Syerus Eslami: Sports of Life Interview
Syerus Eslami is a Team GB Freestyle and Greco Roman Wrestler, and he is currently the number 1 Wrestler in the UK. He is coached by Gergõ Wöller and Jeremy Hernandez. Syerus who is now 24 began his wrestling career when he was 9 years old. Despite being born with talipes (cub foot) which required an immediate operation and him being unable to walk for the first couple of years of his life, it is remarkable what he has already achieved, considering the doctor informed his parents he would never be able to compete in sports. Syerus comes from a family with a professional wrestling history. His grandfather, Haggie Eslami, was a Team GB wrestler for over a decade and won the British Championship title and Gold at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. He also coached the GB 1984 Olympics Bronze medalist, Noel Loban. His father, Mansoor Eslami, was the undefeated Junior British champion for 4 years and World School boy champion. His uncle, Ali Eslami was an European champion and his cousin, Dr Amir Eslami, coaches and runs a London based Legion Wrestling club. So it seems Syerus was destined to become a wrestler after all.
In this interview, we hear from the man himself and understand what it has taken to compete at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018, where he won a Bronze medal and added to his other achievements such as winning the Gold medal at the English Wrestling Championship.
Sports of Life (SOL): How are you? And thank you for accepting this interview invite and taking the time to discuss your career and achievements.
Syerus: I’m good thanks. It’s nice to meet you, and I think it’s a great thing you’re doing sharing all of these athletes’ stories which I’m happy to be a part of.
SOL: Thank you for your kind words 🤝. Without further ado…..
SOL: What was your childhood like?
Syerus: I grew up in my hometown of Croydon, South London, which is also where I attended primary school. Growing up, I was already into sports and I played football, basketball and rugby. The only sport I knew I wasn’t good at was tennis.
SOL: Did your family background in professional wrestling play a role in your decision to go into the sport?
Syerus: Despite the fact I’m a fifth-generation Wrestler in my family, they never forced me to do wrestling. They actually didn’t want me to get into it, because most amateur sports and even some at Olympics level don’t come with significant financial benefit. They chose to see if wrestling would find me instead, because the journey can be difficult. I started wrestling in primary school because my best friend then was the multiple national champion. He invited me to one of his wrestling training sessions, and at the time I was a huge WWF (now World Wrestling Entertainment) and Rey Mysterio fan, so i thought why not? When I informed my Dad, he decided to take me, and it turned out that my first wrestling club in Crystal Palace was in close proximity to where my Dad and Grandad won their national championships. After my first session, I immediately knew it was what I wanted to do, and to one day become an Olympic champion. I just knew I wanted to get to the pinnacle of the sport.
SOL: As a Team GB wrestler who has a dream of one day becoming an Olympic Champion, how do you stay in shape and maintain consistency?
Syerus: At my current level and in order to achieve my goal, it is extremely difficult. But that is why only one person wins the Olympic Gold medal, and I have chosen to do what it takes. That is my mentality.
“But that is why only one person wins the Olympic Gold medal, and I have chosen to do what it takes. That is my mentality.”
From Monday to Friday, I wake up at 4:30 a.m. and train before work, which starts at 8:00 a.m. Being a thermal insulation engineer in my day job, it is also quite physical , but that doesn’t stop me from training a second time after work. During the weekends, I train once or twice on Saturdays and my only rest day is on Sunday. Before the lockdown started, I often travelled over the weekend for competitions and to see my coach.
SOL: Can you tell us about your relationship with Price Building Services? And how they have been instrumental in giving you a balance with your day job and professional wrestling?
Syerus: It is only because of them I have the opportunity to achieve my dream, due to the initial problem I had which was being self funded. I was paying for my expenses like flying to competitions, accommodation, competition entry fee and so on. I had planned to become a fireman because one of the benefits of working in public services is they are able to sponsor athletes like myself. So I decided I wanted to be a fireman, but when that didn’t really work out I did an apprenticeship in personal training. My earnings from this is what I used to sponsor my wrestling career, and this continued for 3 years where I worked full time for half a year and trained in the second half of the year while travelling to Bulgaria, Hungary and the U.S. The reason I had to continue travelling out is because wrestling is small in the UK, and you’re never going to be the best in the world unless you constantly travel and compete abroad with the best guys globally. Because of the gaps in training within this routine and the financial burden of using my savings to make it happen, it wasn’t very sustainable or beneficial to me.
