The memorial and dedications were the result of a combined effort between the U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Wrestling and the Durlacher family.
Durlacher passed away in his sleep at the age of 36 on June 4 in Denver. He was a longtime resident athlete at the OTC.
"Lindsey showed skill, character and dedication both on and off the mat, and we were proud to have him as a resident athlete at the Colorado Springs OTC," said Mike English, USOC chief of sport operations. "While his untimely passing was a huge loss for the sport community, we hope that these memorials will help perpetuate his legacy."
"It is a fitting tribute to one of our great champions," said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. "He was a mainstay of our U.S. Olympic Training Center resident wrestling program. We are pleased that his memory will live forever with a bench and tree in his honor in this special setting."
The bench is located outside the OTC's Sports Center II building, which houses the wrestling room, the weightlifting gym, the strength & conditioning gym and USA Weightlifting. Meanwhile, the tree is located in a nearby courtyard outside the USA Shooting building, just a few steps from the gymnasium in Sports Center I, where Durlacher competed in a number of wrestling competitions.
"This is a huge honor for Lindsey," said Michael and Dave Durlacher, Lindsey's brothers. "So many great athletes come through the U.S. Olympic Training Center and we are really appreciative of this recognition."
Durlacher was a bronze medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2006 International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) World Championships in Guangzhou, China. In addition, he placed fifth at the 2007 FILA World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, helping lead the United States to its first-ever world team title in Greco-Roman wrestling. He was also a member of the 2005 U.S. World Team.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now