The wrestler turned mixed martial arts champion appeared to be at a dead end after a disastrous Games in 2008. That he reinvented himself
Daniel Cormier snuck back into the Olympic Village, hoping his coaches and teammates were at Beijing’s Agricultural University Gymnasium a few miles down the road. He was determined to avoid them before he had to board the shuttle bus back to the airport. He didn’t want to talk about the harrowing weight-cut, which caused his kidneys to fail and landed him in hospital for four days. He didn’t want to explain to them why their team captain and America’s best hope for a wrestling medal had weighed in successfully, but failed to report to the center mat the next day at the 2008 Olympic Games.
“For a lot of people, I became a pariah,” said Cormier, who placed fourth at the 2004 Games and clinched a bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships, cementing him as a medal favorite. “In wrestling, you don’t miss the Olympic Games. I had to face all the people I’d let down. It was very difficult. I was so embarrassed.”
