Soldier named 2005 Women’s Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling

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Soldier named 2005 Women’s Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling
By Tim Hipps


Sgt. Iris Smith (top), seen here defeating Ali Bernard for the 2005 women’s 158.5-pound freestyle national championship in Las Vegas, has been named 2005 Women’s Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. Smith, a four-time national champion wrestler in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, is stationed at Fort Carson, Colo.
Tim Hipps

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Army News Service, April 18, 2006) – A Soldier in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program has been named the 2005 Women’s Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling.

The highlight of Sgt. Iris Smith’s year was a gold-medal performance in the women’s 158.5-pound freestyle division of the 2005 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary. She also finished third in her weight class at the 2005 World Cup of Wrestling in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Earlier this year, Smith was named 2005 Female Wrestler of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee. She also received a plaque from the Sportswomen of Colorado for her outstanding performances.

“Winning the world championship definitely was one of the goals that I’ve been trying to reach for the past 10 years,” Smith said. “Being a part of the World Class Athlete Program definitely helped me out a lot. I’m able to focus and still have a career and do something I love doing.”

As the only American to win a gold medal in the 2005 World Wrestling Championships, Smith became the fourth U.S. female wrestler to win a world crown, joining four-time gold medalist Tricia Saunders, two-time gold medalist Kristie Marano and Sandra Bacher.

Smith is the only U.S. woman to win a world crown since women’s wrestling became an Olympic sport.

Smith upset five-time world champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan to become the new world champion in her weight class. To reach the championship match, Smith posted victories over Bulgaria’s Stanka Zlateva, Poland’s Angnieska Wieczczek and Germany’s Anita Schaetzle.

Smith, 26, has competed twice in the World Championships, finishing seventh in 2000. She also made Team USA’s roster for the 2001 World Championships but missed the tournament to attend Army basic training.

“My main goal is to win the Olympic gold medal,” Smith said. “Until then, I’m just going to continue to push forward.”

A four-time national champion, Smith did not participate in the 2006 U.S. National Wrestling Championships because of a left-knee injury sustained in January during a tournament in Siberia. She has resumed training and plans to compete June 30 in the 2006 U.S. World Team Trials at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“It shouldn’t be too much of a setback except for just being a little bit rusty,” Smith said. “All of that rust can be cleaned out in the next few weeks.”

Champions of the women’s U.S. World Team Trials will qualify to represent the U.S. in the 2006 World Wrestling Championships scheduled Sept. 26 through Oct. 1 in Guangzhou, China.

Stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., Smith was born in Albany, Ga., where she began wrestling for the boys’ varsity team at Dougherty High School.

(Editor’s note: Tim Hipps writes for the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center.)