Michael Spriggs likes to challenge himself. The18-year-old Mitchellville resident has been visually impaired since birth and completely blind for the past four years. But Spriggs, a lifelong sports fan, hasn’t allowed that to impede his athletic career.
The senior-to-be at Charles H. Flowers High School captured the gold medal in judo on July 15 at the International Blind Sports Federation World Youth and Student Games in Colorado Springs, Colo.
‘‘It was definitely a surprise,” said Spriggs. ‘‘I fought two more experienced guys who compete where judo is a big sport. Both had useable vision, but that was not really a factor.”
Spriggs made his high school wrestling debut last winter, compiling a winning record at 189 pounds for the Flowers High varsity team. His main athletic love is goalball, a sport designed exclusively for the visually impaired that is played in 51 countries.
But in May, Spriggs decided to try judo. He trained for only two months prior to the competition in Colorado.
Spriggs competed in the 90kg (190 pounds) division for 16- to 18-year olds. He was the lone United States representative in a round-robin field that also featured Anthony Misse of France and Denis Gnusarev of Russia. Misse is a brown belt and was considered the favorite to win the gold.
Spriggs used his wrestling knowledge to overcome weaknesses in his judo skills. After defeating Misse in his first match, he used a takedown and a cradle to pin his Russian foe in the final.
‘‘Both were wrestling moves,” said Spriggs. ‘‘Judo is an extension of wrestling.... But in judo, it is like fighting a tornado. You can choke and armlock.”
Spriggs trained locally in Camp Springs under black belt Steve Seaquist at the St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation.
Scott Moore, a 2000 Paralympic judo gold medalist and longtime amateur wrestler, coached Spriggs in Colorado Springs, along with Miles Porter, who Spriggs said helped him perfect his techniques and learn to relax. Moore met Spriggs for the first time the morning of the one-day tournament.
‘‘We went over some tactics and what to expect,” said Moore. ‘‘With Michael, it’s not a lot of classic judo, but he was excited and pumped up and ready to go. He used a cradle against the Russian fighter, which is rare in judo, because it’s typically hard to hold an opponent down on the mat that long.”
Spriggs got interested in judo earlier this year after a conversation with Mark Lucas, the executive director of the United States Association of Blind Athletes, a non-profit organization that provides training for blind and visually impaired athletes.
‘‘Many wrestlers move to judo for a multitude of reasons,” said Lucas. ‘‘I encouraged Michael to cross over because I knew he would be successful. His judo is very raw, but his strength is incredible. If he continues with judo, he could take it to another level.”
Spriggs is now turning his attention to training for a national goalball event in September in Florida, and then to wrestling season. His future in judo remains a question mark.
‘‘I’m quite unsure what is next for me in judo,” said Spriggs, who still trains for the sport weekly. ‘‘It’s a possibility [that I may enter future events], but I’m not sure about that now.”
E-mail Adam Rubenstein at arubenstein@gazette.net.
