No worries on mat for Lowney

By BRYCE MILLER

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece - Doctors examined X-rays of Garrett Lowney's spinal column and passed on sobering news.

A blow to a disc in his spine during a match, a spine already abused from years of wrestling, had pushed him to the brink of paralysis.

Less than one year away from the Olympics, Lowney thought his career was over.

``I had quit wrestling,'' said Lowney, who was born in Appleton, Wis. ``I had accepted the fact that I wasn't going to wrestle again.''

When the Greco-Roman competition begins on Tuesday at Ano Liossia Olympic Hall, though, Lowney will be on the mat.

The 2000 Olympic bronze medalist underwent surgery in 2003 to fuse two vertebras and was given medical clearance to compete in December. Lowney immediately charted a path back to the Olympics at 211.5 pounds.

``That's all I needed to hear,'' said Lowney, a two-time NCAA all-American at the University of Minnesota. ``I was back on the mat the next day.''Lowney injured himself during the world team trials in Indianapolis in 2003.

The force of the match-related injury caused the disc to hit Lowney's spinal cord.

``I blacked out and I couldn't move my arms and legs for 20 seconds,'' he said.

Lowney, who was leading at the time, failed to realize how damaging the injury had been. He finished the match and had to win another match in the best-of-three series.

Examinations by doctors, however, showed how dangerous the situation had been.

``They said I could've landed wrong and been paralyzed from the neck down,'' said Lowney, 24. ``I took it real hard, actually, when they told me I probably wouldn't wrestle again.

``It's been a part of my life for so long. I wanted to walk away from the sport on my terms.''

When doctors said Lowney could return in December, he and wife, Krystal, sat down and wrote pros and cons on a piece of paper.

``We figured we could handle an all-out sprint for the next 10 months, or whatever, to try to make an Olympic team,'' he said.

One month into his return, Lowney landed hard on his head.

``That was as hard a blow as you can ever take in wrestling,'' he said. ``We had everything checked out and they said it looked fine. Since then, I haven't had any worries about being on the mat.''

Lowney said he likely will retire after Athens - and hopefully on the right note.

``There's probably 10, 12 guys who could win it and anybody could medal - it's that close,'' he said. ``I've beaten a lot of the best, so I'm coming here thinking I could win a gold medal.''