August 20, 2008
BEIJING -- Henry Cejudo called it the American dream.The son of undocumented Mexican immigrants who had to work two jobs to keep food on the table, Cejudo gave the U.S. its first Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling in Beijing Tuesday with a stunning win over Japan's Tomohiro Matsunaga in the 55-kilogram (121 pounds) final.
joyful Cejudo, 21, broke into tears on the mat at the end of the match, then took a victory lap around the China Agricultural University Gymnasium."This is what I always wanted," he said. "The frustration was let out. The hard work and everything."I set my goal, I trained hard. I had a good staff around me. I just put the pieces together and I really believed in myself."Cejudo, who had to come from behind simply to win the U.S. Olympic trials, also trailed in all three of his preliminary matches here, but he never trailed in the final.
Although he and Matsunaga were tied, 2-2, after the first period, Cejudo was declared the winner because he had the highest-scoring move, a two-point takedown. Cejudo then jumped to a 3-0 lead early in the second period to clinch the match."This is cool. Coming out of a Mexican American background, it feels good to represent the U.S.," said Cejudo, who was born in Los Angeles. "Not too many Mexicans get the chance to do that."Cejudo's parents divorced when he was 4 and he saw his father, Jorge, only one more time before he died in Mexico City. But his mother, Nelly Rico, raised a family of six children on her own, bouncing from low-paying jobs in California to New Mexico and Arizona, where the family sometimes slept four to a bed.A large group of family and friends -- including sister Gloria, brother Alonzo and brother Angel, his training partner in Beijing -- were in the stands for the match. And they made so much noise they were nearly ejected at one point.
Missing, however, was Cejudo's mother, the person he has repeatedly said was most responsible for his success."We always moved forward. We always moved forward. My mom always taught us to suck it up and whatever you want to do, you can do," Cejudo said. "And that's what I did."There were conflicting stories as to why his mother remained in Colorado. According to one explanation she had passport problems. Cejudo said she stayed home to take care of her grandchildren.But Gloria said her mother, who had a ticket, didn't come because she was too nervous to watch her son compete in the Olympic Games."At the Olympic trials in Las Vegas, she couldn't take it," said Gloria, who added that her mother, despite being half a world away, spent much of the last day vomiting because of nerves.But she was there in spirit, with her son putting her life's lessons to good use."
He has done an unbelievable job coming from the environment that he came from," his coach, Terry Brands, said. "Could be in prison. Could be a drug runner. Could be this, could be that. He's done an unbelievable job of not being a victim."He is the American dream. Gold medals are the American dream."And Cejudo had one around his neck Tuesday. But he was also wearing an American flag. And he wouldn't let on which he liked better."I don't want to let it go," he finally said, tugging on the flag. "I might sleep with this."
Olympic Wrestling Champ Henry Cejudo Embodies The American Dream
By Henry Cejudo's count, they moved at least 50 times. Sometimes they moved across state lines: California, New Mexico, Arizona. Sometimes they moved downstairs in the same apartment building.Sometimes Henry's mom and his six siblings didn't even bother unpacking their bags.Yet no matter where they were at the moment, no matter how many places they lived, Nelly Rico's message didn't change."My mom would always say, 'Whatever you want to do, you can do. You want to be an astronaut? You can be an astronaut. You want to be a doctor? You can be a doctor.'"
With tears streaming down his face following his victory Tuesday over Japan's Tomohiro Matsunaga in the 121-pound freestyle wrestling final, Cejudo, Olympic gold medalist and U.S. citizen, said softly, "This is what I always wanted."The 21-year-old son of illegal immigrants from Mexico pinched himself as he stood on the podium and the U.S. flag was raised during the national anthem. He had dreamed about this so many nights, he wanted to make sure the moment was real."I am living the American dream right now," Cejudo said.
