Henry Cejudo
Encyclopedia
Henry Cejudo is a freestyle wrestler
, Olympic gold medalist, and author. Cejudo became an Olympic gold medalist at just 21 years old, the youngest American wrestler to win a gold medal.
state championships (two in Colorado, two in Arizona). He was awarded (the title) ASICS
National High School Wrestler of the Year (2006) .
He participated in two Junior World Championships, placing fifth in 2005, and second in 2006. That same year, Cejudo became the first high schooler to win U.S. Nationals since USA Wrestling
's formation as the sport's national body in 1983. Cejudo decided to skip wrestling at the college level
, and instead accepted an offer from USA wrestling to train at their main facilities, in Colorado Springs, Colorado
.
Cejudo won the Pan American Championships in March, 2008.
Wrestling Career Highlights'
'2005
2006
2007
2008
Additional Wrestling Accolades
's Radoslav Velikov
, Cejudo lost the first period, 2-1, and was forced to win both of the remaining periods to win the match.
In the quarterfinals, Cejudo faced Georgian
wrestler Besarion Gochashvilli, and again lost the first period, but bounced back to win the last two periods to advance.
In the semifinals, Cejudo again was forced to win the last two periods, but did so for the third time in the tournament, defeating Azerbaijan
i wrestler Namig Sevdimov
to advance to the gold medal match.
For the gold medal match, Cejudo faced Japan
ese wrestler Tomohiro Matsunaga
, and for the first time in the tournament was able to win the first two periods which secured the gold medal.
While in Beijing, Henry appeared on numerous national television programs including NBC’s Today Show, CBS’ Early Morning Show and ABC’s Nightly News.
Other appearances include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, ESPN’s Sports Center, Access Hollywood, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Extreme Makeover – Home Edition, Japan’s popular Ninja Warrior television show,in which Cejudo was one of the 100 contestants in the 21st SASUKE
tournament, along with Tomohiro Matsunaga, the 2008 Olympic Silver medalist that Henry defeated, and various local news programs across the nation. Henry also had the distinct honor of presenting one of three scholarships to a deserving Hispanic student during Univision’s “6th Annual Premios Juventud Youth Awards.” Henry was also recognized during Univision’s Tecate Premios Deportes 2008 broadcast as one of 2008’s outstanding Hispanic athletes.
Henry was named one of Arizona’s ten most fascinating people by The Arizona Republic in 2008 and continues to be featured in numerous publications such as Latino Perspectives Magazine and Sports Illustrated. On April 1, 2010 he was featured in the Los Angeles Times article, “Athletes without Borders.”
Henry also lit the torch at the opening ceremonies of the 2009 State Games of America in Colorado Springs, CO on July 30, 2009.
, New Mexico
to raise her six young children on her own. She frequently had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. As a result, Henry’s early childhood was spent moving from state to state, until his family finally settled in Phoenix
, Arizona
.
The Cejudo children were raised in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Las Cruces and Phoenix. All six children slept on the floor and often did not know where their next meal would come from. Motivated by the hardships of his childhood, Henry immersed himself in school and athletics. Although the odds were stacked against him, he used wrestling to keep him out of trouble. Henry’s brother, Angel, introduced him to the sport of wrestling. From the beginning he was determined to prove himself to the world and to the father that he never really knew. Driven by desire, Henry was focused on winning the World and Olympic championships.
Henry and his brother dominated the competition while attending high school. Impressed by their accomplishments, the national developmental freestyle coach for USA Wrestling invited both Angel and Henry to attend the resident freestyle program at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs
, Colorado
.
Henry completed his education while attending the program. Upon graduation, he took the bold and highly unusual road to the Olympic gold, foregoing the customary route of a collegiate wrestling program. Henry began training full time at the Olympic Training Center to prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics
. He then went on to represent the U.S.A. in the Beijing Olympics and brought home the gold. Henry not only achieved his dream of becoming an Olympic champion, but also made history by becoming the youngest American wrestler to ever win an Olympic gold medal.
Freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...
, Olympic gold medalist, and author. Cejudo became an Olympic gold medalist at just 21 years old, the youngest American wrestler to win a gold medal.
