Episode #125
Justin Ruiz
National Champion Wrestler Shares His Journey of Success & Failure & How He Kept Just Getting Back Up
Guest Bio:
Besides winning three state titles at Taylorsville High, Ruiz was also a three-time ASICS Junior National Champion, a three-time Fila Junior Nationals Champion and a High School National Champion. He also was a member of the Fila Junior World Team two times and the recipient of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 1998.
After high school he redshirted a year at the University of Nebraska before serving an LDS mission in Concepcion, Chile. Upon returning from his mission, he spent the next two seasons as an All-American wrestler at Nebraska. Ruiz then made the transition to the international ranks, where he went on to become a seven-time U.S. Open National Champion, six-time U.S. World Team member, 10-time U.S. National Team member, two-time Olympic alternate, two-time US Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year, four-time Pan American Champion, a World Cup Silver Medalist and a member of the first and only U.S. Greco-Roman Team to win a World Championship (2007).
During his second season of coaching at UVU (2013-14), Ruiz helped four wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships -- which marked a program high. Ruiz, who works specifically with the upper weights, also helped UVU's first-ever heavyweight grappler make the NCAA Championships in Adam Fager.
Justin is currently finding success in the real estate industry as he is a Home Loan officer at OneTrust Homes in Orem, Utah
Show Notes
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Introduction (1:33)
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Learning solid work ethic at a young age (4:45)
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Dedicating a life to serving others (8:40)
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Starting in Wrestling (9:24)
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Developing fast skills (11:22)
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Choosing Nebraska over tons of offers (13:00)
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Being a two time All-American athlete (17:43)
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Dealing with a massive injury (19:35)
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Training for the 2008 Olympics (24:57)
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