BEACH WRESTLING Ike Okoli seeks World Beach title
by Richard Immel San Antonio, Texas native Ike Okoli is one of the most cre- dentialed beach wrestlers in U.S. history with three U.S. national championships, a Pan American Championships gold medal and a World Championships bronze medal. Competing in the 90+ kg/unlimited weight class, Okoli stands
larger than most when he graces the sand. His stature and physical force give him an edge during competition, but his free- and-easy spirit separates him from the pack as he strives to become the greatest beach wrestler in American history. “What drew me to [beach wrestling] is the atmosphere. You’ve
got the beach. You’ve got family atmosphere. Little kids wrestling. People cheering it on. Even people that don’t watch wrestling on a daily basis, they come up and can easily under- stand what’s going on,” said Okoli. The 28-year-old picked up beach wrestling in 2012 shortly
after he finished his collegiate wrestling career at the University of South Carolina. Okoli earned two NCWA All-American honors for the Gamecocks during his career and helped his squad to a second place finish in the NCWA team standings. Okoli also served as a Graduate Assistant at Shorter University in Rome, Ga. for two seasons before taking up resi- dence in Texas and working for the U.S. Army Reserves. “I tried out for the first time and I was successful, so I kept
doing it,” Okoli said. “The thing that I love is that I’m able to compete still at a high level. A tournament like [nationals] is meant to be fun, but they come out ready to wrestle. It’s not just playing around. That’s what I enjoy the most about it.” Domestically, Okoli has been near untouchable on the sand.
He won three consecutive U.S. National Championships from 2013-15. His first stateside setback came at the 2016 U.S. Beach National Championships held in Carolina Beach, N.C. in May. Okoli fell to up-and-comer Nicholas Wimmer of Combat Wrestling Club, 3-2, in the deciding bout to settle for the silver medal. The big man really made his mark in 2014 at the Beach World Championships in Katerini, Greece. He advanced to the World semifinals with three wins in pool play before dropping a contro- versial bout to eventual World Champion Vlad Caras of Romania. Okoli rebounded to win his fourth match of the tourna- ment and secure a World bronze medal. The U.S. is still without a Beach World champion. However,
Okoli was able to make U.S. history in 2015 by winning gold at the first-ever Pan American Beach Championships in Cartagena, Colombia. While wins and losses are paramount, there are additional challenges that come with wrestling on the sand that one does not face in the traditional wrestling setting. “When you do folkstyle or any type of mat wrestling, you know
the ground is going to be there, so when you hit your single legs, when you hit anything, you know the ground is going to be stable,” Okoli explained. “Here you are wrestling your opponent and you are worrying about what placement because the ground is not always your friend.” When not working his day job, Okoli spends his time training
at New Braunfels Elite Wrestling and dabbling in CrossFit work- outs.
Continued evolution in his preparation is something Okoli val- 34 USA Wrestler
Ike Okoli wins a match at the 2016 U.S. Beach National Championships in Carolina Beach, N.C. Robbert Wijtman photo.
ues tremendously for him to achieve his long-term Beach wrestling goals. “With beach wrestling, we’re not on a circuit or anything. I
have a full time job. I just try to train in the in-between time. My goal for next year, this upcoming season, is to wrestle in more Greco tournaments, more Senior-level tournaments to get more mat time to prepare me for Worlds,” said Okoli. A unique opportunity is in Okoli’s crosshairs as the inaugural
World Beach Games will be held in San Diego, Calif. in Sept. of 2017. Beach wrestling will be a featured event at the games, and is a prime event for Okoli to claim the first U.S. World title in this unique style of wrestling. “My biggest goal right now is to win the World Games next
year. I’m going to be working for that,” said Okoli. The goals and aspirations of greatness are there for Okoli,
but the love of the sport remains his primary focus. At its core beach wrestling remains as enjoyable as ever. “You’re not in a gym anywhere. You’re just enjoying the weather and enjoying the entertainment. You get to wear your shorts and jump into the water right after the tournament,” said Okoli.
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