Wrestling career
Cejudo captured four high school wrestlingScholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
state championships (two in Colorado, two in Arizona). He was awarded (the title) ASICS
ASICS
ASICS is a Japanese athletic equipment company. ASICS produces professional footwear and sports equipment designed for football, running, netball, tennis, badminton, squash, martial arts, cricket, golf, wrestling, track & field, cross-training, volleyball, cheerleading, lacrosse, and for many other...
National High School Wrestler of the Year (2006) .
He participated in two Junior World Championships, placing fifth in 2005, and second in 2006. That same year, Cejudo became the first high schooler to win U.S. Nationals since USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling is the organization that currently governs freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States...
's formation as the sport's national body in 1983. Cejudo decided to skip wrestling at the college level
Collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...
, and instead accepted an offer from USA wrestling to train at their main facilities, in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
.
Cejudo won the Pan American Championships in March, 2008.
Wrestling Career Highlights'
'2005
- NYAC Holiday Tournament champion
- Finished fifth at the Sunkist Kids International Open
- Finished fifth at the Junior World Championships
2006
- ASICS National High School Wrestler of the Year
- Second at the Junior World Championships
- FILA Junior World Team Trials champion
- Pan American Championships gold medalist
- Second at the U.S. World Team Trials
- U.S. Nationals champion
2007
- Pan American Games gold medalist
- U.S. World Team Trials champion
- DNP at the World Championships
- U.S. Nationals champion
- Fifth at the Kiev International
- Second at the Takhti Cup (Iran)
- Third at the Ivan Yarygin International (Russia)
2008
- Olympic gold medalist - youngest Olympic wrestling champion in U.S. history
- Pan American Championships gold medalist
- Second at the U.S. Nationals
- U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion
Additional Wrestling Accolades
- Four-time state champion (two in Arizona, two in Colorado).
- Two-time ASICS High School First Team member
- First high-school wrestler to win U.S. Nationals since USA Wrestling became the sport's national governing body in 1983
- Nationally ranked number one at 125 pounds by Wrestling International News magazine
- Rocky Mountain Nationals Champion
Organizations that Henry Cejudo Actively supports
- R.E.A.C.H.E.S. – In association with the Brute-Adidas’ R.E.A.C.H.E.S. program (Rewarding Educational Athletic Choices Helping Each Sport) Henry presented members of the wrestling program at Maryvale High School, his former high school alma mater, with his signature brand of Adidas wrestling shoes.
- 2016 Olympic Committee/World Sport Chicago – Henry was selected as an athlete ambassador for the committee and its legacy organization. As an ambassador he traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark to participate in the USOC’s bid to have the 2016 Olympic Games held in Chicago, Illinois.
- State Games of America – Henry was given the honor of lighting the official flame during the opening ceremony for the 2009 State Games of America at the Colorado Springs World Arena.
- United Blood Services– Henry participated in the 2008 Holiday Heroes Blood Drive that was hosted by the National Hockey League’s Phoenix Coyotes.
- Maximized Living Inc. – Henry shared his insight on common and re-occurring wrestling injuries during a clinic for Maximized Living Chiropractors in Arizona. Doctors from Maximized Living are currently the Team Chiropractors for the Olympic Governing Body for U.S. Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling teams.
- Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Henry takes time to visit with young patients and their families at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
- Warrior Games – Henry is participating in the first Warrior Games in May 2010. It is a Department of Defense event in collaboration with the USOC, USO and R2R providing Olympic style competition for America’s injured service members.
- Beat The Streets Wrestling– Beat the Streets is a non-profit organization that reaches out to students in New York City that are in need of moral support and guidance. The program creates opportunities for boys and girls from New York City schools to participate in after-school wrestling programs, and provides a safe haven and nurturing environment for students from some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Through Beat the Streets, Henry and other high profile athletes offer guidance and play an active role in encouraging troubled youth to stay on the right path.
2008 Beijing Olympics
Cejudo qualified for the Olympics, in the 55 kg, (121 pound) weight class. He entered the competition in the Round of 16. In his first round match, against BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
's Radoslav Velikov
Radoslav Velikov
Radoslav Marinov Velikov is a Bulgarian freestyle wrestler. He has been engaged in wrestling since 1997 and he currently competes for Levski Sofia, where his coach is former world champion and triple European champion Simeon Shterev, who also coaches Stanka Zlateva. Velikov won the 2006 World...