And then he went to call his mom in Colorado Springs."We did it!" Henry yelled into the phone.Nelly was so happy, so proud, she nearly did a back flip.The woman who the 5-foot-4 Cejudo says is most responsible for his Olympic glory, the one who calls him "Shorty" and "Smurfy," did not make the trip to China. Henry said she remained behind to care for her half-dozen nieces and nephews just as she once had cared for her own by working two jobs, cleaning toilets, doing factory work, carpentry, you name it. Minutes later, Henry's older brother Alonzo let us in on a little secret. Nelly, 47, gets so nervous when her son wrestles she can't help vomiting. This day would have overwhelmed her.
"I called during the match," Alonzo said. "She was in the restroom."
The Cejudo party of nine made so much noise during the match that security at China Agricultural University Gymnasium threatened to eject them."They came over about 20 times," said Angel Cejudo, also a freestyle wrestler and resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.Later at a press conference in the Main Press Center, Angel, 16 months older, sat next to his brother. He was the one who first had wrestling success. He ran off a 150-0 record in high school in Arizona. Henry followed him into the sport and then followed him to Colorado.
How close are they? They never slept apart until moving to the training center."I just wish there were two medals," Henry said.The Cujedos are close, and we don't mean that only in a metaphorical sense. All four boys used to sleep in one bunk bed."Two by four," Alonzo joked.
Nelly was doing all she could.
At age 14, she had taken the bus with her cousins from Mexico City to Tijuana. They found "coyotes," human smugglers who got them across the border. Nelly went to L.A. to visit relatives. She stayed in America. She did not stay with the father of her children. Jorge Cujedos, aka Favia Roco and Emiliano Zaragosa, drifted in and out of California prisons.
Just before his release in 1991, Nelly had had enough.
She took the children to Las Cruces to get away from him. "Jesus is your father," Nelly would tell the kids."
My mom is the nicest person in the world," Alonzo said. "She used to loan out food stamps. People didn't have anything to eat. We didn't have anything to eat.
She's strong, too. She'd beat us into church. One time she dragged me in without a T-shirt. We always had the God factor in our lives. That's what helped her stay sane. She said if it wasn't for God, she would have killed us."
Henry said the family calls her "The Terminator.""She's just a tough lady," he said. "It's always about going forward with her. She's been a father and a mother. She's a superwoman. I never knew what it is to have a father."
What Henry did have was a dream. The drunks in Phoenix used to give him Mexican ice cream to fight other kids for their entertainment. He said he began wrestling in junior high as a way to fight for medals and trophies. The more success he had, the more obsessed he became. He became a four-time state champ (twice in Arizona, twice in Colorado). He became the first high schooler to win the U.S nationals.
Cejudo also was so focused he admits he didn't have friends in high school. The washout rate at the U.S. Training Center can be high, but the kid who passed up college to fixate on a gold medal didn't waver. And that commitment continued through one final day. He had to drop 10 pounds to make weight.
We grew up in a pretty tough environment where it was gold or bust," Cejudo said. "But I did it all for a reason. The reason is around my neck right now.
"Henry's father, never able to get his life in order, died last year at 44 in Mexico City. They had spoken only once in 15 years. Henry was going to see him, but his family persuaded him otherwise.
It's done," Cejudo said. "I just hope he's in heaven to see what I did."With the family's glorious day, Alonzo said he thinks Nelly now will go ahead and take the test to become an American citizen. Cejudo's coach Terry Brands calls
Nelly's son a "near perfect role model." He wants America to know he chose not to be a victim. He chose not to become a drug runner. He chose not to take the sure road to prison."I think the message is stay legal, man," Alonzo said. "Don't go stupid. Crime isn't the only thing that pays."Henry was less definitive."The message is what you want it to be," he said, the American flag still draped around his shoulders hours after the match. "
As a Mexican-American I'm thrilled to represent the United States. It's the land of opportunity."On a wrestling mat halfway around the world, Henry Cejudo made the best of his.
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