2016 U.S. OLYMPIAN - 63 kg W Pirozhkova gets a return Olympic trip by Gary Abbott
For some people, as things remain the same, other things continue to change. That is the case with U.S. women’s wrestling star Elena Pirozkhova. Her record of consistency at the high- est level is amazing. Coming into the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Pirozhkova had made nine straight U.S. Senior Teams, including a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. She boasts four World medals, a gold medal in 2012, silver medals in 2010 and 2014, and a bronze medal in 2013. You might assume that this success is because Pirozhkova has kept everything the same during her streak. That is absolutely not the case. This Elena Pirozhkova is not the same person as the one who won the 2012 Olympic Trials but did not medal at the London Games. The result for Pirozhkova in Iowa City has remained the same. She won three matches in the Challenge Tournament handily, and drew longtime rival Erin Clodgo in the championship series. In bout one, she won a tight 3-1 decision, but in the second match, Pirozhkova was in control and scored a pin in 4:00 to sweep the series and earn her second Olympic Team berth.
“The last time around, I was just so happy to make an Olympic team. This time, people say its awesome. I am think- ing, OK, it’s out of the way, let’s prepare for Rio. Making an Olympic Team is awe- some and exciting. This time, I made the team and it’s just a step on the way to my gold,” she said. Things that are different are that she has a new personal coach, has trained in a new location much of the time and has a different personal investment in her training and life decisions. “I am way more prepared. I am more mature. I am way more confident in myself and the choices I made in my training. Instead of people telling me what to do, I decided what was best for myself. I took ownership of my training. It is pay- ing off. I am really excited to see how Rio will turn out,” she said.
Her family came from Russia and she grew up in Western Massachusetts, where she wrestled in high school. She was “discovered” by USA Wrestling’s Women’s Developmental Coach Izzy Izboinikov, and she secured a place at the U.S. Olympic Training Center right out
8 USA Wrestler
Elena Pirozhkova presses for a pin in bout two of the 63 kg Olympic Trials Championship Series against Erin Clodgo. Tony Rotundo photo.
of high school to train full-time in women’s freestyle. Coach Izzy was a per- sonal coach through the 2012 Olympic Games, before he left USA Wrestling to pursue a job in education.
Pirozhkova had a chance conversation speaking Russian with Valentin Kalika, a native of Ukraine who was coaching Aaron Pico and others in California. Not long into their discussion, she was very impressed with him. “The way he talks about wrestling, I said to him that I wanted him to be my coach. I’d never seen him coach, but I had a good feeling about it. I went to Cali to test it out. I loved it. He’s like a mad scientist. He is always right at the end. His mind works in crazy ways, but he lets us be ourselves as athletes. He tailors his training different towards each of his wrestlers,” Pirozhkova recalls. Pirozhkova did a good portion of her training out in Southern California with Kalika, a location which also attracted women’s World champion Helen Maroulis. In 2015, she made the decision to move up to 69 kg where she made the U.S. World Team but did not win a medal in Las Vegas. After dropping back down to 63 kg and winning the Olympic Trials in 2016, she was asked when she decided to return to her old weight class. “After I lost at 69 kg (I decided to drop down). I used to cut weight a lot for 63
kg. I almost had a nervous breakdown and I said I can’t cut weight anymore. Valentin was awesome. He was one of the few people to support me to go to 69 kg. He said go up and see how you feel. I took a break from weight cutting. I got it down this time under control and it really paid off,” she said.
She explained how her wrestling has changed under her new coach and train- ing situation.
“I credit my coach Valentin Kalika. He really instills a whole new attitude since I have been training with him. Everything is forward. Everything is pressing, every- thing is scoring off their attacks. It is a whole different mindset. Instead of just looking for your attacks, it is a whole mindset of domination,” she told John Smith and Jason Knapp on the NBC broadcast of the Olympic Trials. Now that she has a return trip to the Olympics, she believes her many new experiences will pay off big in Rio. “I came a lot more prepared. I have been through this. I was still nervous a lit- tle but not as bad as the first time. The same thing with the Olympics the first time around. You don’t know what to expect when you get there. The Opening Ceremonies, when you get to see the flame being lit. That stuff takes your breath away. I have been through that now. I want another chance to get a gold medal,” said Pirozhkova.
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