Gary Russell Jr., a native of Capitol Heights in Prince George’s County, will miss the Olympics after the bantamweight collapsed trying to make weight on Friday morning in Beijing.
The two-time national champion, who was believed to be one of the U.S.’s best medal hopefuls, was found unconscious and severely dehydrated, according to U.S. coach Dan Campbell. Russell’s roommate, light flyweight Luis Yanez, alerted the American coaches shortly after Russell returned from a run in a final effort to reach his 119-pound weight limit.
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“A lot of people take it so serious, they forget the real reason they started doing the sport — because it was fun and they enjoyed doing it,” Russell told The Examiner last month. “I look at [the Olympics] as a reward for me, and not as me going to a job or duty, but something I always wanted to do.”
Russell, 20, who was rehydrated by medical personnel, wasn’t hospitalized and rested on Friday, unable to participate with his teammates in the pre-Olympic weigh-in. Campbell and Jim Millman, USA Boxing’s chief executive, will decide if Russell would leave Beijing.
“We became alarmed a couple of days ago when we saw he wasn’t sweating like he should,” Campbell said. “When these kids try to make weight, sometimes they cut corners. What we believe is he did not increase his fluid intake after we told him to.”
Russell’s inability to make weight stemmed from him fighting in heavier weight classes the past year. Russell, who hadn’t competed in the 119-pound class since the world championships in Chicago last fall, weighed at least 125 pounds in every bout in the past year.
“We thought he was a very good shot at a medal,” Campbell said. “We try to tell the team when we have these types of adversities, we still have eight guys in there, and we’re going to try to concentrate on what we’ve got.”
Russell’s journey to China began more than a decade ago, when his father trained him in basement of the family’s home on the 4600 block of Omaha Street in a crime-ridden neighborhood. Russell’s “gym” didn’t have a ring or a punching bag — just an empty room with a mirror hanging from the wall. It’s where Russell Sr. trained his five sons, with four becoming Golden and Silver Gloves champions.
The Russells raised more than $10,000 to cover the costs of sending the fighter’s family to Beijing.
“I’ve just always thought winning a gold medal would mean more than being a world champion, or winning all that money, or anything,” Russell said last month. “There’s just something about it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
