Jake Deitchler said Thursday there is no chance he will change his mind and wrestle for the Gophers.

Deitchler, a three-time state champion at Anoka High School, signed with the Gophers last fall but last week announced he would train year-round at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Deitchler made the U.S. Olympic team in Greco-Roman wrestling at 149.5 pounds but lost twice in Beijing to eventual medal winners.

He said he intends to spend two, three weeks at home before moving to Colorado. “I want to enjoy Minnesota, take time for myself,” he said. “[And then] I want to get rolling.”

Deitchler, 18, said there are almost 40 wrestlers in the Greco-Roman program in Colorado Springs, most of them older than he is.

“i have to find a way to meet younger kids my age, and I am going to school, too,” Deitchler said. He said he is not sure what college he will attend, but hopes to take fall classes.

“The USOC will help me to get in,” he said.

So what will he study? “Sports psychology really interests me,” he said.

Since returning, he had not heard criticism of his decision. “I’ve been low key, talking to people I always talk to,” Deitchler said, “friends, family, grandparents. Everybody has been great.

“But to tell you the truth, I’ve been hurting a little bit personally. It hurts to lose, but I’m doing all right.”

He said his next competition will probably be in October and November when he goes on a week-long European tour to Sweden and Finland.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 3:27 pm and is filed under Gophers wrestling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.