Gold medalist wows students

Nearly a decade after he won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Daniel Igali still dazzles crowds. Igali, who won a gold medal for Canada in wrestling, walked into the gym at Guildford Park secondary school last Friday to wild applause and cheers. Igali was visiting the high school as part of the Right to Play program, a partnership between the city and the school district aimed at embracing the spirit of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games and inspiring students to reach for their personal best. In delivering his message about the importance of never giving up, Igali told the students about his humble origins in his remote Nigerian village and the life-altering day an Olympian came to visit his leaky-roofed school when he was 10 years old. So inspired was he by the athlete, Igali made a promise to himself that he would compete in the Olympics one day, a dream that was later dismissed by one callous person with the thoughtless words, "the "Olympics are not for people like you." "Don't allow anybody to tell you that you can't do something," Igali told the students in urging them to reach for the stars. Later Igali said he hopes his message resonates with students. "Everything is possible in life and nobody should discourage anybody from achieving their goals," he said. Student Shenjleen Nand, 15, said she found Igali's message inspiring. She was moved by the fact Igali "started with nothing" and rose so high in life.