COLORADO SPRINGS — It was here on this same park bench, three summers ago, when the little guy with all the gall talked big.
Wrestler Henry Cejudo explained that day that “the main goal is that yellow-butter medal — and it’s on the podium, waiting for somebody to take it. I plan on doing so.”
And here sat Cejudo a few days ago, that yellow-butter medal next to him on the bench, speaking with the same gall about the same goal — gold. Cejudo is back here at the Olympic Training Center, where he thought he might not ever return after reaching his life’s dream in the Beijing Olympics.
“I didn’t have a life — I lived a life of a caveman,” said Cejudo, who sacrificed formative years to train for Beijing, where he won a freestyle wrestling gold at age 21. “People can’t imagine what it takes to do it every single day. I want to live life. I got my gold medal and I said, ‘You know what, I’m done.’ “
Now he wants to climb the mountain again, with the London Olympics just a year away. Having missed key training time the past three years, Cejudo is back at the bottom, eyes fixated on the summit.
“I got to bear-crawl up that mountain if I have to,” he said. “There could be a thunderstorm, mudslide, brush fire — but I have to find a way to get up top. No excuses.”
Cejudo expects to return to wrestling competition in the coming months, grappling with fellow American Nick Simmons for the lone spot on the U.S. squad for the 55-kg weight class. For Cejudo, 24, his quest will be as much mental as it is physical.
Knowing that, he sought advice from a fellow prodigy, Momir Petkovic, who won Greco-Roman wrestling gold for Yugoslavia at age 23, back in 1976. He returned to the Olympiad eight years later, finishing fourth.
“Wrestle like you’ve never won anything,” Petkovic told Cejudo. “Wrestle like you don’t have to defend anything. Just wrestle.”
And so, Cejudo said he’s not trying to defend his gold medal.
“I have to train like I’m second place and find a way to be first,” he said. “I am the underdog.”
Living the American dream
The underdog has his own line of athletic shoes.
The underdog will be featured on Coke cans.
The underdog is sponsored by BMW and Proctor and Gamble, has co-written his autobiography, has thrown out the first pitch at three major-league games and has met two U.S. presidents.
Yes, before returning to the underdog role, Cejudo did more than a little celebrating, basking in the glow of the gold.
“It’s crazy in America — if I would have brought home a silver, I would have just been a regular brown kid just walking around,” said the American-born Cejudo, who was raised in a tough area of Phoenix by his mother, who came to this country illegally from Mexico. “It’s completely changed my life. I’m still the same Henry, still the same guy, but man, it’s come with perks.
“People don’t understand, I was out at the OTC when I was 16. I came to Colorado Springs with literally two dollars in my pocket. My friend drove me up. I had no money, no car, had to borrow a 10-speed bike to get to school, riding it in the snow. I had no idea what the other side of the world was like. I lived in the ghetto, I guess you can say, my whole life. And that’s all I knew — that and wrestling.”
As he fulfilled his American dreams, he realized that he, himself, is the American dream. He derives a sense of purpose and responsibility from being a U.S. Olympic champion, almost like it’s a duty. He basks in patriotism.
“Whenever I do have my first kid — I have a feeling it’s going to be a girl — I want to name her America,” Cejudo said.
For young Henry, experiencing one of the great moments in Olympic history led him, ultimately, to experience one of the great moments in recent Olympic history. Cejudo was 9 when he watched Michael Johnson flash across the television screen in golden shoes, en route to the 1996 gold in the 200 and 400 meters.
“The man,” Cejudo said, “changed my life. I always thought that being an American meant that you’re white. My mother always told us we were Americans and told us about opportunity. And ever since I saw Michael Johnson, I said — ‘Man, I want to go to the Olympics someday.’ And then seeing this guy on the podium, crying and hearing the national anthem. It’s like, holy (expletive) — what does it feel like to be the best in the world? What does it feel like? That’s where the dream began.”
Cejudo’s mother, Nelly Rico, wasn’t there in Beijing when her son became the youngest American wrestler to win Olympic gold. She couldn’t leave the country, Cejudo explained, because at the time she wasn’t a U.S. citizen.
But on June 24 in Phoenix, she was naturalized as an American citizen. Cejudo wasn’t there that day, but his brother called and said, “Dude, it was just as good as seeing your gold medal match.”
Pressure good and bad
Fittingly, it came to Cejudo in a dream.
In January, Cejudo was talking one day with Bill McFarlane, his mentor and agent, about returning to the mat after 2 1/2 years away. Cejudo dreamed that night he was in London, winning the 2012 gold.
“I’ll never forget it — I felt the same feeling of joy, like you’re almost in this other world,” he said of the dream. “It’s like the warmest feeling you’ve ever felt. … I’ve been training ever since.”
Also at the OTC is a fellow wrestling legend, making a comeback of his own. Rulon Gardner, who famously won gold in 2000, is living the same existence as Cejudo — returning to a wrestling room full of aspiring Olympians.
“It’s enjoyable to feel the pressure — but it’s also pressure,” said Gardner, who retired in 2004. “You think, ‘I beat your (expletive) seven years ago, I can still beat it.’ You want to have that chip on your shoulder, even though that chip on your shoulder can get you hurt, especially against someone who’s (successful) nowadays. Ego can either help you or hurt you.”
Cejudo understands that this Olympic journey will be different than the previous one. He was away from the sport for 32 months. And he knows he can say all the right things, but if he doesn’t train with the fire he had before Beijing, then 2012 won’t happen.
“I know I haven’t hit my peak — and I won’t hit my peak until the Olympics,” he explained. “I’m still a work in progress.
“You ask yourself why you do it. But to me, it’s more important than just a gold medal. You’re representing yourself, your family, your friends and more importantly, your country.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Ten to watch
Olympic writer John Meyer looks at 10 American athletes to watch in the run-up to the 2012 London Games.
Swimmer Missy Franklin
Regis Jesuit junior-to-be was USA Swimming’s breakout performer in 2010. Can she medal at the Olympics before graduating from high school?
Weightlifter Katie Uhlaender
Two-time Winter Olympian in skeleton from Breckenridge has always spent a lot of time in the weight room and wants to become a Summer Olympian — without abandoning skeleton.
Hurdler David Oliver
The former Denver East athlete was not content with the bronze medal he claimed at the 2008 Beijing Games. He wants gold, and he wants a world record.
Sprinter Allyson Felix
A three-time outdoor world champion in the 200 meters, she has settled for two silver medals at the Olympics and wants that elusive gold.
Gymnast Shawn Johnson
After winning “Dancing with the Stars” in 2009, Johnson is back seeking the one big goal that has eluded her — an Olympic gold medal in women’s all- around.
Swimmer Michael Phelps
Will he challenge Aaron Peirsol or Ryan Lochte in the backstroke? Will he attempt to take back his world record in the 200-meter free?
Cyclist Taylor Phinney
Boulder’s son of legendary Olympic gold medalist Connie Carpenter and Davis Phinney is aiming for his own Olympic podium.
Gymnast Sasha Artemev
Can he overcome the results of a back injury sustained in a 2009 automobile accident and be a key member of the U.S. men’s team, as he was four years ago in Beijing?
Sprinter Justin Gatlin
Won gold in 100 meters at the 2004 Olympics and 2005 world championships but missed Beijing in 2008 because of a four-year doping ban. Can he redeem himself and challenge Usain Bolt?
Women’s soccer
This team is sure to use this month’s heartbreaking loss in the World Cup final for motivation to prevail in the birthplace of the game.
