The Olympics have so many good things going for them.
There’s unbridled joy when an athlete does well. There’s the sadness we feel when something goes horribly wrong for an athlete on the playing field.
Mix it all together and you have a formula that keeps drawing us back every two years — for both the summer and winter games.
My family felt all those emotions Saturday afternoon watching Olympic wrestling from Rio, both in person as well as in Brazil.
My aunt and uncle, my cousin and several of her siblings were at Carioca Arena 2 in Rio. Others were watchning back here at home.
Bright and early I was up at Adams Street Expresso. With my blue, red and white Team Dlagnev shirt on, I was there ready to watch my cousin’s husband Tervel Dlagnev go for gold in what is likely his final Olympic games.
At first, it didn’t look so bright for Dlagnev. He drew a tough match in the round of 16, going up against world number two ranked Jamaladdin Magomedov of Azerbaijan. Magomedov was a silver medalist last year at the world championships and a favorite to earn a medal in Rio.
It looked liked Team Dlagnev’s day would be done early. Magomedov built a 5-0 lead into the second and final three minute period.
Then the tables turned. Dlagnev hit a takedown to cut the lead to 5-2. He turned Magomedov onto his back for two more points, trailing 5-4, but with time running out.
Dlagnev took one more shot.
As I watched on my computer, I can’t say I’ve felt this nervous over a sporting event since some of the late 1990s Nebraska football games when the Huskers were in the national championship hunt.
Dlagnev dove in on a low single. He kept pushing for it, pushing for it.
Meanwhile the clock kept ticking down. 10 seconds, 9-8-7-6 seconds.
Finally with around five seconds left, the two point takedown was awarded.
I apologize if anyone in downtown Creston was trying to sleep, but I jumped out of my seat a hooting and hollering like few times ever when watching a sporting event.
It was absolutely awesome.
The dream of gold was still alive.
Next up was a date with world No. 11 Robert Baran of Poland in the round of eight.
Dlagnev hit a first period takedown, then a pushout for a 3-0 lead at the break.
Baran hit a late takedown for two, but Dlagnev held on for a 3-2 win to advance to the semifinals.
But it wasn’t all right heading into the semifinals we’d later find out. A nagging back injury started to rear its ugly head once more.
A battered, beaten Dlagnev was heading out onto the mat against Komeil Ghasemi from Iran.
His Iranian counterpart could sense Dlagnev was at less than full strength. He went in on a low single quickly for two. Four turns of the back later and the match was over by 10-0 technical superiority.
I stared at my computer in shock, messaged my mom in Kansas City, Facebooked my brother back in Nebraska.
I couldn’t believe it.
The lows of competition.
There was still hope for a medal. But he’d have to do so against world number one Geno Petriashvili of Georgia.
Dlagnev went in on a low single leg takdown, but Petriashvili, blocked it.
Petriashvili countered with an outside single, then turned Dlagnev over four times for another 10-0 technical superiority win.
My heart broke. I felt bad for Tervel, my cousin and their family.
It wasn’t supposed to end like that.
Later, he said in the post-match interview his back has not been right since 2014. He’d had all of five live practices between the Olympic trials in Iowa City and Rio. His workouts had been limited to treadmill walking in Rio.
You could just hear in his voice the pain he was in.
In a way, you could hear the sense of relief that this journey was finished.
He’d given his all, but a broken and beaten body would not let him go any further.
You could sense how much the back injury has hampered him at home with my cousin and their boys, and how much he wants to be healthy again; just to be able to be a happy, healthy husband and father.
His life outside of international competition is set. He’ll start coaching at Ohio State this fall.
If this is it for Tervel in international competition, and he didn’t exactly rule it out, but was far from confirming as much, it’s been a whale of a ride. He’s never finished lower than the bronze medal match at any world or Olympic competition. He’s been a multi-time United States champion.
It’s been a whale of a ride for him, especially considering his humble beginnings in the sport as a high schooler in Texas.
Tervel, thanks for an incredible ride. It’s been a pleasure to watch you compete against the worlds best, push yourself farther than you ever could’ve dreamt of. You’ve competed well, represented your country and your faith even more well.
Congrats on a great career Tervel and best wishes in the years to come.