IOWA CITY — For a three-time world champion, the ultimate goal has to be bigger than simply making the Olympic team, especially one with a chance to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling.
But that will be the focus later for Denver’s Adeline Gray. On Sunday night the Bear Creek High School grad celebrated an achievement that has been her dream since she was a little girl — becoming an Olympian — and she wanted to savor it first.
Gray punched her ticket to Rio de Janeiro with an overpowering performance in the 75-kilogram (165-pound) final at the Olympic Trials against Victoria Francis of Litchfield Ill., winning two matches in the best-of-three finals showdown, 11-0 and 10-0.
“To be an Olympian has been her goal for many years, even longer than winning a gold medal,” said her mother, Donna. “Being an Olympian has meant everything to her for years upon years.”
Gray, 25, was a heavy favorite, having won world titles in 2012, 2014 and 2015 plus bronze medals in 2011 and 2013. Still, the realization of that childhood dream left her flooded with emotion.
Photos: Denver’s Adeline Gray dominates at Olympic Wrestling Trials
“It’s really surreal,” Gray said. “I just can’t even believe it’s here. I’ve been holding back a lot of emotions leading up to this moment. I knew I was No. 1 in the world, I knew I could do this, but to come here and actually get it done is another thing.”
In fact, it was “totally relief.” She was expected to win. She was wrestling for herself and her family, but also USA Wrestling because she has become the face of the women’s program. She also wrestles to inspire young girls to dream the way she did when she was little.
She made quick work of Francis in the first match, needing only 2 minutes, 35 seconds to claim a match that could have gone six minutes. She focused hard before the second match on not taking her Olympic spot for granted.
“A positive thought is just as dangerous as a negative thought,” Gray said. “That idea of having that O-word too soon is disconcerting and very detrimental for your match. I was able to keep focused on one match, one match.”
The second match was a rout like the first one, though.
“She’s at another level,” said her father, George, a Denver police officer. “She knows what she wants to do. She studies her opponents, knows what works and executes.”
She had a rooting section of 16 people, including her boyfriend, her parents and her three sisters. Sister Geneva, who coaches wrestling and soccer at Chatfield High School, braided Adeline’s hair at the arena before she took the mat. Another sister, Gabriella, is a junior defender on the women’s soccer team at the Air Force Academy who rushed here from a tournament in New Mexico. Their youngest sister, Izabella, is a freshman at Fort Lewis College who flew from Durango to Phoenix to Denver to Chicago, then covered the remaining 220 miles by car.
Adeline’s boyfriend, Demaris Sanders, is a captain in the U.S. Army who wore a T-shirt that said, “Gray to Gold.” Her father was on crutches because of recent ankle surgery.
He broke it in a recent mishap with the family dog, but it wasn’t bothering him Sunday night because Adeline was an Olympian at last.
“I get to say that forever and always,” Adeline said. “I think it will take some time to sink in, just like the world titles did, but I’ll own it soon and I’m just so, so excited.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or @johnmeyer
