John Fuller/TheMat.com
Michael Lightner didn’t shock the entire world, but he shocked most of it when he defeated Olympic silver medalist Stephen Abas in the quarterfinals at 60 kg/132 lbs. at the U.S. Nationals.
Now, Lightner will get to sit out and watch as Abas will battle against a tough freestyle weight class in the Challenge Tournament at the World Team Trials.
Lightner has battled through serious knee injuries to forge his way to the top of the ladder. TheMat.com spoke with him about his recovery and what has gotten him to the top.
TheMat.com: How big was the win over Stephen Abas for your confidence, especially after losing the first period?
Lightner: It was real big. I have a lot of respect for Abas and what he’s done. I’ve been around him a little bit and he’s a good guy. Going into the tournament, if there was a person that I was getting motivated to beat, it was him, just because of the respect I have for him. As far as confidence, I knew when I beat him that I was ready and I was going to be tough to beat. It took me to another level during that tournament.
TheMat.com: Is there any one wrestler you are expecting to come out of the Challenge Tournament at the Trials to face you?
Lightner: There’s a couple tough guys there. Now, I’m just getting myself ready. Whoever comes out of it, hopefully I’ll be ready for him.
TheMat.com: You’ve had some serious injuries over the past couple of years. Was there a point where you felt like being done with wrestling?
Lightner: When I tore my MCL the second time, before the doctor looked at it, I said to myself that if my MCL was torn I didn’t know how I was going to be able to come back from a setback like that. Then it was torn, and I decided to come back. A couple months later, I tore my ACL. I had to do some hard thinking about it. The only thing that kept me going through was thinking about getting back on the mat.
TheMat.com: What was tougher “coming back mentally or coming back physically?
Lightner: I would say mentally. Physically, I’ve felt good since about September. It’s taken me the whole year up until the U.S. Nationals before I was getting some confidence back and getting into a groove with match preparation and everything. I questioned whether I could compete or not.
TheMat.com: Who have you spent your time training with?
Lightner: I trained mainly with Witt Durden, a former wrestler here at OU. He’s real quick, so he’s a good training partner. Then I was training with Sam Hazewinkel quite a bit and then Teyon Ware too.
TheMat.com: It seems like your family has been at every wrestling event in your career. How important has their support been in getting you to this point?
Lightner: As long as it’s within range, my mom and dad are normally there. Sometimes you can look and see them and it pushes me and motivates me to give a little more. I don’t know if I could have made it through a lot of things without them. I want to make them proud.
TheMat.com: Growing up, who was the wrestler you looked up to the most?
Lightner: No question it would be John Smith. He’s from Oklahoma and as awesome as he was and what he was able to do is just unbelievable. He’s the greatest ever. He was then and probably still is now.
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