Ben Askren

First Trials a charm
One year after winning his second straight NCAA title, Ben Askren is making his Olympic debut in Beijing. He earned the freestyle 74kg (163 lbs) berth after defeating Tyrone Lewis in the final of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials; Askren also beat Lewis in the final of the 2008 U.S. Nationals for the 23-year-old's first senior national title. With the win, Askren becomes the first Missouri graduate to qualify for the Olympics in wrestling; 2000 Olympic 54kg silver medalist Sammie Henson attended Missouri, but later transferred to Clemson. Askren also competed at the 2004 Trials, where he finished fifth at 84kg/185 lbs. He dropped down to 163 lbs. after college.

While Askren excels at wrestling, he may move over to mixed martial arts after the Olympics.

Making Missouri famous
In 2007, Askren capped his college career at Missouri with an undefeated season that included his second straight national title at 174 pounds. The year before, he became the first wrestler in Missouri history to win an NCAA title. After graduating in 2007 with a degree in geography, Askren began working as a volunteer assistant coach at Missouri. His interest in the program remains keen because his younger brother Maxwell just finished his sophomore year as a wrestler at Missouri. The younger Askren also competed at the 2008 Trials, but lost both his matches in his Trials debut.

'I'm going to win a gold'
Despite never having competed at an Olympics or world championships, Askren told the Associated Press after Trials, "I'm going to win a gold medal (in Beijing). I may have (Russia's Buvaisa) Saitiyev in the finals -- next to John Smith, he's my favorite wrestler of all time to watch -- and him and me will put a lot of points on the board. And I think there's a good chance the outcome turns in my end." A two-time Olympic champion (1996, 2004), Saitiyev spent more than a decade as the most dominant freestyle wrestler before finishing eighth at the 2006 World Championships. "The tough thing about Saitiyev is he's so diverse it's hard to approach him. I can do anything. I can shoot, headlock, I can turn on top and bottom. So it's hard to plan for someone like me. It's hard to plan for someone like him because he's so diverse. Coach has been watching and said he's got some obvious flaws and we're going to try to exploit those."

Funky fighter
Easily identifiable from his curly hair -- which he sometimes braids or wears in a mullet -- Askren has an unorthodox wrestling style, which he refers to as "funk." But it works, and he may carry his combativeness into mixed martial arts. After learning and liking Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and knowing he won't want to wrestle forever, Askren says a career in Ultimate Fighting is a real possibility. "You'll probably see me in an Octagon somewhere in 2009," he said, referring to the shape of the ring in which MMA athletes compete.

Chin goes to China
During the 2008 Trials, numerous Askren fans wore a shirt showing a Chinese flag with Askren's profile on one side, displaying his prominent chin. Below the flag, the caption read "Putting the Chin in China." Explains Askren, "I gave them out to all my friends and family that came to Vegas [for U.S. Olympic Trials]. I had by far the rowdiest crowd at the whole tournament. They actually banned anyone wearing a 'Chin in China' shirt from buying alcohol because they were that rowdy." Askren has been selling the shirts for $19.95, with proceeds going toward his trip to China for the Beijing Games.