|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Surrogate mum's words from beyond the grave inspire Canada's Igali to gold
SYDNEY, Oct 1 (AFP) - Nigeria-born Canadian Daniel Igali, one of 21 children who slept three to a bed and ate four to a plate during a spartan upbringing, completed an amazing journey from poverty to Olympic gold on Sunday. Igali, the reigning world champion, beat Arsen Gitinov of Russia to win the 69kg freestyle title. After the 7-4 triumph Igali placed the Canadian flag on the mat and did a lap of honour around it. "I did that to show that I am a full Canadian now," said Igali, who sought refugee status in Canada after competing for Nigeria at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria. "Canada is my country now and that is who brought me to this (Olympic) level. What I have done in Sydney is for Canada." Igali dedicated the win to his surrogate mother, Canadian Maureen Methney, who died of cancer just days after he won the 1999 world title. "I had a nap this afternoon and I dreamt of her. She told me that she 'was proud of me'. I woke up more determined to win gold. We had made plans about coming to the Sydney Olympics and I am very positive that she was here in spirit," said the 26-year-old Igali of the woman who inspired his athletic ambitions. "It feels awesome to have won - it has been what I wanted to do for years." Igali said that the rough times he experienced in Nigeria living in a house with a family of 26 - his father had four wives - had helped him contend with the pressures of competing at the Olympics. "I have been through very rough times and, yes, that background helps when you are out there fighting for gold. I had problems surviving from a young age - we slept three to a bed and ate four to a plate," said Igali, who reflected that on some days he shared a single egg with three siblings. Igali chose wrestling over soccer because it was "very inexpensive." "I just needed shorts and a piece of grass or sand to wrestle in," he said. Since switching his allegiance to Canada, Igali has become a national hero. He was Canadian Athlete of the Year last year and his image appears on a best-selling breakfast cereal box. "I hope I have lifted spirits back home," said Igali, referring to Canada's relatively poor showing in the Olympics. Iranian fans went wild with delight at the victory in the 58kg class of Alireza Dabir. The 1998 world champion controlled the gold medal match against Ukraine's Yevgen Buslovych and took the title 3-0. The tiny Dabir had more trouble with a couple of celebrating spectators than Buslovych. After his win, one fan put him into a bear hug and then another lifted him over his shoulder and took him on an airborne lap of honour. "I am very happy. I have had many injuries and surgery recently. Also I have a cold which I caught here in Australia," said Dabir. "God helped me today." Russia's Adam Saitiev, whose brother Bouvaissa failed to retain his Olympic title in the 76kg category, carried on the family tradition with a decisive win over surprise finalist Yoel Romero of Cuba in the 85kg division. Saitiev and his brother were born in Chechynya but left their home town because of the war which was raging around them. David Moussoulbes won Russia's second gold of the evening, and fourth overall in the freestyle competiton, with a 5-2 win over the promising Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan in the superheavyweight class. The United States camp, on a high and predicting gold earlier in the week, crashed and burned with the defeat of two time world champion Terry Brands in a controvesial 58kg semi-final. Brands, whose twin brother Tom was one of three American freestyle gold medallists in Atlanta, protested his 6-4 loss to Dabir but the judges upheld the result. Two other American competitors, Sam Henson and Brandon Slay, were beaten in their gold medal matches on Saturday.
|
