National Championships
June 18 2001

The Canadian Senior National Wrestling Championships took place on the 4-5th of May. It was the first phase of my preparations for the world championships in Madison Square Gardens, New York, in September. Going into the Championships, I was not satisfied with my conditioning. I was worried because I did not feel like I could wrestle on my own terms. I therefore went into the tournament trying to work on different aspects of my game. I still feel that the intensity of the matches did not match my expectations, but overall, I was content with the result. I never went into the tournament threatened that I would lose. Rather, I went in with the expectations of winning, and winning convincingly.

A week after the National Championships, I returned to my birth country, Nigeria, for two weeks. I needed the release. I always feel refreshed and ready to go to a different level after a bit of mental and psychological release. Staying around my mum, younger sisters and my grandma acts as a kind of soothing relief for me. To say I miss my folks is an understatement. In a way, it is good that I live away from my family because it gives me that longing to see them after a few months go by without speaking to them or seeing them. Most importantly, I treasure the therapeutic experience after visiting with my family. I got back to Canada from Nigeria on the 31st of May. I have since then been fully concentrating on the second phase of my preparations for the World Championships which should go well into July.

Many seasoned athletes and coaches have told me that it is easier to get to the top, but more difficult to remain there. The reason is that in a sport such as wrestling, the two most valuable prizes to be won are the World championship and Olympic gold medals. Since I have won both, there is concern from fans and friends that I might lack the hunger and motivation to go for another world title. Dave Mckay, my coach said it best when he noted that ? I am too committed and proud to fall into complacence.? The good thing about this second phase of my preparation is that I am more excited than ever to get back on the mat. The itinerary is to go to the German Grand Prix in the middle of June-God willing, and round off June with the Canada cup in Calgary. If everything goes according to plan, I should have about four to five tournaments before the Worlds.

If the hunger for more titles waned after the Olympics, it is back in full swing. All I pray is that I do not get hurt and that I compete regularly and rediscover my mat awareness. My intention is to improve on some key areas of my wrestling before the Worlds. I am aware that I will be scouted by my opponents, therefore I need to be versatile and not be too predictable. I need to add a few different weapons to my wrestling, which I intend to work on in the next few tournaments. I leave to Germany from the 18th of June- the 25th, the tournament is from the 23rd-24th. The past three weeks of training have not gone as well as I would have liked. But then, not everything goes according to plans all the time. I am more interested in process rather than results at this phase of my preparations for the World Championships. I have a good feeling that I will give a good account of myself at the German Grand Prix. ?Eneke the bird says that since men have learnt to shoot without missing, he has also learnt to fly without perching on a twig?. That is the spirit. Till I come back from Germany on the 25th of June.

Keep sweating... Daniel (Dynamite) Igali