LAS VEGAS (Sept. 14, 2015) -- A letter in a locker and a pair of patriotic socks helped propel Sgt. Caylor Williams to his personal-best performance at the World Wrestling Championships.
In only his fourth season of Greco-Roman wrestling, Williams, 24, was inspired by a fourth-grader, who took time to express his admiration of the Soldier-wrestler in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.
Upon arrival at the Orleans Arena to compete in the 2015 World Wrestling Championships, Williams opened his locker and found the letter written by 9-year-old Gunner Cortez, along with a pair of patriotic-looking socks.
From the letter, Williams learned that Cortez is a triple-crown champion, who holds his own age-group titles in Greco-Roman, freestyle and folkstyle wrestling in Nevada.
"Gunner [Cortez] is this awesome kid, who wrote me a letter and sent me a pair of really, really nice socks," Williams said. "He says that having fancy, bright-colored socks takes some of the attention off of him while he's wrestling, so he can focus.
"He sent me those socks, and right after that, I wrestled the best I've wrestled in my entire life," said Williams, who rallied from a 5-2 second-period deficit and dramatically pinned Davi Albino of Brazil in the men's 98-kilogram/216-pound Greco-Roman division. Williams lifted Albino high in the air, threw him to the mat, and pinned the Brazilian to earn his first victory in three World Championship appearances.
"Gunner said that his dream is to be an Olympian and that he's inspired by us," said Williams, a 2009 Florida high school state wrestling champion, who went 50-0 his senior season at Palm Bay High and later attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Before his match, Williams had no idea how Cortez became one of his most supportive fans. "I would love to meet him and shake his hand," Williams said after the first day of wrestling. "He knows all about my high school wrestling record… Everyone here got something special from a kid, but I think I'm the only one who got a pair of socks.
"Those are some patriotic socks," he said. "They are red, white and blue with the stars and stripes and everything. I've never got anything like that before, but it surely inspired me."
Williams posted a note to Cortez on his social media page, along with a photo of himself ready to wrestle in the socks.
"An awesome kid named Gunner sent me this letter and these socks," he wrote. "Thanks for your support Gunner. I'm going to wear them today!!!"
After winning his first match, Williams barely lost his second-round match to the 2011 World champion Elis Guri of Bulgaria, in a 4-4 decision on criteria.
"I had never won a match at worlds before, and I've never come that close to beating that Bulgarian, and he was the 2011 world champ," Williams said.
The following day, Williams got his wish and met Cortez, a fourth grader, and some of his teammates from the Green Valley Wrestling Club, a group of 1st- through 8th-grade wrestlers from Clark County, Nevada. Williams escorted them onto the World Championship mats for a photo opportunity inside the Orleans Arena while Gunner's mother watched from the stands.
"I gave Caylor a pair of socks because I always wear crazy socks to my wrestling matches," said Cortez, who has been wrestling for five years. "One of my biggest dreams is to go the Olympics."
Williams shares Cortez's dream of competing in the Olympics, the only tournament considered more important than the World Championships.
"This is only my fourth year of wrestling Greco, so we're just getting started," Williams said. "I really believe that when you grow, it's going to be in leaps and bounds, not just little itty bitty things. So one day, you're taking fifth at Nationals; next day you're winning the World Team Trials. One day, you're not winning any, and next thing you know, you're winning the whole thing.
"I tried to show the world what I was made of," Williams said. "It's the first time I've won a match at Worlds and this is my third time here. I need to grow from this and keep getting better. This is a tournament I want to win."
Williams also saluted fellow U.S. servicemen and women, who worked on Labor Day while he represented the Army on the mats for Team USA.
"I want to say a special 'thank you' to all those troops who don't have the day off today. "There are a lot of people out there: law enforcement, firefighters, military, all those people who serve and protect, who don't have the day off.
"They're working right now. I wish a special 'thank you' from me to those folks," he said.
And, of course, Williams thanked a young kid named Gunner for inspiring him in his World Championship matches.
"He's the man," Williams said. "I think he deserves a shout out."
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