Dlagnev captured a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2009 and placed fifth in 2011. Tony Rotundo photo.
Continued from page 14 sistent and durable.”
Part of that improvement involves attacking more to avoid going to the ball draw.
“Looking back, it was frustrating losing all those ball draws,” he said. “But it’s the nature of the beast. If I don’t score, I can’t expect ball draws to go my way. I need to get to the legs and I have to score. A lot of heavyweights don’t do much, but I have to avoid getting in situations where I go to a lot of clinches. I need to create more action.”
Dlagnev was able to come back and win the Pan American Games in October. He’s now healthy again and ready to make a run at winning an Olympic gold medal in 2012. “I’m excited about the Olympics,” he said. “I know winning the Olympics is an attainable goal. I’ve improved so much this whole quad. All the experience I’ve gained, with all the ups and downs, is going to be the element that I draw from and what propels me. I want to be the best in the World.” Dlagnev, 26, traveled to the site of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, in December for the Olympic Test Event. He did not compete, but saw the facility where the Olympics will be contested in August.
“It was really cool to see it and be over there,” he said. “It’s exciting to know that the Olympics are coming up.” Dlagnev will first have to make the U.S. Freestyle Team for the Olympics. He will be favored to win April’s U.S. Olympic
Team Trials in Iowa City. Among the wrestlers standing in his way are 2008 Olympian
Steve Mocco, 2010 World Team member Les Sigman and past Junior World champion Dom Bradley.
“I have to be ready for six minutes of battle against whoever I wrestle,” he said. “I can’t get discouraged if I get scored on or drop a period. I need to attack and keep on coming. I need to keep a positive mentality. I have an expectation of winning, but an expectation of knowing it won’t be easy. Those guys are World class wrestlers. I know it will be a battle.” Dlagnev lost to Sigman in the finals of the 2010 World Team
Trials before rebounding to make his second U.S. World Team in 2011.
“I knew I needed to get better after what happened last year,” he said. “I got stronger in areas and certain positions I needed to get better in. I improved defensively. I am still not where I need to be yet. I need to keep working.” Dlagnev, who trains at the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus, was a part of a U.S. team that finished third in the team standings at the 2011 Worlds. The American squad came back strong after not winning a medal in 2010.
“It was good to see,” he said. “There was so much negativity
after the 2010 Worlds. Now it’s so positive. We had a good per- formance as a team. It is something we can feed off and build on going into the Olympics.”
15 USA Wrestler
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