ADEN Attao finished ninth in the 130kg weight class of the United World Wrestling Greco-Roman U20 World Championships on Monday in Amman, Jordan.
Attao was favored to reach the finals, but he fell sick and lost his quarterfinals match.
The NMI-born athlete held a 2-1 record despite his condition. He first defeated Japan’s Ayumu Iwasawa, scoring three clarification and technical points against his opponent in a six-minute match. He then beat Hungary’s Koppany Laszlo with eight technical points and three clarification points.
However, in the quarterfinals, Attao lost to Greece’s Achilleas Chrysidis.
“I think I performed to the best of my capabilities with the circumstances I was dealt with,” Attao said. “Getting sick was not what I wanted. I was weak, tired and it was harder to recover in between matches, so honestly, I’m happy with how I did.”
Attao added, “Getting sick, especially the day before [the quarterfinals] was not ideal at all.”
He said he suffered from diarrhea, upset stomach and cramps, losing 10 pounds.
“There really was no way to avoid it, all of our team got sick, so it was kind of unavoidable,” he added.
Asked what’s next for him, he said, “Rest. My coach gave me at a minimum 10 days of recovery and to spend them with friends, then it’s back to the grind of school and training.”
Aden Attao.
