Prior to his breakthrough in April at the Greco-Roman World Team Trials, Patrick Smith was perhaps best known as the country’s premier carrot-chaser. A perennial bridesmaid. A fall-on-your-sword type of athlete who would always leave his heart out on the mat only to walk away second-best.
It’s a torturous cycle, to come up just short over and over again, to be that close only to watch the carrot disappear.
Although a Greco-Roman competitor going back to the age-group level, Smith went onto the University of Minnesota where he wrestled under legendary head coach J Robinson. He couldn’t crack the starting lineup but still got plenty of mat time in open tournaments, winning a lot and losing some.
Smith made significantly wider strides on the Greco circuit during his collegiate downtime. In 2010, he won the University Nationals and the next year put together an impressive fourth-place showing at the U.S. Open. Continue reading at www.trackwrestling.com