Coquitlam's Haislan Garcia is looking to grab wrestling glory at the London 2012 Olympics.
A native of Guanabacoa, Cuba who moved to Canada in 2004, the 29-year-old freestyle grappler placed 16th in the 2008 Beijing Games, his first Olympic experience.
Since then, his confidence has grown to the point where he feels he can now contend for an Olympic medal.
Garcia earned a trip to London by winning gold at the FILA Pan American Olympic qualifying tournament in Kissimmee, Fla. In the 66 kg division final, he beat two-time NCAA champion Brent Metcalf of the U.S. and said competing south of the line was the perfect challenge to prepare for the Games.
"All them [Americans], they're all tough," Garcia said in a YouTube interview. "They go after you and after you. They never give you a point, you have to work for it."
Garcia entered the match with Metcalf with a 1-1 record against the heralded American, having defeated him in the 2009 Pan American championships before losing in a January exhibition match before a crowd of 15,000 in Iowa, when he was coming off knee surgery.
Before that, he placed fifth in the 2010 world championships and won silver at that year's Commonwealth Games.
After Beijing, Garcia won back-to-back silver medals at the 2008 and 2009 Pan Ams, then collected bronze there in both 2010 and 2011.
Garcia trains with the Burnaby Mountain Wrestling Club.
Garcia will take to to the mat on Aug. 12, the last day of the Games.
