Igali fit for world wrestling

September 11 2001

Olympic gold medalist Daniel Igali plans to compete at the world wrestling championships at the end of the month despite being unable to train for most of the summer because of a back injury.
Igali, the defending champion in the 69-kilogram class, suffered a ligament injury in his lower back at the end of May and hasn't competed since the Canadian championships on May 4.

The world championships are to be held from Sept. 26 to 29 in New York.

"If everything is dependent on how I feel right now, then I don't see any question mark at all," Igali, 27, said yesterday.

"My plan is to go and I'm in very good spirits. I don't feel I will be 100 per cent because I have not had as much time to prepare as I would have loved. I'm pretty close to 100 per cent, which is good for me."

Because of the injury, Igali wasn't able to resume training until August.

"It was frustrating because I couldn't run, I couldn't lift weights, I couldn't do most of the things I did," he said.

"I could swim and do anything that did not have an impact. I think things are getting better now."

Last year at Sydney, Australia, Igali became the first Canadian to win Olympic gold in wrestling when he defeated Russia's Arsen Gitinov. The image of the Nigerian native kissing the Maple Leaf was a heartwarming moment for Canadians frustrated over a series of disappointments during the Games.

Igali said his back began to improve after he started visiting an acupuncturist.

"After every practice session I go to acupuncture," he said. "I'll have to take him with me to New York. I don't see me wrestling without him. I'm able to train fully with the help of the acupuncture."

Igali, chosen athlete of the year for 2000 by The Canadian Press, expects to face a strong field in New York.

"It will be pretty much the same field from the Olympics," he said.

"There are a few young kids I have to watch out for. The current European champ is a kid from Turkey I don't know much about. People like that could be very dangerous. I'm looking to get tapes on these kids and be able to keep up on them."

While Igali's back feels fine now, he didn't rule out the possibility the injury may flair up again.

"I have not aggravated it at all in the last couple of weeks, but you never know," he said.

"If I do hurt it again, it would be difficult to go, but I'm optimistic that everything else from now will be progressive and I will be getting better."