Les Gutches

Leslie Gutches ( born February 23, 1973 in Medford, Oregon ) is a former American professional wrestler and World Champion 1997 in free style at middleweight.

Career

Les Gutches, was derived from a family that operated in the rings traditionally for several generations, began in 1985 as a child with the rings. Later, he wrestled for the Oregoan State Beavers wrestling team and, after he had taken up in 1993 to study at Oregon State University, he studied economics and German, he wrestled for the University team, but later moved to the famous American wrestler Club, the " Sunkist Kids" in Phoenix, Arizona, where Ive Wells was his coach. Attention first to be made ​​Gutches 1989, when he was U.S. junior champion at middleweight Greco- Roman style, and in the same year was runner-up at the Junior World Championship for Cadets ( up to 18 years ).

The first big success in the seniors at international championships celebrated Gutches at the 1993 Pan American Championships in free style, to which he had changed, middleweight from the strong Cuban Elise Guzman. From 1993 to 1996 get Gutches also in the university rings on a pan - American level with great success. So it was in 1995 and 1996 NCAA Division I Collegiate Champion ( US-amerik. students master ) in free style at middleweight.

In 1996, he represented the U.S. at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, after he had become the first U.S. champion. As a relatively inexperienced wrestler it but have not yet succeeded to assert themselves against the strong wrestler from the former Eastern Bloc countries and from Asia. In 1997 he was again United States Champion and prepared in a periodized and completely tailored to the World Championships in Krasnoyarsk training on these championships before. The success proved him right, because he was world champion, defeating thereby also the Olympic champion from 1996 Chadschimurad Magomedov of Russia.

In 1998 he defeated at the " goodwill" Games in New York City, who had priority for him this year, again Chadschimurad Magomedov, finishing in 1st place. At the World Championships this year in Tehran, he was against it not in good shape and had to settle for 7th place.

In 1999, he first won a very strong tournament in occupied Spokane / USA and won the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg at middleweight. At the World Cup this year, he won then again a bronze medal.

For the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Les Gutches could not prevail in the so-called Trials against his rival Charles Burton and not to qualify it. He ended his career as an active wrestler. He even took his studies at Oregon State University and graduated again in German for " Bachelor" and in economics from the "master". He is also active as a coach for wrestling at Oregon State University since 1996. He lives with his family in Corvallis, Oregon.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, F = free style, GR = Greco-Roman style, Mi = middleweight until 1982-82 kg from 1997 kg and 85 kg body weight (bw ) )

USA Championships

Les Gutches in 1996 and 1997 USA champion in free style at middleweight

Swell

• Journal The wrestler from 1989 to 2000
• International Wrestling Database of the University of Leipzig,