Waynesburg native to compete on U.S. Olympic wrestling team

PITTSBURGH — Coleman Scott may have one of the biggest fan bases when he competes in the Olympics in London. The wrestler requested 70 tickets for family and friends in his hometown of Waynesburg.

Scott has been dreaming of this moment since he was 10 years old when Atlanta was hosting the Olympics.

"I knew that's what I wanted to be when I was 10 and I saw it," he told Channel 11's Bill Phillips.

Scott captured three state championships and the 2008 national championship while wrestling at Oklahoma State University.

Now he's dreaming of gold and beyond.

"I'm not going to be satisfied just going to medal," he said. "I just don't want to set my goals too low. You know, I like to dream big and set them high, and you know, I've lived by it my entire life. I'm not going to stop now."

No one reaches the games alone, and Scott is no different. His family and community have backed him his entire life. Scott says one person in particular has been a driving force in his success.

"For the last four years, my wife." Scott said. "To even say I'm going to tell her 'Hey, I don't want to get a real job. I'm going to chase my dream for four years. Can I do it while you work?' Who's going to take that deal? Not very many."

Scott's big dream of Olympic gold won't be easy to complete, especially in the 60 kilogram weight division he competes in, but he's ready for the challenge.

"I have the three-time reigning world champ in my weight, and you know, people are saying he is the best in the world at any weight. I'm excited to have this opportunity to go and wrestle him," Scott said. "I just can't wait. I've been envisioning it for a while, for years, so it's all going to come down to one day and I can't wait to do it."

Scott is the second Olympic wrestler with ties to Western Pennsylvania. Former North Allegheny star Jake Herbert will compete in the 84 kilogram category.

WPXI