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VERNAL — A man from Vernal just made another mark in the world of Greco-Roman wrestling when he earned silver in an international competition for men 50 years old and up.
Gregg Stensgard is back home from Poland, wearing that silver medal around his neck from the Veterans World Greco-Roman Championships.
"It was a great experience to go over and represent my country," he told KSL News Tuesday. "I felt really honored to be there representing the United States of America, and of course Vernal, Utah, and the Uintah Utes.
Stensgard, who is 52 years old, is the wrestling coach at Vernal High School. He took second place in the world championships, losing by just one point to his opponent from Germany.
Stensgard was wrestling in the 85 kilogram, or 187 pound, category for men ages 51-55. "There were 80 Russians, about 80 Iranians, and people from Poland and Germany; you name it," he said.
He and 16 other Americans on his team helped bring home five medals for the United States.
Even though he was wrestling on the other side of the world, Stensgard said he could feel the support and encouragement from people back at home.
"They were watching the matches online," he said. "They got up at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning so they could watch my matches online; family, friends, neighbors, they had a big get together watching the matches."
While Stensgard admits wrestling is a tough sport at any age, he said he has found a sense of accomplishment by continuing to compete into his 50s — especially to motivate his students to excel in their lives.
"I think more people need to go out and set goals for themselves and find things they like to do. Not everyone is going to want to wrestle, or (go) biking or whatever, but go out and find something that makes you happy and healthy," Stensgard said.
The high school coach says he was very close to winning and hopes to keep training and conditioning so he can compete for the gold medal next year in Hungary. For now, he is focusing on the upcoming high school wrestling season.
Email: spenrod@ksl.com
