TAGAYTAY.— Fil-Am wrestler Gabe Dinette announced by his actions over the weekend that he was primed and ready to represent the country in the 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games in December with a golden double in the men’s 86-kilogram division of the WAP National Wrestling Championships at the Tagaytay Combat Center here.
Without dropping a single match, Dinette, 25, threw his weight around and his opponents with efficient ease in ruling the men’s 86k Greco-Roman and freestyle events to secure a slot on the national wrestling team that will see action in the Thailand SEA Games.
That he did both events on the same day looking none the worse for wear made the stint even more remarkable, impressing national wrestling head coach Melchor Tumasis and Wrestling Association of the Philippines president Alvin Aguilar.
“Maganda at magaling ang laro niya. Maganda ang preparation ng mga laro niya. Condition sa katawan. Napakaganda ng mga technique niya, napakarami. Greco-Roman or freestyle, lahat,” assessed Tumasis.
“Gabe is absolutely phenomenal, he went in here and destroyed everybody in freestyle,” said Aguilar, who witnessed firsthand at ringside how the wrestler performed throughout the competition.
“I thought he would be tired when it came to Greco-Roman but he was just biding his time. He went there and smashed everybody,” he added.
Dinette was also pleased by his maiden outing on Philippine soil.
“It feels good to be here and win. It was good to compete and get the nerves out. This was amazing. I want to embrace this, too,” said the former Stanford and Duke University varsity wrestling mainstay after his performance for the first time in front of a Filipino crowd.
“Going to the SEA Games will be a good one. We’ll do freestyle which are comfortable with,” added the athlete, who came together to the country with his mom Monique and wife Jelene, whom he married last January.
“It feels emotional because he (Dinette) loves the sport. He is a good representative of the sport. He loves people, he loves to coach, he’s a good ambassador for the sport,” said the elder Dinette, whose mom, Estrelita Castro, was born in Manila.
A mechanical engineer by trade in Golden, Colorado, Dinette said that he would go back to the US and resume training while working and then compete next in the world championships starting Sept. 13 in Zagreb, Croatia.
“I will be Croatia with my father-coach Dave,” the wrestler said of his dad, who was also a wrestler for Stanford University. “Then we will resume training for the SEA Games.
“He’s (Dinette) a sure gold medalist in the SEA Games. He will get everything there,” said Aguilar with confidence.
HARD TO STOP: Fil-Am wrestler Gabe Dinette (center) proudly displays his gold medal after ruling the men’s 86kg freestyle event.
