PORIOTIS RISES TO TOP…

Nicholas Poriotis set to pounce...He recently won two silver medals in the senior division of the Oceania Championships.

NICHOLAS Poriotis? recently returned from the? 2006 Oceania Wrestling Championships with two gold medals in the junior under 60kg division and two silver medals in the senior division.

Describing the event as an eye opener, Nicholas rates the experience highly, after competing against wrestlers from New Zealand, American Samoa and Palau Samoa.

It was fun. In the juniors I won my matches pretty easy but in the seniors it was definitely tougher, he said.

Competing in three wrestles a day for the two day event, the results have come as no surprise to Nicholass coach, Darren Steain.

He is dedicated and consistent. He always turns up to training and he works hard, he said.

Hes Greek. It is in their blood, he added.

Nicholas said the competition at the Oceania championships was incredibly demanding however it will certainly not deter him from further international competition.

It was very tough, there were a lot of tough blokes, tougher than I thought they would be but I hope to do it again soon, he said.

Nicholas plans to continue wrestling for a long time yet, it is a sport where experience counts and wrestlers dont peak until their mid twenties.

Immediate plans for Nicholas include the Australia Cup in Melbourne this month, the Down Under tournament on the Gold Coast in July and the Adelaide School Age Tournament in August.

His longer term goals include the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and the 2012 Olympics in London.

Nicholass best advice to other wrestlers out there;

Dont get thrown.