Curtis Dodge Earns Tooth Fairytale Finish. . . But Now Needs A Dentist

Curtis Dodge will be off to see his dentist when he gets back to Aberdare – possibly with a bronze medal around his neck.

The Wales wrestler came third in the men’s freestyle 74kg wrestling on Thursday, but lost a tooth in the pursuit of precious metal. It was Wales’ 24^th medal on the Gold Coast.

Dodge, 25, beat Ebimienfaghe Assizecourt of Nigeria to make the podium, having earlier had to battle past Sierra Leone’s Abdulai Salam where the involuntary dental re-arrangement occurred.

Now, when he returns to Wales, he will be looking to book an appointment to fix the gap in the middle of his grin.

“Moments like this are what you dream about,” said Dodge, who also competed at judo at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games four years ago. He has also dabbled in mixed martial arts.

“It makes all the late nights, all the early mornings, all the bruises and all the bumps, all the cauliflower ears, and even all the missing teeth, all of it, worth it.

So you’ve just won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games like @curtisdodge and what’s the first thing you’re going to do when home?
“Sort me tooth out!” ( it got knocked out in the qf😬) @BBCSportWales pic.twitter.com/Nqtx1eyCmq

— Catrin Heledd (@catheledd) April 12, 2018

“I haven’t been wrestling very long, But I’ve been competing since I was a kid.

“Seeing my family in the crowd, gave me extra motivation. Seeing my son there made me want to win this medal to put it around his neck as well as my own.

“I will now take my time and nurse the injuries and also get my tooth fixed. Then, I’ll take it day by day.”