With the Sydney Olympics already two months old, athletes all over the world are thinking about Athens in 2004. One of these athletes is Virginia sophomore wrestler Josh Etu, a 6-foot-2, 253-pound heavyweight who looks like the Cavs' best chance for a spot on the U.S. national team at the next Olympics.
Etu competed three weeks ago in the World University Championships in Tokyo. As one of eight members of the U.S. team competing in the championships, he lost each of his three matches and placed seventh overall in the heavyweight class. Like the other Americans, Etu was overmatched by bigger and stronger opponents who had far more international experience. At 19 years old, he was competing in a tournament featuring opponents as old as 28.
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Another major disadvantage Etu faced in Japan was a shift from U.S. college folkstyle wrestling to the Greco-Roman style used at the World University Championships. In the Greco-Roman style, wrestlers are limited to upper body attacks and cannot go after their opponents' legs.
Virginia wrestling coach Lenny Bernstein said Etu had to make a "big shift for a wrestler who had been training during the season in folkstyle wrestling."
Earning a spot in the championships to begin with was an incredible accomplishment for Etu. He got there by becoming the first Cavalier wrestler to win a University National Championship, winning both the freestyle and the Greco-Roman championships. He then became the first Virginia wrestler to qualify for the Olympic trials, though he did not make the national team.
Bernstein said Etu's performance in the World University Championships was "a big step in the right direction for Josh in achieving his dream of wrestling in the Olympics in 2004."
By 2004, Etu should be at his peak at age 23. He spends about 11 months of the year wrestling and usually tries to save one month each summer to concentrate on weightlifting. After graduating from the University in 2003, he plans to spend a year wrestling strictly in the Greco-Roman style in preparation for the Olympic trials.
After placing seventh in the heavyweight division at the trials this year, Etu expects a big improvement next time around. To earn a spot on the Olympic team, he must win the heavyweight division at the trials.
Etu was the first Cav wrestler to earn a full scholarship. He also starred in football and lacrosse at Queensbury High School in New York, but, as a major in astrophysics, he defies the "dumb jock" stereotype.
"It is a lot of work," Etu said. "It really helps you focus your time. If I wasn't wrestling, I don't know what I would do with my time."
So far this season, Etu has a 6-1 record, a first-place finish at the Keystone Classic two weeks ago and a second-place finish at last week's Mat Town Invitational. But he said unlike last season, when 125-pounder Steve Garland finished second at NCAAs, this year's Cavalier squad does not have any superstars. This season, Etu hopes to emerge as one of the stars.
"If I can go through the year without injury, I have a real shot at a national title," he said.
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