Smith: "I felt like a kid at Christmas."

Once the mats were put away at the 2005 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, only one wrestler from the U.S. brought home gold. This U.S. freestyle competitor had never won a World championship, an NCAA title, or a state high school crown.
That said, Iris Smith has accomplished much in her mat career, including winning titles at the 2000-02 and 2005 U.S. Nationals, as well as the Pan American Games in 2000 and 2001. Now Smith has added the 2005 World Championship -- and its gold medal -- to her list of list of honors.

A Day to Remember in September

Friday, September 30 was an incredible day for Iris Smith. On her way to the gold medal in the 72kg/158.5 lb women's freestyle competition, Smith had to wrestle four opponents -- all in one day.

Iris Smith defeated five-time World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan, 3-1, 1-1 and 1-0, to win the 2005 World title at 72 kg (photo by Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling).

"All through the tournament, I was incredibly focused," said Smith in an interview for this profile. "I felt like I was in the zone from the moment I weighed in. I kept my concentration, and wrestled one match at a time. I felt comfortable and confident."

Throughout the day, Iris Smith kept her eyes on the prize. In her first bout, Smith stopped Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria, 3-1, 1-0 … followed by a shut out of Angnieska Wieczczek of Poland, 2-0, 6-0 to win the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Smith defeated Anita Schaetzle of Germany, 3-1, 2-0.

The Finals Outcome

Those three bouts were the prelude to the finals, where Smith faced off against five-time World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan. In only her second appearance in a World championship, Smith upset the veteran 3-1, 1-1 and 1-0 to win the 2005 World title in Budapest. And it all played out in an exciting finals bout that could have been straight out of a Hollywood movie.

Smith opened up the best-of-three-periods title match in spectacular fashion, scoring a three-point takedown to take the first period. The next period ended in a 1-1 tie, but Hamaguchi won it because she scored the last point. In the first fifty seconds of the third and deciding period, Smith scored a takedown at the edge of the mat which had to be reviewed by the officials while the wrestlers, coaches and audience waited in nervous anticipation. The point stood, and Smith held Hamaguchi scoreless the rest of the period to claim victory -- and the gold.

Basking In a Golden Glow

In a published interview conducted immediately after winning the championship, Smith said, "I wrestled (Hamaguchi) at the World Cup five months ago. She beat me. But I felt I could beat her. I decided to do my own thing. (U.S. Army coach) Shon Lewis helped me out to get prepared. My strategy was to keep moving. (National women's coach) Terry Steiner had everything ready, and he told me what to do. It worked."

Smith was one of four U.S. women to medal in the tournament, helping the team to place third in the standings at the Worlds. "I think my gold was important to the team," Smith said in a post-match interview. "I wanted to hear the national anthem and see my flag raised. I love my country. It motivated me. I wanted to get my country another gold medal."

Reflecting on the gold-medal match two weeks after bringing home the World championship, Smith noted, "In the finals, I was so focused, I didn't even realize I had wrestled three periods. In fact, I wasn't completely sure I had won until I looked over at Terry Steiner and Shon Lewis."

"I felt like a kid at Christmas," said Smith. "This has been a lifelong dream of mine, a dream that I've had since I first started wrestling."

Georgia: The First Step on the Road to Gold

Born twenty-six years ago in Albany, Georgia – located in the southeastern part of the state -- Smith came to wrestling a bit later than most world champions. She first took up the sport at Darsey Private High School where she also played basketball and served as student council president, according to her USA Wrestling biography.

"I went to my brother Kenderson's wrestling matches to support him, to cheer him on," said Smith. "His coach, Anthony White, tried to talk me into going out for the team. Then my mom started working on me, too. So I decided to check it out."

Smith got a rather rude introduction to the sport. "On the second day of practice, I broke my ankle! I spent the whole summer in a cast."

In June, Iris Smith defeated Ali Bernard to win the World Team Trials in Ames, Iowa.

But that injury didn't stop Smith from returning to the mats. She wrestled as a middleweight on the boys' varsity team, where she was immediately accepted by her teammates. "It helped that coach White had recruited me, and that my older brother was on the team."

When asked if she encountered much resistance to wrestling boys in high school from those outside the team, Smith replied, "I really didn't hear too much in the way of negative comments. I did get some folks saying things like ‘ladies don't wrestle.'"

"As I started to win, I got a bit more flack," according to Smith. "A couple times I heard from parents whose sons lost to me. But that was pretty much the extent of it."

Go West, Young Wrestler!

Immediately after high school, Smith stayed in Georgia for a while, continuing her wrestling training. Then she headed west to the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs … even though they didn't have a specific program for women at the time.

"The OTC is the perfect place for me," said Smith. "It has tremendous facilities, you get expert coaching, and experienced workout partners. And the scenery! I have an incredible view of the mountains from my house. I love the outdoors, so Colorado is great for me. I can go hiking in the mountains whenever I want."

Smith singled out her coaches for special praise: "I could not have won the Worlds without them. Shon Lewis, with his background as a Greco-Roman wrestler, is a great motivator. And Terry Steiner is the technician, helping me improve my technique. Their unique skills, personalities and backgrounds compliment each other, and make a great coaching team for me."

She's In the Army Now

In her third year at the Olympic Training Center, Smith joined the U.S. Army, where she is a sergeant. She is based at Fort Carson, Colorado, only a few miles from the OTC and her house.

"I'm part of their World Class Athlete Program," said Smith. "I am a soldier, trained as a transportation specialist, but my mission is to represent the Army as a wrestler in international competition." Smith points out that a number of U.S. wrestlers are part of this program, including Dremiel Byers, Keith Sieracki, Oscar Wood, and Tina George.

Building a Ladder…

With her gold medal, Iris Smith joins a very exclusive club: only three other U.S. women -- Tricia Saunders, Kristie Marano, and Sandra Bacher -- have ever won a World wrestling championship.

"As a young woman, I always looked up to Tricia Saunders as my inspiration," said Smith. "She paved the way for women like me to go out for the sport and work hard to be successful at it."

Smith likens her wrestling career to building a ladder over the ten years of international freestyle competition. "Winning the U.S. Nationals is one step in building a ladder to the Worlds, which then serves as a ladder towards the 2008 Olympics," said Smith. "Of course, the ladder includes many elements beyond competing, including working out, staying in shape, and having the right people around me."

As for the top rung of the ladder?

"After I reach my other goals, I might consider a career in coaching," said Smith. "It would be a great way to give back to the sport that has given so much to me."

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Smith: "I felt like a kid at Christmas."

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