Ellis Coleman

Ellis Coleman (born 16 August 1991, Chicago, Illinois) is an American professional wrestler in the Greco-Roman style in featherweight. He won the 2012 Olympic Trials in the United States and thus qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Due to a wrestling grip that made him famous, he is also called Flying Squirrel.

Life

Ellis was raised by his mother, Yolanda Barral. He grew up with his older brother, Lillashawn Coleman and his sister first in Humboldt Park, and later in the West Side and finally in Oak Park, all city areas of Chicago, on. His biological father, Lewellis Coleman, had, among other drug problems and spent Ellis ' entire life in prison. His stepfather, Moses Oliver, who had encouraged Ellis to wrestle, was later convicted of gang membership.

Coleman's mother tried to stay away from their children all the influences of gangs from Chicago's crisis districts. Nevertheless, Ellis ' childhood was marked by exchanges of fire in front of his elementary school, fighting gangs and a house fire that destroyed the entire belongings of the family.

2007 Ellis was nearly expelled from his school. It was not until Mike Powell, his former high school coach, who was a kind of substitute father for Coleman and still is a close friend, brought him back then on the right track.

In 2009, Ellis graduated from the Oak Park - River Forest High School and then began to study at Northern Michigan University.

Career

In his senior year in 2009, Coleman ended his season in the Illinois High School Association Class 3A third place with a record of 49 wins to defeat. After losing to Maximilian Schneider of Lane Technical College Prep High School, Ellis had to be treated by Notärtzen because his heart rate reached 225 beats per minute.

In 2011 he won the bronze medal in Greco-Roman style in lightweight at the Junior Wrestling World Championships in Bucharest. During the battle against the Iranians Mehdi Zidvand Ellis use a handle, which he called " Flying Squirrel " and had developed along with his brother during training. Through a published on Youtube video of this fight Coleman became famous and landed with his trick on rank 3 in the " ESPN 2011 Best of the Best Highlights".

In 2012, Coleman defeated in the finals of the Olympic Trials in the United States Joe Betterman and qualified by the youngest member of the U.S. wrestling team for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Ellis Coleman lost at the Olympic Games in London in the first round against the Bulgarians Ivo Angelov 0:1, 1:7.