A Broken Ankle Can't Stop JB!

Jordan Burroughs won the 2013 World Championships on a Broken Ankle!  Photo from themat.com

Jordan Burroughs has done it again, winning another World Title.  That extends his streak of World/Olympic titles to three straight years, putting him halfway to John Smith's US record of 6 straight.  But get this: he did it on a broken ankle.  Most likely for psychological reasons, Burroughs and his coaches and trainers kept that a well guarded secret before and during the competition, so as to not give his opponents a mental advantage.

Having fractured an ankle myself, I find this particularly incredible.  Although I managed to wrestle at some tournaments before it was healed, I certainly didn't do so with the poise and composure that Burroughs did, not to mention the level that he wrestled at.  His feat was a great demonstration of mental toughness, and it exemplifies one of my favorite quotes: "Don't let your feelings dictate your actions; let your actions dictate your feelings."  Instead of telling himself that his ankle hurts and he's not going to be able to compete at his best, Jordan continued to walk with his usual swagger and didn't let on that he was feeling any pain.  He told himself that he felt good and was able to win the tournament, he firmly belived it, and so he made it a reality.

Under most circumstances I wouldn't advocate that you wrestle on a broken ankle, but when it's crunch time and you've got a tournament that will be the pinnacle of your career, go all in!  Don't let anything stop you!

Wrestle with composure,
Jeff

P.S.  Now that wrestling is back in the games, Jordan Burroughs plans on wrestling through 2020.  He not only wants to meet, but beat John Smith's record of six straight World/Olympic titles!