Kyle Dake has a lump in his throat every time the American wrestler speaks about his father Doug, who passed away in April.
Doug, himself a wrestler, had a profound impact on the career of his four-time world champion son — but died when Dake worked his way through Olympic trials to book his place in Paris.
The 33-year-old wears a pendant around his neck as a tribute, using the outline of his father’s hand with its missing little finger. The grappler had earlier announced on social media that he would wear the design on his Olympic shoes as well.
“That hand I made into a pendant, and I wear it around my neck,” an emotional Dake told a news conference on Thursday. “That was his call sign, his hand. He lost his pinkie when he was nine years old. He was on a swing, and it got stuck in a chain link. He jumped off, his pinkie stayed. So that was traumatic for him, but he made the best of it.”
While Doug was his son’s early coach, he subsequently became more of a mentor.
“And then the other transformation from that was him being a grandfather to my kids,” said Dake, who will be competing in the men’s 74kg class. “To not be able to see him with my kids any more is the hardest part. I just miss him a lot. I’m trying to honor his memory by competing the way I want to compete.”
Dake cherishes the last couple of months of his father’s life, when they discussed the sport. His father told him not to worry — inside or outside the ring: “He said, ‘Regardless of whether I’m here or not, I’m always going to be with you.'”
The young wrestler also opened up on the physical pain he had endured during his career, which included broken ribs, foot and heart surgeries, knee and shoulder reconstructions “and a bunch of other things.”
“It’s a tough sport, but there are some things that we can do as athletes to help prevent some of that,” he added.
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