, Cejudo lost the first period, 2-1, and was forced to win both of the remaining periods to win the match.
In the quarterfinals, Cejudo faced Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
wrestler Besarion Gochashvilli, and again lost the first period, but bounced back to win the last two periods to advance.
In the semifinals, Cejudo again was forced to win the last two periods, but did so for the third time in the tournament, defeating Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i wrestler Namig Sevdimov
Namig Sevdimov
Namig Sevdimov is a male freestyle wrestler from Azerbaijan.He participated in Men's freestyle 55 kg at 2008 Summer Olympics. He was ranked 4th-5th after losing the bronze medal fight against Radoslav Velikov....
to advance to the gold medal match.
For the gold medal match, Cejudo faced Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese wrestler Tomohiro Matsunaga
Tomohiro Matsunaga
is a Japanese freestyle wrestler. Matsunaga was born in Shizuoka. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he won silver in his category ....
, and for the first time in the tournament was able to win the first two periods which secured the gold medal.
Other appearances
The compelling story of Henry Cejudo’s triumphant journey to Olympic gold quickly captivated the nation and turned Henry into an instant celebrity. He immediately began to use his newfound celebrity as a platform to inspire millions of young athletes through in-depth interviews and high profile television appearances.While in Beijing, Henry appeared on numerous national television programs including NBC’s Today Show, CBS’ Early Morning Show and ABC’s Nightly News.
Other appearances include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, ESPN’s Sports Center, Access Hollywood, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Extreme Makeover – Home Edition, Japan’s popular Ninja Warrior television show,in which Cejudo was one of the 100 contestants in the 21st SASUKE
Sasuke (TV series)
Sasuke is a Japanese sports entertainment television special in which 100 competitors attempt to complete a four stage obstacle course. An edited version, renamed Ninja Warrior, is screened in at least 18 other countries....
tournament, along with Tomohiro Matsunaga, the 2008 Olympic Silver medalist that Henry defeated, and various local news programs across the nation. Henry also had the distinct honor of presenting one of three scholarships to a deserving Hispanic student during Univision’s “6th Annual Premios Juventud Youth Awards.” Henry was also recognized during Univision’s Tecate Premios Deportes 2008 broadcast as one of 2008’s outstanding Hispanic athletes.
Henry was named one of Arizona’s ten most fascinating people by The Arizona Republic in 2008 and continues to be featured in numerous publications such as Latino Perspectives Magazine and Sports Illustrated. On April 1, 2010 he was featured in the Los Angeles Times article, “Athletes without Borders.”
Henry also lit the torch at the opening ceremonies of the 2009 State Games of America in Colorado Springs, CO on July 30, 2009.
Personal life
Henry Cejudo, the youngest of six children, was born on February 9, 1987 in South Central Los Angeles, California to undocumented Mexican immigrants. Cejudo’s father, who was consistently in and out of the California penal system, was absent from Henry’s life starting at a young age. In 1991, Henry’s mother made the decision to move to Las CrucesLas Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
to raise her six young children on her own. She frequently had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. As a result, Henry’s early childhood was spent moving from state to state, until his family finally settled in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
The Cejudo children were raised in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Las Cruces and Phoenix. All six children slept on the floor and often did not know where their next meal would come from. Motivated by the hardships of his childhood, Henry immersed himself in school and athletics. Although the odds were stacked against him, he used wrestling to keep him out of trouble. Henry’s brother, Angel, introduced him to the sport of wrestling. From the beginning he was determined to prove himself to the world and to the father that he never really knew. Driven by desire, Henry was focused on winning the World and Olympic championships.
Henry and his brother dominated the competition while attending high school. Impressed by their accomplishments, the national developmental freestyle coach for USA Wrestling invited both Angel and Henry to attend the resident freestyle program at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
Henry completed his education while attending the program. Upon graduation, he took the bold and highly unusual road to the Olympic gold, foregoing the customary route of a collegiate wrestling program. Henry began training full time at the Olympic Training Center to prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. He then went on to represent the U.S.A. in the Beijing Olympics and brought home the gold. Henry not only achieved his dream of becoming an Olympic champion, but also made history by becoming the youngest American wrestler to ever win an Olympic gold medal.