Word: mattingly
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...just what--besides massive size--makes him virtually invincible on the mat? First and foremost, says Mitch Hull, national teams director for U.S. wrestling, "he's maybe inhumanly strong." American wrestler Matt Ghaffari, 38, who has spent his career trying to defeat Karelin, can unhappily vouch for that. In Atlanta the 6-ft. 4-in., 286-lb. Ghaffari wept in frustration on the silver-medal stand after he extended Karelin into overtime, but still lost. "I wrestled my heart and soul out," he says. His performance was so moving that he is now sought as a motivational speaker...
...attacking his legs. That places a premium on lifts and throws. Such tactics are common in lighter weight classes, but Karelin--"King Kong" or "The Experiment" to fellow wrestlers--is the only super heavyweight with the strength to hoist a 290-lb. foe and fling him to the mat, in a maneuver the Russian calls a "reverse body lift." To execute it, Karelin locks his arms around the waist of an opponent, then lifts the wrestler like a sack of potatoes and, arching his back, heaves the hapless fellow, feet first, over his head...
...Mat rivals hope that the rigors of politics will help wear Karelin down. They note that his matches have got closer of late, with the Russian winning by 1-0 and 2-0 scores. "I truly think he's beatable," says Steve Fraser, national coach of the U.S. Greco-Roman team and a light-heavyweight gold medalist in 1984. Fraser says Rulon Gardner, America's No. 1 super heavyweight, will try to outwork Karelin and exhaust him on his feet. (Ghaffari is an alternate...
Jimmy Pedro remembers vividly the first time he found himself second in a judo match, which is to say, the loser. "I didn't know how to deal with a loss; it was like someone shot me. I remember lying on the mat until my father came out and picked me off the floor." He was 11, but he had won a national junior-judo title every year since...
...goal in judo is similar to that in wrestling: outpoint your opponent by outmaneuvering him, or flatten him on the mat for a pin, or ippon. There are a couple of neat options too, such as squeezing the other guy's neck in a choke hold or an armlock until he says uncle. World Wrestling Federation fans, you'll like this...