Wrestler Aden Attao poses for a photo after winning the gold medal in the 2023 U20 Pan-American Championships on Thursday in Santiago, Chile.
Aden Attao attempts a suplex on his opponent during a 2023 U20 Pan-American Championships wrestling match Thursday in Santiago, Chile.
WRESTLER Aden Attao, along with the other members of Team USA, dominated the U20 Pan-American Championships in Santiago, Chile on Thursday. Attao (130 kg) won one of his team’s eight gold medals.
He needed two executions only — an arm throw and a suplex — to take out Brazilian Wesley Barras Das Dores.
Attao also dispatched his second opponent, Juan Calderon Molina of Ecuador, to advance to his third and final match against Mexican Jose Ureta Valdivia.
Ureta Valdivia outlasted Attao’s prior opponents. “He was good at keeping position and he was awkward to wrestle, at least with my body and style,” said Attao who eventually pinned his opponent to earn gold.
“The competition was good.” Attao said. “I feel great. I feel like I wrestled really good. Obviously, there is more to improve on but right now I am happy with my performance and how I wrestled. Now I just need to get prepared for the world championships,” he added.
“I have consistently worked my butt off for years and everything is starting to click together. So, for this tournament it wasn’t just months of preparation, it was years,” he said.
Next for Attao is the national championships in Fargo, North Dakota.
“I am looking forward to putting it all on the line…and wrestling it out for a national title. After that is the world championships, and that is truly what I am training and preparing for,” he added.
Attao won a bronze in last year’s world championships. “This year I am going for the gold, so I am preparing and training for that,” he said.
It was also last year when Attao won his first gold in the U20 Pan American Championships hosted by Oaxtepec, Mexico.
Attao would like to thank his parents — Jesse Attao and Stacey Hammar of Boise, Idaho — for always supporting and having his back.
He is also grateful to his friends and “my coaches for never giving up on me and teaching me the ways of not only wrestling but life. My support system is huge and continuing to grow and I can’t wait to show them that it will all pay off.”
Attao is the grandson of former Saipan Rep. Jesus T. Attao and Ramona Attao.
