Patrick Smith (Minnesota Storm) can taste it. It has been right there, dangling in front of his eyeline, taunting him like the echo of a bully’s laughter. It’s an odd notion, considering we’re talking about an athlete who on most occasions, has played the role of bully himself. After all, that is what Smith is known for on the mat. There are few US Greco Roman wrestlers who adopt a more aggressive, face-first style tailor-made to wear opponents out. And it has served him well; despite having come up short in a couple of high-profile domestic finals, Smith is widely seen as one of the country’s most promising competitors. He came close to breaking all the way through in April at the 2016 Olympic Trials, where he forced RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC) to a third and decisive bout that ultimately slipped away in the cruelest of fashions.
That’s rear-view mirror stuff now, relegated to the past as much as yellow Sony Walkman headphones and civil political discourse. Smith has been given the chance to rewrite how his year ends thanks to the advent of the Greco Roman Non-Olympic Weight World Championships set for December in Budapest, Hungary. It is another shot to represent the country, a reason to exhale, bite down and saunter into battle once more at an important event. The first step will be the Non-Olympic World Team Trials, which are scheduled for November 12th at the Bill Farrell Open in New York. Naturally, Smith has his blinders on when it comes to what he is trying to accomplish: “Make my first World team and win my first World medal.” Continue reading at fivepointmove.com
Episode 53 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast features 2016 Junior World champion in men’s freestyle wrestling Mark Hall.
