John Fuller/TheMat.com
Good things usually come to those who wait. And if that is true, then Joe Warren should have a platter full of good things coming his way over the course of the next four years.
Warren finally captured a national title, winning at 60 kg/132 lbs. in Greco-Roman this year. For the past four years, he has sat quietly behind two-time Olympian Jim Gruenwald, and up until last year, Olympic medalist Dennis Hall.
Warren will lead a new breed of Greco-Roman wrestlers into this year’s Olympic Trials- most of them very young.
TheMat.com sat down with Warren to talk about his success and the future of Greco-Roman.
TheMat.com: What were your feelings when you finally knew you were about to win your first national title?
Warren: It was a relief. It’s just another step towards a final goal. This year, I’ve made a lot of steps to get closer to that goal of winning an Olympic championship. It was more relief than anything else.
TheMat.com: Over the past five years, you have continued a steady progression. Fourth at Nationals in 2001 and 2002, third in 2003 and 2004 before winning it this year. How have you gotten yourself over the hump?
Warren: I started wrestling Greco-Roman four years ago. I’ve had the same attitude and the same intensity for years. I’ve had to learn a lot of patience and technique. Greco-Roman is a completely different sport than freestyle. I just come to practice every day and work hard. If you keep believing in yourself, good things are going to happen.
TheMat.com: Even though it was your best U.S. finish, was placing second at the Olympic Team Trials last year a hard thing for you to accept?
Warren: I believed I was the best at that weight class, and I believe that now. Jim Gruenwald is a great wrestler. I still believe that I could have won those matches and it was very disappointing, just to know that I’ve worked four years for something and it was gone. It was a good motivating factor for me coming into this summer. Losing at the Trials was probably the best thing to happen to me.
TheMat.com: Obviously, Jim Gruenwald is still that guy that you would have to prove yourself against if he came back. Is he someone you would like to face again?
Warren: If he comes back, he hasn’t trained. I’ve been training as hard as I can. I would love to wrestle Jim. He’s one guy that beat me that I’ve never gotten revenge on. I’ve stepped up my competition. I’ve improved so much, that I would enjoy wrestling him. I don’t think he’s wrestling anymore, though. I think he’s made his mind up. He has had a great career. Every good battle I have is with him. We are very close. He would love to see me win the Olympics. I think he would get as much enjoyment out of that as I would.
TheMat.com: The U.S. Greco-Roman team appears to be getting a lot younger. How good for this for Greco-Roman in the U.S.?
Warren: I think the bottom line is that the generation of me, (Brad) Vering, Darryl (Christian) and Justin Ruiz “we’re a little older than Hazewinkel and Lester. We were all All-Americans and national champions in college. All we needed was some high quality wrestlers talent-wise that have been training in an intense environment. I think that it will get younger and younger. We have a lot of great Greco-Roman youth wrestlers. They just need to decide that they want to compete in Greco-Roman. Plus, we just had a veteran class retire. There’s going to be a set of new faces in there and I think it’s great that it’s us.
TheMat.com: When you look at your weight class, which wrestler other than yourself do you feel has the most promising upside?
Warren: There’s a guy from the Ukraine that has beat me twice. That’s the only wrestler that’s in my mind. I don’t look past wrestlers. I wrestle match-to-match now. It doesn’t matter who you put in front of me. I’m too strong mentally to be beat right now.
TheMat.com: What are your thoughts on the new international rules?
Warren: I like them. I enjoy it. It makes a good technician win. It takes the referee out of the match and lets the best wrestler win the match. I know a lot of people don’t like this because there’s no forced par terre. Well too bad! If you want forced par terre, go wrestle in college and get some riding time.
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