Olympic medalist
At age 27, Patricia Miranda concedes she might qualify for pioneer status as a female wrestler.
After all, Miranda has been competing since she was 12. She wrestled in college with the men at Stanford because there was no women’s team and won the first-ever Olympic medal for the United States in women’s wrestling when she took bronze at the 2004 Athens Games.
But Miranda still has some goals to accomplish on the mat before accepting the fact that aspiring female wrestlers see her only as a role model.
"I’m starting to feel that, especially when I get letters from little girls," Miranda said. "But, to tell you the truth, I feel like I’m in the second generation of female wrestlers. Yes, I’m the first on the Olympic stage, but without the women who wrestled for years before I did, there’s no way I could have accomplished what I have."
There are approximately 10,000 registered females competing in the sport, according to USA Wrestling. About 100 of the elite wrestlers will compete in the U.S. National Women’s Freestyle Championships at 9 a.m. today at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
It’s an important tuneup competition for the World Team Trials in Las Vegas on June 9 and 10. That event will determine the U.S. team for the world championships in Azerbaijan from Sept. 17 to 23.
"This is important for several reasons," said Miranda, who will wrestle at 112 pounds. "If you win, you sit out national team trials until the finals. But there are things I need to do in the competition to get me ready for worlds and for next year’s Olympics."
After she medaled at Athens, Miranda walked away from wrestling. She was going to law school, with the hope of one day owning her own firm, and concentrating on family life with her husband and coach, former Stanford wrestler Levi Weikel-Magden.
"It took me eight months to realize I didn’t want to walk away," said Miranda, who is set to finish up at Yale Law School next month and then take the bar exam after next year’s Beijing Olympics.
Miranda also conceded she hadn’t totally conquered her fears on the mat.
Miranda’s first wrestling experience came when she was 12 and living near San Jose, Calif. The experience was not a pleasant one, but as much as she wanted to quit, Miranda wouldn’t let herself walk away on a low note.
She since has proven herself many times over. Yet fear remains a prime motivator as she enters the final phase of her career.
"I’m still very hungry," Miranda said. "I came back because there’s something more to do. It’s not just about going back (to the Olympics) and winning gold. That is important to me.
"But it’s whether I can reach that next level. Can I reach a level of wrestling without fear, whether it’s fear of losing or fear of my opponent? It’s a fear of what happens if I unleash all my thoughts. I’m still evolving to that."
