Igali awaits word on 2001 World Championships

September 16 2001

Olympic wrestling champ Daniel Igali turned on his radio shortly after waking at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and suddenly practising for the upcoming world championships in New York didn't seem so important.

"I wondered if I should be even going to practice,'' Igali said this week. "I went, but I was watching CNN the whole time to see what was going on. It's so sad to see. It's sick.''

Igali, the reigning world and Olympic champ in the men's freestyle 69-kilo class, has been preparing for the world championships at Madison Square Garden in New York from Sept. 26-30.

USA Wrestling has requested a postponement of the championships from the sport's world governing body, FILA.

Igali noted that wrestling has a history of forging ahead with events in difficult times, pointing to the decision to hold the 1999 world championships in Turkey even after an earthquake ravaged that country. "But you've got to realize that the magnitude of this is way more than anything else,'' said Igali. "I think it will mostly depend on what they know by next week.

"They won't want to let things like this cripple the whole economy. If they do, that acknowledges that those who have done this have won, because what they want to do is bring things to a standstill."

Igali has struggled on the mat this season. Back problems have kept him out of every event, save the Canadian championships. He says he seriously thought he might have to retire.

Then, he got an e-mail from an acupuncturist, Dr. Delong Gu, who offered his services after reading about Igali's plight on the wrestler's Web site. Two treatments later, Igali began to feel better. After the fifth, he started training. He now sees Gu after every practice and is planning to bring him to New York, along with Dr. Wilbur Kelsic, a chiropractor who helps stretch out Igali.

"It's surprising I'm wrestling very well," said Igali. "I thought it would take a lot longer. (Coaches) Dave McKay and Mike Jones know how to get me
going. But I think the acupuncture has been the most critical thing." Igali received some bad news recently when a cherished stepmother in his
native Nigeria passed away and then his father suffered a heart attack. He was much relieved to learn from one of his sisters that their dad is
recovering nicely.