Askren falls short of dream at 2008 Beijing Olympics

Posted to Sports Blog by Nick Forrester at 11:07 a.m., Aug. 20, 2008

Being only one contest away from a dream match up has proved to be much easier said than done this past year for the Missouri Tigers.

Last December, the MU football team was only one game away from playing in the national championship game. The only thing that stood in the way was Oklahoma. Result: Missouri loss.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, former MU wrestler Ben Askren was only one match away from his dream match up against one of his former idols, two-time defending Olympic Gold Medalist and eventual Gold Medalist of these Games, Buvaysa Saytiev of Russia. The only thing that stood in the way was 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist Ivan Fundora of Cuba. Result: Askren loss.

Askren had a tough match in his opening bout Tuesday night against Gabor Hatos of Hungaria. Hatos took control of Askren early, winning decisively in the first period, by a score of 2-0. Being only one period away from defeat, Askren came back strong in the second period, scoring an early takedown before putting Hatos to his back, getting the fall and the automatic victory.

Being one match away from wrestling Saytiev, Askren’s luck ran out in his second match when he faced Fundora. Fundora won the first period 3-1, scoring a takedown and exposing Askren’s back to the mat for an additional two points, and won the second period by a score of 4-0.

In the bout, Fundora scored four takedowns on Askren, an area that Askren wanted to improve on before the games.

“We’ve made (Askren) focus on defending the legs the best he can because when the best wrestler’s in the world get a leg, they usually get the takedown,” Askren’s Olympic coach and MU assistant coach Shawn Charles said at Askren’s luncheon July 16 in Columbia.

Unlike collegiate wrestling, international wrestling is not the total score of the bout that decides the winner; rather, it is the best of three periods.

After Fundora won the second period against Askren, the match was over. Now Askren had to sit and wait for his Olympic fate.

Fundora took Askren’s spot in the bout against Saytiev, but after Saytiev earned the decisive victory over Fundora, Askren’s Olympic run was over.

Askren will now return to MU to finish up graduate school and be a volunteer coach for the Missouri wrestling team, but he won’t be bringing a gold medal back with him.