Attao rolls to 5th Pan-American wrestling title in Peru

CNMI son Aden Attao let it fly on the mats of Lima, Peru to capture his fifth Pan-American title after winning gold at the U23 Pan-American Championships held from June 11-13.

Competing in the 130kg Greco-Roman division for Team USA, the 21-year-old rolled through the competition undefeated—winning all three of his matches by technical superiority without giving up a single point. He opened with an 8-0 victory over Peru's Fabrizio Javier Seminario Calla, followed with another 8-0 win against Antonio Armand Ramos, and closed out the tournament with an 8-0 victory over Steven Riano Catano.

On winning this tournament, he said, "It felt good being able to have the opportunity to go out and wrestle at this tournament, along with the opportunity to showcase my skills and my capabilities," Attao said. "It's a good measuring tool for myself leading into worlds and now I know what to work on and continuing to improve and get better."

The title comes during a busy stretch for him, who made a major change in his wrestling career last year. "In August of last year I officially decided to leave the Oregon State Wrestling Team. I moved out to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and am finishing my degree online. I have been travelling overseas, training and competing.”

Before heading to Peru, he competed at the U23 World Team Trials. He had already secured his spot on the U23 World Team after making the Senior National Team in Las Vegas, making the event another opportunity to get matches in and prepare for Peru. 

Attao said winning his fifth Pan-American title felt good, but he also viewed the tournament as another step toward bigger goals. The rest of his summer is a working one as in July, he will travel to Spain for the Spanish Grand Prix before competing at a United World Wrestling Ranking Series event in Hungary. From there, his focus will shift to the U23 World Championships in October.

As for his goals, he said it remains the same: “Win a world title. Win an Olympic title.”

On who he dedicates his latest title to, Attao said, "Obviously all glory to God as without him I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have these opportunities. But this tournament is for my family, friends, and supporters back home on the island along with everyone on the mainland. Without the consistent love and support from everyone around me I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am in this journey."

And, even from thousands of miles away, Attao said his family back home here in the CNMI remains a strong source of motivation, especially as recovery efforts from Super Typhoon Sinlaku continue. 

“As far as I know the family is doing as good as can be. It's definitely difficult competing knowing everything that they are dealing with over there, but I just try to keep it in perspective and wrestle for not only myself but also them. I have had some messages from some of the family, so it's always nice to hear from them.”