By Doug Williams
TeamUSA.org

When Robby Smith was a boy and assigned to write about what he wanted to do when he grew up, his answer was the same every time: “I want to be an Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling.”

Now Smith, 28, is closer than he’s ever been to that goal.

With the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games just months away, Smith — the bushy-bearded heavyweight with the big smile and the American-flag socks — is coming off his best year. In 2015 he reached the bronze-medal match at the world championships in September in Las Vegas, earned bronze at the Pan American Games and won the U.S. Open and the U.S. World Team Trials.

His fifth-place finish at the world championships clinched a heavyweight spot for Team USA in the Games. Now the top-ranked American heavyweight is focused on earning the right to fill it at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in April in Iowa City, Iowa.

Yet Smith likely wouldn’t be where he is today if he hadn’t made a big change two years ago.

Read Full Story