Igali considers return to wrestling
By JIM MORRIS
SURREY, B.C. (CP) – After losing his fight in the political arena Olympic gold medallist Daniel Igali is considering returning to the wrestling mat.
Igali was badly beaten in his attempt to win a seat for the Liberals in Tuesday’s B.C. provincial election. With his political aspirations on hold, he plans to finish his master’s degree in criminology at Simon Fraser University this summer and may revitalize his wrestling career.
“I am not ruling out returning to the mats, “said Igali. “I wasn’t retired. I was taking a break.”
The 31-year-old former world champion could be ready for this year’s world championships, Sept. 26-Oct. 2 in Budapest.
“It’s dicey if I’m going to wrestle this year to be honest, “said Igali. “I would have some time now to consider it.”
Igali won the gold medal in the 69-kilogram class at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. His victory dance around the Maple Leaf and kneeling to kiss the flag won the hearts of Canadians.
But four years later, slowed by injuries and forced to wrestle in the 74-kilogram division, he was eliminated in the quarter-finals at the Athens Games.
Igali refuses to see that defeat as a signal his career is over.
“I was debilitated by injuries and I haven’t wrested in a while so I feel a lot better now, “he said. “What I had originally planned is to take this year off. When I ran (for office) I ran to win. I was thinking I would get used to the legislature and get a wrestling club in Victoria and start training next year.”
Mike Payette, national program director for Wrestling Canada, said Igali isn’t too old to be competitive.
Qualifying for this year’s world championship is another matter.
Zoltan Hunyady of Guelph has already won the Canadian title in the 74-kilogram class. The only way Igali could qualify for the Canadian team is to defeat Hunyady in a wrestle-off .
Ironically, Igali beat Hunyady in a wrestle-off last year to earn an Olympic berth. That wrestle-off was needed because Igali missed the Canadian championship due to injury.
“He (Igali) hasn’t wrestled much in the last year, “Payette said from Edmonton. “He wasn’t injured, he was running for government. I think it’s highly unlikely we would give him a wrestle-off.”
Payette said Igali would be welcome to return to the program for the 2006 season.
“Daniel is one of our greatest wrestlers ever, “he said. “We would welcome him with open arms.”
Igali was one of the star candidates recruited by the B.C. Liberals for the provincial election. He campaigned hard in the ethnically diverse riding of Surrey-Newton on Vancouver’s outskirts but lost by about 4,000 votes to NDP candidate Harry Bains.
An emotional Igali battled back tears after the defeat.
“As an athlete, you have to take losses with a grain of salt, “he said.
Igali, who grew in a poor Nigerian village, chose to stay in Canada in 1994 after wrestling at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria.
He gained his citizenship in 1998 and became the first Canadian to win a world amateur wrestling title.
Igali dedicated the title to Maureen Matheny, the surrogate mother who took him under her wing. She died of cancer a few days after Igali returned home and presented her with the gold medal.
Igali, twice named Canada’s outstanding male amateur athlete, has never forgotten his humble roots. He has contributed to building a new school and community centre in his hometown of Eniwar and has a non-profit foundation for underprivileged children.
He plans to “wait for the right time “to run for office again, but called his failed attempt a learning experience.
“I have learned that regardless of where your background is, you can make what ever you want out of yourself, “he said. “Today, even trying to represent my constituency in Canada, it’s just such an honour.”
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