Wiltz

Schwab's medal dream ended
By BRYCE MILLER • Des Moines Register • August 20, 2008

BEIJING, China - When a loss ended Doug Schwab's sweat-stained dream of
an Olympic freestyle wrestling medal Wednesday, few words were needed.

The drooped head illustrated the physical toil.

Downcast eyes showed the emotional commitment.

The voice - quiet and pained - underscored the years of sacrifice.

Few words needed, but Schwab said them anyway after losing both of his
matches at 145.5 pounds at China Agricultural University Gymnasium.

"I feel like digging a whole and burying myself in it right now," Schwab
said.

Ukraine's Andriy Stadnik, the eventual silver medalist and 2006 world
bronze medalist, swept both periods of the opening match, 2-0, 4-0.

Schwab was allowed to wrestle back, however, since Stadnik qualified for
the gold-medal match.

India's Sushil Kumar, though, ended the short Olympic run with a 4-1,
0-1, 3-2 victory.

Schwab, a University of Iowa assistant coach who finished fifth at the
2007 world championships, had expected much more of himself.

"When you get a chance to represent your country, you want to do it
better than that," said Schwab, 31. "It's a pretty hard moment right
now."

University of Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands stood in Schwab's corner
in Beijing - and vowed to stay in the corner as long as needed.

"You stick by your guy," he said. 'When this happens, you stick by him.
It seems like a guy needs you more now than he does if he's on top of
the world."

Former Iowa wrestlers struggled in freestyle wrestling in Beijing.

Mike Zadick, who competed Tuesday at 132 pounds, was outscored 15-0 in
two matches. Schwab opponents sprinted to a 13-4 points advantage.

"I didn't pull the trigger earlier. I didn't really give myself a
chance," Schwab said. "You don't give yourself a chance, how do you
expect to win?"

Brands said losses at elite-wrestling levels often lead to bigger
things.

Brands finished ninth in the world in 1995 before winning Olympic gold
in 1996. Brands' brother, Terry, lost in the 1996 Olympic Trials, but
won a bronze at Sydney in 2000.

"This will drive him," Tom Brands said.

Schwab hit the pause button on emotion long enough to thank Iowans from
Osage to Iowa City for helping pay for family to join him in Beijing.

Then he thought about hitting another button.

"I wish I could push the rewind button," he said. "But you know what? I
can't. All I can do right now is try to hold my head up as high as I can
and move forward.

"This is something you probably never get over."

__________________
"He quits, not because he wants to, but because he has to. He has no choice.
" -Tom Brands 01/20/08