Townsend Saunders

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Townsend Saunders (born April 20, 1967 in Torrance , California ) is an American wrestler . He won a silver free style lightweight medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics .

Career

Townsend Saunders, nicknamed "Junior" Saunders, grew up in Torrance and attended high school there. At this school he also got into wrestling. He grew to be an eminent high school wrestler who won several free style school championships at the California level. After high school, he attended California State University in Bakersfield . He also worked there as a wrestler and was 1987 American student champion (NCAA champion) in the lightweight. His trainer in those years was Joe Seay.

In addition, "Junior" Saunders became a member of the renowned Sunkist Kids wrestling club in Phoenix , Arizona . There he developed into a world class wrestler with coach Bobby Douglas .

"Junior" Saunders is married to Tricia Saunders , who was four times world champion in wrestling between 1992 and 1999. The couple have three children and live in White Sands.

Townsend Saunders was already active as a wrestling coach at Arizona State University while he was still active. From 1992 he was also a trainer for the Sunkist Kids in Phoenix for many years. In 2004 he was the head coach of the US women's Olympic team. He currently serves on the management of Arizona State University. He is also a board member of the US Wrestling Federation.

At the international level, the sporting success of "Junior" Saunders began in 1991 with winning the title at the Pan American Games in Havana . He won there in the free style in the lightweight. His start at the 1991 World Cup in Varna was less successful , because he only came in 15th place in the lightweight.

In 1992 he won the Pan American lightweight championship in front of Jesus E. Rodriguez Garzon from Cuba a . Craig Roberts from Canada . Then he qualified with the so. Trials for the start at the Olympic Games in Barcelona. In Barcelona he came in 7th place, where he was thrown out of the race by Olympic champion Arsen Fadzayev from the CIS (1: 4 point defeat).

At the 1993 World Championships in Toronto , "Junior" Saunders just missed a medal with fourth place in the lightweight. At this world championship, however, he managed to beat the German world and European champion Alexander Leipold . At the 1994 World Cup in Istanbul he was eliminated early and only finished eleventh.

In 1995 "Junior" Saunders won again at the Pan American Games, which took place in Mar del Plata . He defeated it in the finals vice world champion Jesus E. Rodriguez Garzon and Craig Roberts. At the World Championships that year in Atlanta , he came in eighth place in the lightweight.

Townsend Saunders then celebrated the greatest success of his career at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He defeated there in the lightweight Yüksel Sanli from Turkey , Craig Roberts and the reigning world champion from 1995 Araik Geworgjan from Armenia and was thus in the final against the Russian Vadim Bogijew . After a high-class final fight it was 1: 1 in the end, so the judges had to decide on a wrestler as the winner. They did this in favor of Bogiev. Townsend Saunders won the silver medal .

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, F = free style, L = lightweight, then up to 68 kg body weight)

  • 1997, 2nd place, World Cup in Stillwater, F, Le, behind Yosmany Sanchez Larrundel, Cuba u. before Islam Matveyev, Russia

swell

  • Trade journal Der Ringer from 1990 to 1997,
  • Website of the US Wrestling association,
  • Website "www.iat.uni-leipzig.de"

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Saunders, Townsend
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American wrestler
DATE OF BIRTH April 20, 1967
PLACE OF BIRTH Torrance , California, USA