Lawrence Langowski Mendoza (born June 11, 1985) is a former Olympic wrestler from Chicago. Langowski competed at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

for

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in freestyle wrestling at 120 kg.

Biography

Langowski was born and raised in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. His father is Polish-American and his mother is from Mexico City. Lawrence attended

Gordon Tech High School DePaul College Prep is a Catholic high school located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located on the north side of Chicago at 3300 N Campbell Ave. DePaul College Prep is sponsored by the Western Province of the Congregation of the Missi ...

, where he graduated second in his class and earned varsity letters in football, wrestling, and track and field. While studying at Gordon Tech, Langowski received numerous academic honors and athletic awards, including wrestling achievements at the state and national levels. Larry received a B.A. in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Wrestling career

After graduating from

, Langowski attended

in Evanston, where he signed onto the wrestling team as a recruited walk-on. Larry wrestled at the

Division I (NCAA) NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

level from 2003-2006 and earned Academic All Big-Ten Conference and Dean's List Honors. While at Northwestern he suffered a potentially career-ending injury but recovered to compete at elite levels of international competition. In 2004 Lawrence was invited by the Mexican Olympic Committee to participate in international wrestling competition. He competed in the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Com ...

in Rio and is a 3X FILA Senior World Team Member. Langowski competed in the 120 kg freestyle division at the

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, after earning qualification at the 2008 FILA Pan American Wrestling Championships in Colorado Springs. He was the Mexico's sole representation in wrestling at the Olympics. He also became the first Mexican wrestler to compete at the Olympics since the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta and one of three athletes to represent Mexico in freestyle wrestling at the Olympic level. Langowski lost to Iran's

Fardin Masoumi Fardin Masoumi Valadi ( fa, فردین معصومی ولدی, born 10 November 1977 in Masal) is an Iranian wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, ...

, a World Silver and bronze medalist.

Post-Olympics

After the Olympics, Langowski volunteered for Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid as an athlete ambassador and liaison to the Hispanic community. After Chicago 2016 dissolved he worked with World Sport Chicago, Chicago 2016's legacy organization, to impact inner-city at-risk youth in the

Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the third-largest school district in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles. ...

system through sport. In 2010, the U.S. State Department selected Lawrence to the

Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

, a prestigious international fellowship. Langowski moved to Mexico City to serve as a fellow at Endeavor, a non-profit focused on developing entrepreneurship in emerging economies, and to study business at the

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México The Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology), commonly known as ITAM, is a private university. It is one of Mexico's most important institutions of higher learning; highly prestigious in the social sc ...

(ITAM).

References

External links

FILA Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langowski, Lawrence 1985 births Living people Wrestlers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic wrestlers for Mexico Sportspeople from Chicago American people of Polish descent American sportspeople of Mexican descent American emigrants to Mexico Mexican male sport wrestlers Wrestlers at the 2007 Pan American Games Pan American Games competitors for Mexico