end. Sometimes, Sanderson was still in an arena three hours after his match, signing for kids. "He never stopped until every single fan had an autograph," said Douglas.

A week after winning his fourth NCAA title, Sanderson agreed to forego a planned fishing trip to participate in the Dan Gable Classic in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The meet was being called Spirit of the Heartland to honor America's fighting spirit some six months after 9/11. Among those being honored was Lieutenant Colonel Steve Banach, one of the famous Banach brothers, who had served with a Ranger unit in Afghanistan searching for Osama bin Laden.

After the meet, Sanderson and his fiancée, Kelly, stayed for three hours, signing autographs. They sat in the outer lobby as a cleanup crew worked in the main arena. The other wrestlers and officials had long since gone to a banquet. When a remaining meet official suggested that Sanderson could cut the line off and escape, Sanderson politely declined. "I'll stay until they all get an autograph," he said with a faint smile.

Douglas had said several years earlier as Sanderson was in the midst of his incredible string, "He's special, that's all there is to it. We knew he was going to be good coming out of high school, but we didn't know he was going to be this good. A lot of it has to do with his upbringing at home and his heart."