National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Perhaps no wrestler, regardless of race or ethnicity, has had a more unique and inspirational life on the mat than Henry Cejudo, Olympic gold medalist in Beijing in freestyle wrestling at 55 kgs. Pegged an underdog to garner any medal in Beijing, Henry time and again fell behind on points only to come back strong in the second and third periods of his matches. Says Henry in an understatement, "When I get behind, I get dangerous." The son of two undocumented workers from Mexico, Henry is one of six children raised by his mother, Mrs. Nelly Rico. Working multiple jobs, she managed as a single parent to provide as best she could for her children. Raising her six kids in some of the poorest areas in Los Angeles, then Las Cruces and Phoenix, Mrs. Rico has this to say about her two sons, Henry and Angel, a remarkable wrestler in his own right: "Ever since they were little they always had dreams. These kids were never lazy to get up in the morning to train, to run, they always had the drive. I imagined that I would see them, I would see both of them, with a gold medal." Henry in 2006 was the first high school wrestler to ever win a USA Wrestling Open National Freestyle Championship. Along with that remarkable achievement, he finished fifth at the 2005 Junior World Championships and earned a second- place finish the following year. These accolades were on top of his two Arizona high school championships. With an offer to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Henry excelled on the mat, being named the 2006 ASICS National High School Wrestler-of-the-Year and winning the FILA Junior World Team Trials, the Pan American Championships, and second place at the U.S. World Team Trials. Training at the OTC took Henry away from his beloved family and friends, but Henry persevered. In Colorado, he added two more state championships to the count. Upon graduation, Henry then chose uncharted waters, giving up a traditional four years of wrestling in a university program and following his dreams at the Olympic Training Center. All of Henry's hard work paid off, first as a Pan American Games gold medalist in 2007, then as U.S. freestyle champion followed by high place finishes at the Kiev Invitational Tournament, and world competition in Iran and Russia. Even so, when Henry won his place at 55 kgs. on the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team bound for Beijing, few could have foreseen him standing on the Olympic podium accepting the gold medal on behalf of his country. An acknowledged underdog, Henry fought through the international competition to come from behind in every match except the finals when he took the first two rounds from his Japanese opponent. In what is now an iconic scene, Henry wrapped himself in the American flag as he took a victory lap around the wrestling arena. When Henry Cejudo won gold in Beijing, he became the youngest wrestler in the history of the sport to ever take home the gold medal. After the Olympic limelight, he began giving inspirational speeches around the nation and penned his first book, American Victory. But at the same time, Henry also was criticized by some pundits who saw his fulfillment of his Olympic dreams in the United States as a threat to their definition of the American Dream. Upon retiring from wrestling competition at the Olympic team trials in 2012, Henry had this to say about the challenges he faced after winning a gold medal in Beijing: "Honestly, my goal in life is to stop segregation. …America is built on immigrants. It doesn't matter if you're purple, blue, pink, green. America's based on where your heart's at, you know. I'm American." And when Henry some day becomes a father and has his first daughter what will he name it? "America", says Henry proudly. And about how Henry felt when he realized he had just won gold for his country? "I grabbed that American flag and I just cried. (I was) so full of emotion and so full of joy that you get so emotional and tears just start to come out." Not surprisingly Henry Cejudo has already mapped out his future. Taking classes in junior college, he intends to earn his college degree. And what does he intend to do after that? Says Henry, "My purpose in life is to serve others. (I want ) to give back, to inspire. That's to inspire the Henry Cejudo who had no wrestling shoes growing up. That's to say, 'Hey man, you're pretty tough, you're pretty good. Let me take you under my wing.' That's my purpose in life." Wrestled 2007-2008 Olympic Champion 121lbs HENRY CEJUDO 12 | NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM LATINO WRESTLING EXPERIENCE

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