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Ohenewa Akuffo grapples with serious competition

By steve buffery 5/31/03

Brampton amateur wrestler Ohenewa Akuffo is not at all psyched out by who she might meet this summer at the Pan American Games and world championships. After all, the Brampton native managed to survive last month's Canadian championships and that, in itself, was a major accomplishment.

Here's the deal:

At the recent nationals held in Saskatoon, Akuffo had to face six-time world champion Christine Nordhagen of Calgary and then Pam Wilson of Hamilton, who is also a spectacular talent, in the 72 kilogram weight class.

In the semi-finals, Akuffo pinned Nordhagen, who missed much of last season because of knee problems, at 4:29 and then defeated Wilson, 4-0, in the final.

By capturing the gold, Akuffo assured herself a spot on the Canadian team for the Pan American Games, Aug.1-8 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and the world championships, Sept.10-14 in New York City.

Akuffo also sent out a message to the rest of the female wrestling world in the 72 kg class, including Japanese star Kyoko Hamaguchi, who she also defeated in 2002. She is serious about winning the worlds and the Olympics -- IF she gets past Nordhagen and Wilson at the Olympic trials, Dec. 12-14 in Edmonton.

Talk about depth at the national level.

"Christine and Ohenewa would both have a good shot at winning the gold medal at next year's Olympics," said Doug Cox, Akuffo's coach at the Guelph Wrestling Club.

"And Pam Wilson would certainly be in the top four in the world."

Since exploding on to the world scene while still in high school, the 24-year-old Akuffo has turned heads everywhere with her speed and explosive power.

Akuffo was born in North York and moved with her family when she was three years old to Accra, the capital of the west African nation of Ghana, "to get me in touch with my roots" before returning to Canada a few years later.

She started wrestling at Ascension of the Lord high school in Mississauga but then switched to Augustine Secondary after the family moved to Brampton. She also trained at the Matman Wrestling Club and joined a judo academy to help with her balance, strength and throws.

After starting her post-secondary academic career at McMaster, Akuffo switched to York University for business and for 2 1/2 years spent her weekdays travelling from her home in Brampton, to York in North York, back home, and then all the way to Guelph to train.

"That was quite stressful," Akuffo said this week, after a practice session in Guelph. "I spent a lot of time on the road and my mental focus wasn't (right)."

Recently, Akuffo, the 1999 Canadian university champion at 75 kg, moved to Guelph and now takes her business courses electronically. The frequency and intensity of her workouts has increased and Cox believes that will pay big dividends in her quest to make the Olympic team and bring home a medal to Canada.

Like most Canadian elite amateur athletes, Akuffo is desperately searching for a sponsor or two. Anyone interested can go on her website, www.ohenewa.ca.

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10 Questions for U.S. Nationals champion Patricia Miranda

5/29/2003
John Fuller/USA Wrestling

PATRICIA MIRANDA
2002-03 Team USA Ranking: No. 1 at 48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Years on Team USA: 4 (1998-00, 02-03)
Residence: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Club: Dave Schultz WC
College: Stanford Univ.
High School: Saratoga, Calif.
Born: June 11, 1979 in Manteca, Calif.
Height: 5-0

1. You recorded three pins at the U.S. Nationals along with one technical fall. Did you expect to dominate this tournament so much?
Miranda: I didn't expect much, but I think that's because I don't focus on the outcomes of matches. When I visualize my opponents, it's more about my effort level and making sure I am leaving it all out there at the end of the match. I was surprised by the outcomes, but not because I didn't expect to do well, but more because I don't prepare for outcomes.

2. Now that you have begun to have a good taste of international competition, is it hard to gear yourself up for major U.S. tournaments like the nationals or the World Team Trials?
Miranda: Not at all. I think that's my personality. I tend to overestimate, rather than underestimate, people in general. Every match is an opportunity to do something I haven't done before. Any time there are two wrestlers going at it with the ref and some fans, that creates the drive in me to compete, whether it be international or domestic.

3. Last year you did not place at the World Championships after winning a silver medal in 2000. To what would you attribute your losses at the Worlds last year?
Miranda: I think one thing that has helped me with the Worlds is owning that loss and taking responsibility for that loss. I don't think there is an excuse or any easy thing I could point to. I wasn't prepared and the result was indicative of that. Mainly I wasn't mentally prepared. It's better to put it out there and have lost than losing without risking it. I lost and I was a little tired. That was real turning point. Even though it really hurt to lose, I wouldn't change that for the world. I think that has helped me become a better wrestler.

4. Since that time, you have been dominant in both the U.S. and on the international level. What has changed for you since last year's World Championships?
Miranda: Viewing wrestling as not being a threat. It was all how I perceived the sport. It is not something about having to keep my title. Instead, I am perceiving this as a chance to fail. People never get to see how far they can excel in their passion. I have basically been handed that. Viewing it more as a gift is how I alleviate pressure. This is my opportunity. It's about exploring, not about hanging on to what I've already done.

5. You have been accepted into the Yale Law School for when you are done training for the Olympics. With both being an Olympic champion and completing law school being major goals for you, was it hard to put one ahead of the other?
Miranda: My dad would say yes. It wasn't that hard when the decision came. I am sort of blessed that I get to do both. If I had to do one or the other, it would have been a harder decision. But because I can do both, it was a no-brainer. I was able to compete in college and keep up with the academics at high levels, but I felt like if I wanted to get to that elite level of either one, I would have to focus more on just one. It's a matter of respecting the goal enough to commit to it.

6. What have you been able to improve on since you became a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center?
Miranda: The obvious answer is freestyle. At Stanford, training with men, I could do some freestyle after practices, but it was mainly a collegiate focus. It has helped me with my timidness. I have always been an aggressive wrestler, but at Stanford, I was always smaller and a little weaker. When I would go out against someone my size and strength, I was timid because I was so used to getting squashed all the time. Now I get to actually train aggressively. It's not out of the ordinary for me to dominate someone, but at Stanford it was really weird.

7. As one of the leader's of the U.S. squad over the past year, have you noticed an improvement in the technical skills of the U.S. women?
Miranda: Definitely. Terry Steiner is above average on technique. But even without Terry Steiner, just having a full-time coach that is giving us attention on technique is a big help. He watches our tapes and is slowly, but surely, filling in the gaps in our wrestling. It's just basic technique that women hadn't picked up on. We had always been add-ons to most of our wrestling teams. We didn't have the basics much before a coach started paying attention to it.

8. Is there anyone in the U.S. right now that you think can dethrone you?
Miranda: Wrestling is a great sport. Hard work can make up for a lot of things. On any given day, anybody can win. All I can do is ensure that the things I can control, how hard I work, how smart I work and how focused I am, are at the best they can be. Can somebody beat me? Yeah. They are going to have to fight really hard. They are going to have to go through hell and back to do it.

9. When 2004 is done, whether you make the Olympic team or not, do you plan to retire or could there still be a future for you?
Miranda: Terry is working on me. He is pushing for the six years. I do think that even if I do come back and wrestle through 2008, I want to believe that I am only going through 2004. I am going to train so hard that I want to never train again after 2004. If I do go through 2008, there will be some sort of break time. I have to go do something with my brain. I have to believe that I am going to walk away because that is the only way I can sustain my level of training right now. This way it is like only having one shot at this goal.

10. Who was the wrestler you looked up to the most growing up?
Miranda: Growing up, I never really thought much about the sport of wrestling. I liked doing it and that is how I got into it, not through another wrestler. I have focused so much on my own training since then that it has been hard to pay attention to other wrestlers that closely.