Richards happy to get on mat in disrupted year
WRESTLING
HAD this year gone differently Brahm Richards may have been reflecting on his time in Tokyo.
Instead he is stepping on to the mat in Mosgiel today.
The Aucklander is one of the stars in action at the national wrestling championships at Taieri College.
The event started yesterday and concludes today.
Richards (23) competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and is on the Olympic Games long list.
He had aspirations of qualifying for this year’s Games, although those have turned to next year now they have been postponed.
The first step in that begins in Mosgiel — needing to win the national championship in the senior men’s freestyle 65kg class.
Following that, a win at the Oceania Championships and a toptwo placing at the African championships would earn him that coveted Olympic spot.
Despite that, the change in plan had not unsettled Richards too much.
Before lockdown much of his focus had been on recovering from an MCL injury, suffered at last year’s world championships.
The impact the lockdown had on the gym he manages had been significant too, and put the loss of competition into context.
‘‘It’s been interesting,’’ he said.
‘‘Everyone’s been in the same boat.
‘‘I guess I hadn’t really seen wrestling as the main issue in this. It’s been bigger than that.
‘‘I’ve just been going with the flow and being with family and business and stuff.
‘‘Now it seems like it’s all on the way up, fingers crossed, so now I can start really focusing in on [Olympic qualification].
‘‘And being next year is good because it gives me more time to train.’’
Richards, who represents Club Physical, got into wrestling aged 10 after seeing it on television.
It had taken some convincing, but when his father finally took him along he never looked back.
He also competes in judo.
While this was just his second competition of the year — he normally competes in eight to 10 events — he had been training right through.
He said it was good to be back competing and while it was not quite the world championships, that did not make a difference.
‘‘I always get the same amount of nerves no matter where I am.
‘‘As soon as I get on to the wrestling mat it’s no different whether you’re in front of a world champ from the US or some Kiwi farmer.
‘‘I treat mentality.
‘‘It’s still a wrestler against another human, no matter who’s watching.’’
The clubs at the championships are competing for a new trophy, the Scott Laurenson Memorial, donated by the Tawa
it with the same
Tigers from Wellington.
It will be presented to the top overallplaced club.
Tawa competitor Cole Hawkins said Laurenson had been significant in the club for many years.
This was the first national championships since he died.