PITTSBURGH -- Kurt Angle, the Olympic gold medalist-turned pro wrestler, said he plans to return to Olympic competition in 2004.
Angle told WTAE-TV that he has been granted permission by World Wrestling Entertainment to pursue another Olympic dream.
"I'm not too old and I feel physically good," he said, noting that he will be 34 during the 2004 games. "I feel like I'm peaking."
Angle said that he remains more defined by the technical skills of amateur wrestling than by the chair-weilding theatrics of pro wrestling.
An event he will oversee in New Orleans in November, titled the Kurt Angle Wrestling Classic, will feature the best U.S. and international amateur wrestlers.
"It's bringing back a spark that's been dwindling since 1996," he said.
Angle said that he plans to begin his Olympic training regimen in December.
The 1996 Summer Olympics provided an initial golden moment for Angle. At age 26, the Mt. Lebanon native and Clarion University of Pa. graduate won a medal at the games in Atlanta.
In the WWE, Angle has gone from American hero to the role of universal heel, which is the pro wrestling vernacular for a bad guy.
At home in Pittsburgh, Angle's wife, Karen, said the heel is more of a babyface, which is the industry's term for a good guy.
He said that he will soon put on a fatherface. "My wife's pregnant and we're expecting in December," he said.
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