Bruce Baumgartner GARY ABBOTT’S MATSIDE CHAT WITH...
Bruce Baumgartner was the most successful American wrestler in Olympics competition, winning a medal in four differ- ent Olympic Games. He won gold medals in 1984 in Los Angeles and 1992 in Barcelona, Spain, a silver medal in Seoul, South Korea in 1988 and a bronze medal in Atlanta in 1996. He was also selected U.S. flagbearer for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He won three World titles and nine World medals.
USA Wrestler: What was a tougher challenge for you, mak- ing the U.S. Olympic team or winning a medal once you had qualified?
Baumgartner: Tough question. The toughest challenge at the time is whatever tournament you are in. At the Olympic Trials in the USA, there were always two or three good competitors at the weight. I was probably the favorite for all of them I won. For many years, Tom Erikson was in the top two or three heavy- weights in the world. When that one is over, the toughest chal- lenge is the next tournament. It is equally tough. But if you don’t win the first one, you can’t get the second one. In most sports, there are a few entries in each event. In wrestling, it’s just one person.
USA Wrestler: Your first attempt at the Olympics was in 1980 when you were still in college. What are your memories, and what did you learn at that time? Baumgartner: The 1980 Trials was a great learning experi- ence. I was the alternate for that team. Greg Wojciechowski beat me 18-1 in Cincinnati at the Trials qualifier. By the time we had Olympic Trials, we had already boycotted the Games, so some of the top guys weren’t there. I wrestled Wojciechowski for the spot, who was one of the best at the time. I went from losing 18-1 just weeks before to losing 8-4 and 6-3. I kept get- ting better. I learned you have to prepare for that day. If you lose, you are done. That helped me for all the Trials events the rest of the way.
USA Wrestler: What was the key for you in keeping focused at the Olympic Trials? How did you manage that pressure? Baumgartner: I didn’t always perform at 100 percent. I had better matches than at other times. My good was really good. My not so good was pretty good. I was consistent. I knew if I trained hard, was ready, had a good diet, did the right things, I was confident in my abilities that I would be successful. But for all the Olympic Trials and World Team Trials, I took them very seriously.
USA Wrestler: What was different in your mind and your approach to wrestling once you had qualified for your first Olympic Team? Baumgartner: I looked at every World Championships as being the Big Show. The Olympics were different, because it was only every four years, on a bigger stage, with more media attention. I put as much time and effort into the World Championships as I did the Olympics. If you look at it, I failed 10 times in my pursuit to be best. I took every big championship the same way; they were all important to me.
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U.S. Olympic Hall of Famers and Olympic champs Bruce Baumgartner (right) and Dan Gable. John Sachs photo.
USA Wrestler: What in your mind was the biggest key to the training period prior to the Olympic Games once you had become an Olympian? Baumgartner: I had great coaches. You can name tons of them. I tried to pick their knowledge and work as hard as I could. I learned you have to keep your mind and body fresh. You can’t go in beat up and stressed out. You need to rest when you need rest. There are so many distractions for the guys now. Back then, we didn’t have cell phones. I remember in Atlanta it was a big deal we had pagers. Now they have Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and more distractions media-wise. I didn’t face any of that until 1996. Now, you wonder if they are training. I never got into that stuff at all.
USA Wrestler: Did your approach differ for each Olympic Games, or did you have a consistent way that you went about the business of getting prepared? Baumgartner: I was at different points of my career and was
at different ages. You have to be careful. What you did four years ago may not be what you need now. You have to be will- ing to change to get better, to improve. Your training has to evolve. If you did 100 sprints at age 21, maybe at 26 or 27 it’s not what you should do.
USA Wrestler: How important were training partners in the
preparation stage for the Olympics? Baumgartner: I had great training partners. To Tom Erikson’s credit, he trained with me after I beat him off two or three Olympic teams. Joel Greenlee was instrumental in Barcelona. Towards the end of my career, Stephen Neal and Kerry McCoy trained with me often. They became pretty good heavyweights. In 1992, I had Mike Fusilli live and train with me for nine months. You can’t do it without training partners. I often used what little stipends I got to bring in training partners to work with me over the years.
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