Henry Cejudo captures wrestling gold

BEIJING -- Henry Cejudo, the son of undocumented Mexican immigrants, became the first American to win a gold medal in freestyle wrestling in 16 years when he beat Japan's Tomohiro Matsunaga to win the 55-kilogram (121 pounds) freestyle final on Tuesday.

A joyful Cejudo broke down into tears on the mat, then took a victory lap around the China Agricultural University Gymnasium.

"This is the American dream," said a joyful Cejudo, still wrapped in the U.S. flag. "The United States is the greatest country in the world."

Cejudo, who had to come from behind simply to win the U.S. Olympic trials, also trailed in all three of his preliminary matches here but he never trailed in the final. Although he and Matsunaga were tied, 2-2, after the first period, Cejudo was declared the winner because he had the highest-scoring move, a two-point takedown. Cejudo then jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the second period, winning easily.

-- Kevin Baxter

Photo: Henry Cejudo celebrates his gold medal in the 55 kilogram freestyle weight class on Tuesday in Beijing. Credit: Saurabh Das / Associated Press

Comments

[Andy78]

Cael Sanderson won gold in 2004, Brandon Slay won in 2000, and Kurt Angle won in 1996 he is not the first American to win in 16 years, please do your research.

[Larry Tate]

16 years? Cael Sanderson won a gold medal in in freestyle in 2004, and he may not have been the only one. The US is very good in freestyle, and, as I recall, has more medalists total than any other country (or maybe just gold medalists). Greco is a different matter - maybe that is what you are thinking of (when Rulan Gardner stalled his way to gold).

[Mickey Mouse]

Brandon Slay won gold in 2000, Kendall Cross won gold in 1996. It has been 8 years since the U.S. freestyle won a gold medal...FYI

[Weebie]

First American in sixteen years? How about Cael Sanderson? Rulon Gardner Brandon Slay? Tom Brands? Kurt Angle?

I could of sworn those were gold medals won since 1996.

[Jim]

"Henry Cejudo, the son of undocumented Mexican immigrants, became the first American to win a gold medal in freestyle wrestling in 16 years..."

I'm not sure who does your fact checking, but actually the United States won Gold in Freestyle Wrestling in 2004 (Cael Sanderson) and in 2000 (Brandon Slay).

[Jose el Chato Garcia]

Hey, get over it.
hail a "CAMPION".....que VIVA CEJUDO!

[T Sho]

Yay immigrants!

[Bill Manhart]

Congrats to the winner, but that doesn't suddenly make it okay that his parents have been violating the law for years and years. Now that attention is on them, maybe they will face the legal consequences of their actions.

[Dalia]

Get over it. His father is dead and the only thing his mother did wrong was to raise an olympic champion

[rule-on]

'undocumented' immigrants? as in the kind that don't pay taxes and drain our healthcare system? sorry. not impressed.

[El Tapatio]

...as in the kind who win GOLD MEDALS. and RAISE your kids and Trust to be the housekeepers of your house, and cook the food you eat daily, and the ones who take of your parents when you toss them into an old folks home and fix your car and the kind you underpay and treat like a slave.

[Maria]

Congratulations to Henry Cejudo! What an amazing story.

Undocumented immigrants don't pay taxes?

"As the debate over Social Security heats up, the estimated seven million or so illegal immigrant workers in the United States are now providing the system with a subsidy of as much as $7 billion a year."
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/05/business/05immigration.html?pagewanted=all

Heath care burden?

"Illegal Latino immigrants do not cause a drag on the U.S. health care system as some critics have contended and in fact get less care than Latinos in the country legally, researchers said on Monday."
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2640739320071126

I guess some people are just blinded by the hate, and decide to overlook the facts in order keep spreading bigotry.

[santoria]

some of us actually take care of our own families and don't send the majority of our money back to families in other countries thus draining our economy further. sorry- not buying that argument either. gold medals are nice, but take a look at our economy and health care system to get a more clear picture of what these undocumented immigrants have really done for our country.

[polo]

Why so Much Hate? ......

[andy grany]

this is crap. big deal he won a gold. the bigger deal is that he is an anchor baby and should never be allowed to be in the olympics. now all these illegals are going to start thinking that it ok to do this. this is all crap.

[hello]

This country is a country of opportunitty if u haters dont take them, let this kid enjoy his...plizzzzzz dont be a hater

[jesus]

ho ever said illegal immigrants don't pay taxes they are wrong because they do and they don't get any money back when they file the incometax return get your fats strait ....

[Liz]

I think it's great what he's done to the sport.As a Mexican-American myself I am very proud of what he has accomplished. He did not only represent Americans, but those who have struggled to become something of themselves. Those who have anything negative to say are just ignorant and should be grateful that live in a country where they have every right to express themselves. And we shall not forget that this country was built on illegal immigrants.

[STEVE SINGLETON]

I wish I had seen his match on NBC, or seen him interviewed or heard Costas or anybody else include him in any comments. Instead, there were endless beach vollyball matches, insipid interviews and the "original" Olympic sport--wrestling was barely heard of. As to Cejudo's background--he comes from the same kind of family that sends its kids to fight in Iraq and that support the economies of just about every state in the Southwest, and Southern California, in particular. They don't come here to be on Welfare; they come to be AMERICANS and we use them in the worst, lowest paid (and underpaid) jobs and there are people making millions from their consumption of goods and products. And still they want to come here and contribute even in the face of the rabid "conservatives" racism. Even John McCain has more sense.