Think about some of the greatest American athletes who have represented the U.S. in world championships and the Olympics. Some names that come to mind are Michael Phelps, Michael Jordan and Michael Johnson.
Even more than the male athletes, there have been incredible female athletes such as Mia Hamm, Lolo Jones and Shawn Johnson. Even Ronda Rousey, UFC champion and Olympic bronze medalist, was one of the most recognizable faces of female international competition when she was a judoka.
However, there is a new athlete in town who could become a face of international competition for the United States: Adeline Gray. Gray is an amateur wrestler who has been highly successful in her time on the mat.
“My dad got me into wrestling when I was about six years old,” Gray told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. “He’s a great athlete, a varsity athlete throughout high school in multiple sports. Then he went to college and wanted to play multiple sports for fun, so he kind of gave up wrestling competitively in college.”
In fact, Gray comes from a family of athletes, from her uncle to her siblings. Gray’s sister is a collegiate soccer player, showing that Gray may have been meant for sports.
She was a natural from the time she stepped on the mat. Sure, she got a start at a young age, but it was obvious that she was going to be something special.
“I was varsity my freshman year of high school,” Gray explained. “We had a bracket where we wrestled to see who made varsity. I figured I wouldn’t make varsity because there were a lot of older guys, but I ended up making it, which surprised even me.”
Gray continued to wrestle throughout high school, seeing a good amount of success. She then decided that she wanted to do bigger things in the sport, so she moved to Marquette, Michigan, where she basically trained full time with a bunch of high-level wrestling athletes.
Big things were happening to Gray. In fact, she tried out for the U.S. Junior National Team around this time and made the squad. That led to her first big taste of success, as she won her first Junior World Championship in 2008.
Of course, the move to Marquette was a big sacrifice for Gray. She was still in high school and couldn’t experience some of the things that made being a teenager so memorable.
“The move to Marquette was a big social sacrifice for me,” Gray admitted. “My friends and I had made big plans for our senior year, but then I decided to focus my time on wrestling. I look back on it, and it was great for my wrestling career, but you’re only young once, and I know I missed out on some high school things that would have been memorable.”
Of course, Gray’s great success was just a foreshadowing of bigger things. She moved to the Olympic Training Center eventually and began her career as a full-time wrestler.
“My job is wrestling, so it’s great,” Gray stated. “I get paid to work out and excel at a sport I love. Some days are tough, but then you have the peak days where it all pays off. We work out six days a week and rest the seventh. We also do two-a-days and lift in addition to wrestle.”
Gray’s list of accomplishments are impressive, and she’s done it at different weight classes. She has scored two bronze medals in the world championships at 67 kilograms as well as scored two gold medals at both 67 and 75 kilograms. She has proved to be one of the most consistent and accomplished female wrestlers and is still just 23 years old.
Gray has wrestled in three different weight classes over her career. She has spent time at 63, 67 and 75 kilograms though her most recent matches have seen her compete at 75 kilograms. That is because of her feelings toward weight cutting, as she used to start cutting two weeks out when competing at lower weight classes.
“There is definitely a benefit of weight cutting. You can be the bigger, stronger girl in your bracket, but that can also come at a price,” Gray explained.
“The emotional and psychological drain can affect you, and you’re not spending as much time focusing on wrestling and cardio, which is definitely a setback. My move to 75 kilograms sees me basically cutting no weight to make it, which is refreshing. I get to stay hydrated and feeling good on that mat as opposed to focusing on weight cutting and feeling weak.”
Gray’s most recent success came in the 2014 World Wrestling Championships. Competing at 75 kilograms, she was among some extremely skilled wrestlers as well as some inexperienced competitors.
In the tournament, there is no seeding. This was seen in this year’s bracket, as the bottom half of the bracket was far more stacked than the top. That’s where Gray was put.
“My opening match of the tournament was my toughest against Zhou Qian of China,” Gray admitted. “She’s a tremendous athlete, and she could have been a potential world champion had she not been matched up with me that early.
“Epp Mae, who I wrestled later, was literally the strongest woman physically I have ever wrestled. There was so much talent. Five of the top six girls were on my side of the bracket, so you can tell that some of the best women in the world weren’t even able to place.”
Her run to the finals was not easy. After beating Qian in her first match, Gray went on to beat Yasemin Adar of Turkey, Hiroe Suzuki of Japan and Mae of Estonia before facing Brazilian Aline Ferreira in finals. She would win 2-1 against Ferreira, securing her second gold medal at the World Wrestling Championship.
“Aline is tough. You can be in deep on her hips, and she’ll just throw you,” Gray pointed out. “She’s very tricky to finish on. So I had to be careful in my match with her because at any point, no matter how many points ahead you are, she can put you away. You need to play it safe against her. I don’t know if she has a judo background or not, but she’s very good at throwing and had strong hips.”
Of course, the big thing that Gray has her sights on is the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. There, she has a chance, along with the other American wrestlers, to bring home a heavy amount of medals. She plans on being the first woman to bring home a gold medal.
“I have to sit down with my coaches and start planning out my next year of training. I still have the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, which I have to prepare for, and then my complete attention is on the 2016 Olympics. I need to bring that first women’s wrestling gold medal home for the U.S.”
With her success at a young age and overall skill as a wrestler, there are some MMA fans who have pondered her future in MMA. Gray has no experience training in MMA, but her wrestling chops are good enough to give her a base that can make her successful in a still-young sport for ladies.
However, it’s all about her willingness to compete in the sport. Her focus is completely on wrestling now, but she hasn’t completely ruled out a move to the fast-growing sport.
“I’ve never had a strong passion for MMA even though I do follow it a bit,” Gray confessed. “For the most part, my mother said she loves my nose and doesn’t want me getting punched in the face. I would consider it if the price were right, but for right now, MMA isn’t really on my radar and list of goals. Another world championship and an Olympic gold medal are my priorities right now.”
Of course, time can change things, but for now, Gray is keeping focused. With the position she’s in and the fact that she’s only getting stronger as a wrestler, it is indeed possible that Gray could bring home that Olympic gold medal.
The future is bright for this great American athlete. Maybe one day, we will be mentioning her among the greats as she guns to be another pioneer of American women’s athletics.
Adeline would like to thank her sponsors, NYAC and Shaklee, as well as her fans, coaches and supporters.
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