It was tough after the 2018 Commonwealth games, because being on the podium and fulfilling one of my goals made me feel on top of the world. However, when I got back home no one really cared about me. I got a one off gift, but my expectation after winning a medal was to be taken on as a full time athlete where I won’t have to worry about self funding. I had the dream of being at the World championship in Budapest, which is also where my coach is from and because I had spent time there it would have felt like a home championship. Sadly I couldn’t make it there, and it felt strange coming from the Commonwealth and being in the newspapers and on BBC to working as a security guard just to make some money. I had started applying for an apprenticeship to give me more opportunities, and the first one didn’t go as planned as I was let go for no apparent reason after my probation period. This put me in a really bad place mentally, and I started questioning myself. Luckily for me, my next role led me to Price Building Services. I was honest and upfront about my story on the job application, and their response was really positive. On my first day, the staff came up to me and were intrigued by the fact I won a medal at the Commonwealth games, which was the first time I got that reception. Roy Price, Managing Director of Price Building Services also sponsors military veterans, local Sunday league football teams and he just generally supports people in the community. First time I met Roy, I had no idea who he was at the company. He simply asked me what I was doing there, and I explained my story and how I was self funding myself. He then asked me if I believed I could win the Olympic games, and my response was how it had been my goal since I was 9 years old and I was determined to make it happen. He assured me not to ever worry about my finances and to focus on winning the Olympic medal. I was really happy and excited, but also shocked given the number of people I had reached out to who all rejected me. And here I was after talking to Roy for 3 minutes, and he gave me all the backing I needed. My whole life I’ve constantly had to prove myself to other people, and Roy already believed in me. It’s sad that some sponsors I met in the past were interested in stuff like how many followers I had on social media, but Roy doesn’t care about any of that. He just wants me to do well and he knows this is a long term game. He is patient and understands there is going to be a lot of stepping stones, and he knows my time will come when the Olympic Games arrive. I will make him proud by winning an Olympic Gold medal, and also to honour my Dad and my coach, Gergõ for investing so much in me and believing in me when no one else did. This type of understanding isn’t the same for some other athletes. There are situations where finishing in second place just once isn’t enough, and they lose their sponsorship immediately before offering it to the athlete who finished in first place. What I’m trying to say is it can be a ruthless game that comes with a lot of pressure. So I am really grateful that constant burden isn’t my reality.
“ I was really happy and excited, but also shocked given the number of people I had reached out to who all rejected me. And here I was after talking to Roy for 3 minutes, and he gave me all the backing I needed. ”
SOL: What has been your proudest moment so far in sports or in your personal life?
Syerus: To be honest, I don’t think I’ve had one. I thought at the time that the Commonwealth Games was my proudest moment, but I believe it meant more to my Dad as he helped me with that journey. I ended up giving him the medal because it didn’t mean as much to me. I must say though that I am proud of every competition I’ve won since working for Price Building Services, and I give them all my medals to show my appreciation. They are one of my main motivators to continue doing well, and the trust I get from Roy makes me feel like my mission on earth is to be the best in the world. The only medal I plan to keep for myself is the Olympic medal. Overall, I am happy to be in my position because I know not everyone makes it this far for various reasons. So I have been lucky as well.
SOL: You already discussed some of the challenges you have faced. What has been the biggest one?
Syerus: Although I’ve had bad injuries in my career, my biggest challenge was my experience after the Commonwealth Games where I went from being on top of the world to feeling like I was left out on my own. If it was a movie, I had reached that point where I was about to quit because of the financial burden. Even before the commonwealth I was told I was the least likely to medal. The fact I didn’t get much help for some time was difficult, but it has also developed my work ethic and even the other athletes respect me for that.
SOL: It is common for one not to live in the moment and keep chasing the next goal. After all you've achieved so far, do you now feel like you are living your dream of becoming a wrestler?
Syerus: I enjoy the moment and appreciate it everyday, but if I’m honest I don’t believe I have reached that point where I am 100% satisfied. I am grateful for each day and it’s a blessing, but my main goal is to be an Olympic Champion. My true fulfilment won’t appear until I achieve this goal. I see myself every night standing on the podium receiving my Gold medal. I picture myself hearing the national anthem and tears rolling down my face knowing it was worth it. Knowing all the let downs, negative comments, bad jobs, late nights and early mornings happened for a reason. I will be truly happy and fulfilled when this dream one day becomes reality.
Another reason I do this is that I enjoy helping people, so I’ve been doing some coaching. The Olympics means so much to me because I feel if I don’t make it there it would send out the wrong message. For example if you think of boxing in the UK, Anthony Joshua comes to mind. If you think of Athletics, you have Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill. A lot of these sports have a face or role model who achieved something great, and I want to be that person that inspires the next generation to aim higher. I want to send a message to the next generation like all the greats have once done. That it is possible and all the hard work will pay off. That if you truly believe in your dream no matter what, it will become a reality. That you have to be fearless to achieve greatness, and I hope I can teach this through my actions. Without winning an Olympic Gold medal I can’t deliver this message, so I will do my best not to fail the next generation. There is a story about one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Aleksandr Karelin who used to go to schools to give speeches and advise the next generation. One time he visited a school in Siberia where he met a kid named Roman Vlasov who he inspired to also become one of the greats who went on to win Gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and is a 2 time world champion. He was really influenced by Karelin, and that is something I want to do for others.
Syerus: There is still a lot of uncertainty with qualifiers being postponed and some travel restrictions in place. I will try to make the Olympics in Japan, but because of everything going on I can’t be confident it will happen, so I am more focused on the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
SOL: Thanks again for the interview. If you aren’t at the Olympics this year, I certainly hope you will be in Paris and wish you all the best in achieving your Olympic Gold dream.