Daniel Igali faces one of the biggest challenges of his career in his quest to repeat as Olympic wrestling champion at Athens in 2004.
In fact, Igali didn't hesitate to confirm that 2003 "was a really bad year." The 29–year-old underwent surgery for a ruptured disc in his neck in February. Surgeons cut through the front of his neck to get to the cervical vertebrae and fused two of them together. After a five-day stay in hospital he was forced to sleep with a neck brace to keep his head still.
He was off the competition mat until June. The missed weeks of training certainly were a factor in his self-described disappointing 11th place finish at the world championships in New York City this past September. However the good news is his neck survived the test in New York. Basically all systems are go and doctors say his back and neck are stronger than ever. And Igali wants to be the champion again.
Igali is Canada's first and only Olympic wrestling champion, a title he earned four years ago in Sydney. In May 2001 he was inducted into the B.C., Sports Hall of Fame. Igali, one of 21 children to a man who had four wives, defected to Canada in 1994 from his native Nigeria following the Commonwealth Games in Victoria. He won the world title in 1999.
