The legend grows as Gardner's size shrinks

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Feb 8, 2004 | by MERI-JO BORZILLERI THE GAZETTE

Rulon Gardner won his first two matches at the Dave Schultz Memorial wrestling tournament with ease Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

In four eventful years since winning gold at the 2000 Olympic Games and nearly losing his life in a snowmobile mishap in 2002, Gardner's legend has grown.

Gardner, however, has shrunk. From the husky farm boy who turned an unlikely cartwheel upon upsetting Russian legend Alexander Kareline in the 286-pound heavyweight class, Gardner now wrestles at 264.5.

The last time he weighed what he does now?

"Junior year in high school," Gardner said following his second match.

The Schultz tournament continues today with semifinals and finals.

The fact Gardner is slimmer has nothing to do with his snowmobile trauma, where he lost a toe to frostbite. Or Atkins or South Beach, for that matter.

The weight loss comes courtesy of wrestling's international federation, which trimmed weight classes to abide by International Olympic Committee wishes to diversify and rein in a Games that has gone super-sized. After Sydney, Gardner's heavyweight class was axed.

Losing weight is nothing new to wrestling. It's part of the sport's culture. It took the 1997 deaths of three collegiate wrestlers, each sweating off pounds, for the NCAA and high schools to adopt strict rules regarding weight loss in wrestlers. Those rules don't exist at the Olympic level, the reasoning being wrestlers' bodies have matured.

This year, like never before, wrestlers are jockeying to cram bodies into fewer weight categories in order to make the 2004 Olympics in Athens on Aug. 13-29.

Men's freestyle and Greco-Roman (above the waist) wrestling have two fewer weight divisions than in 2000. Freestyle women wrestlers, making their Olympic debut, have four classes.

Kristie Marano, who wrestles today in the Schultz semifinals, was the 2003 world champion at 147.5. That would make her a favorite for an Olympic gold medal. But the Olympics has only 158.5, 138.5, 121 and 105.5 categories. Like Gardner, Marano had a decision to make: sit or cut weight. Going up was ruled out because she has trouble gaining that much weight.

Doctors and nutritionists preach it's safer to lose weight gradually. But wrestlers often ignore that advice, crash-dieting and sweating to drop large amounts of weight a day or two before competitions.

"You're definitely wiped out, but I've been doing it so long I'm used to it," said Keith Sieracki, who advanced to today's semifinals at 185 pounds.

A wrestler need only be the required weight at weigh-in. Immediately after, many will gorge themselves on water, eat heavy meals or even get intravenous fluid to weigh as much as possible to compete the next day.

"I'll only weigh 167 for one hour or for 30 minutes," said T.C. Dantzler, the nation's top 163-pounder. "By the time I wrestle the next day, I'll weigh 180."

The yo-yoing is an accepted practice at the international level. It's also worrisome to observers.

"It's unhealthy," said USOC nutrition coordinator Judy Nelson, who tries to convince wrestlers to train at a lower weight and educates athletes on proper diet.

At this level, getting slim fast is as much a part of wrestling as the warmup.

Typically, wrestlers lose 7-15 pounds a day or two before weigh- in. On Thursday, Dantzler had to lose about 16 pounds for Friday's 6 p.m. Schultz weigh-in.

"It's all worth it when you get your hands raised at the tournament," he said.

Gardner, the 2001 world champion, is making the most of it. Despite his weight loss, Gardner says he's stronger. Just last week, Gardner squatlifted 505 pounds, a personal best.

Will this mean repeat gold in Athens for Gardner? Time will tell. One thing's for certain -- it'll be easier turning a cartwheel.