Gold will mean more green for Olympic wrestlers

An Olympic wrestling champion known for his dominance on the sport's biggest stage, Rulon Gardner watched with disgust - and a tinge of envy - as the Russians crushed the Americans last year at the Beijing Games.

"It was like men and boys," he said. "It was absolutely frightening how good they were."

The latest attempt by USA Wrestling to narrow the gap involves unprecedented financial incentives from a recently created endowment, with bonuses reaching $250,000 for an Olympic gold medal.

Podium finishers at the 2012 Olympics and the next three world championships, starting with the September event in Herning, Denmark, will receive substantial increases in prize money through the "Living the Dream Medal Fund," unveiled in May.

Gold-medal payouts for London rose by $185,000 from Beijing, and Colorado Springs-based USA Wrestling is offering silver medalists $50,000 and bronze medalists $25,000. At worlds, it plans to give $50,000 for golds, $25,000 for silvers and $15,000 for bronzes.

"You're going to have a stud that comes along, and he'll win three or four times," said Gardner, who claimed a gold at the 2000 Olympics and a bronze in 2004. "He'll make a heck of a lot of money, and nobody else will make the money. But you look at building the sport - you've got to get that type of money to keep people around."

Initial funding was provided by six donors, including benefactors Mike Novogratz, Dave Barry and Kim Martori-Wickey. USA Wrestling is soliciting donations at living-the-dream-medal-fund.com.

Coronado High School graduate Henry Cejudo earned $65,000 for a gold in Beijing - $25,000 from both the U.S. Olympic Committee and a fund by California wrestling enthusiast Ken Honig and $15,000 from USA Wrestling. Former Olympic Training Center residents Randi Miller and Adam Wheeler netted $21,000 apiece for bronzes.

Under the new program, Cejudo, Miller and Wheeler would have combined for $300,000, and USA Wrestling would have been on the hook for $65,000 for Colorado Springs wrestler Clarissa Chun's gold and Tatiana Padilla's bronze at the 2008 worlds.

"It would be naïve to think that it's not going to serve as a motivator," said Rich Bender, executive director of USA Wrestling. "The goal is that the athletes will be motivated but push for that second or third Olympic cycle. History has shown that athletes tend to be more successful the longer they're in the game."

Incentives have worked for Russia, which awarded six gold medalist wrestlers $500,000 apiece in Beijing, capping a stretch of 37 medals (21 golds) at the past four Summer Games. By comparison, American wrestlers won 24 medals (seven golds) in that span.

Colorado Springs wrestler Patricia Miranda, a 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, maintains the fund won't "make an individual train harder. It would make it easier for a family to make sacrifices. There's an expected return that might compensate them."

Gardner predicts some wrestlers will begin competing for paychecks, not medals.

"The gorilla that's in the closet that you don't see - your whole goal is to win that money," he said. "You're not focusing on the actual medal. Now, it's about money."