Solid gold

ATHENS — They stood at opposite ends of the Olympic wrestling hall. On the end with the podium, standing at attention on the top step and wearing an olive wreath as Olympic champion, was Cael Sanderson of Heber City, Utah.

On the other end, in a corner of the stands, taking pictures, waving American flags and exhaling for all they were worth, stood the rest of the family.

To get to an understanding of the phenomenon that has become Cael Sanderson — new Olympic gold medalist; "Mr. Perfect" in college when he won 159 straight matches at Iowa State; and arguably the most unassuming person ever to have his picture on a Wheaties box — you have to go through the rest of the Sandersons. His older brothers Cody and Cole. His younger brother, Cyler. His parents, Steve and Debbie. Team Sanderson.

They were there when he started and they were there, along with Cael's wife, Kelly, at Ano Loissia Olympic Hall in northwest Athens Saturday night, sitting in the fifth row, center section, and using every move of body language and verbal encouragement to help him make his way through the middleweight division (185 pounds) of the Olympic freestyle wrestling tournament.

When it was all triumphantly and thankfully over, after Cael had produced his come-from-behind 3-1 victory in the gold-medal match over Eui Jae Moon of Korea, after the cheers and the tears and the congratulations, Steve Sanderson went back in his mind about 20 years.

"You want to find an activity that will be good for your kids and keep your family together," he said, his voice cracking, "and you never think it's going to end up like this."

Some families boat, others hike, others go to museums. The Sandersons wrestle.

It just made sense. Steve was a wrestler in high school and college and made his living as a wrestling coach. Then he married Debbie and they started having boys. It was only natural for Steve to bring his work home with him. Family fights really were family fights. Last takedown wins.

"I saw them getting each other in chokeholds, and I finally decided to get in there, too," said Debbie as she, too, stood in the wrestling hall surrounded by her sons and her husband and visited the path that got them all there. "With all boys, we weren't going to any dance classes, I can tell you that."