Fred Jessey

{{short description|Nigerian freestyle wrestler}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

{{Use Nigerian English|date=August 2019}}

{{Infobox sport wrestler

| name = Fred Jessey

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption =

| fullname = Fred Jessey

| nationality = {{NGR}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|9|3|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Yenagoa, Bayelsa, Nigeria

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|m=1.80|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|66|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| website =

| country =

| style = Freestyle

| club = Bayelsa Wrestling Club

| coach = Jackson Bidei

| medaltemplates=

{{MedalSport | Men's freestyle wrestling}}

{{MedalCountry|{{NGR}}}}

{{MedalCompetition|Commonwealth Games}}

{{MedalBronze|2002 Manchester|66 kg}}

{{MedalCompetition|All-Africa Games}}

{{MedalGold|2003 Abuja|66 kg}}

{{MedalSilver|1999 Johannesburg|69 kg}}

{{MedalSilver|2007 Algiers|66 kg}}

| show-medals = yes

}}

Fred Jessey (born 3 September 1977 in Yenagoa, Bayelsa) is a retired amateur Nigerian freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's welterweight category.{{cite web |title= Fred Jessey |date= 29 July 2014 |url= https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/je/fred-jessey-1.html |accessdate= 20 August 2019 |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140729102716/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/je/fred-jessey-1.html |archivedate= 29 July 2014 | publisher=Sports-Reference }} He represented his nation Nigeria at the 2004 Summer Olympics and produced a remarkable tally of four career medals, including a bronze in the 66-kg division at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England and a welterweight title at the 2003 All-Africa Games in Abuja. Jessey also trained for his native Bayelsa State's wrestling club under his personal coach Jackson Bidei.

Jessey made sporting headlines at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, where he grappled his way over New Zealand's Ricardo Aryan to clinch the bronze in the 66-kg division.{{cite news|title=Ugoalah takes gold|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/commonwealthgames2002/hi/other_sports/wrestling/newsid_2170000/2170411.stm|publisher=BBC Sport|date=3 August 2002|accessdate=8 July 2014}}{{cite news|title=Indians prove wrestling prowess|url=http://m2002.thecgf.com/SPORTS/Wrestling/News/default.asp?id=1082&folder=Wrestling|publisher=Manchester 2002|date=3 August 2002|accessdate=29 July 2014}} Following his immediate sporting success, Jessey went on to celebrate a boastful victory for the Nigerians, as he beat Algeria's Farid Hanoun for the gold in the same class at the 2003 All-Africa Games in Abuja.{{cite news|last=Animam|first=Richard|title=Wrestling will give Nigeria gold medals|url=http://news.biafranigeriaworld.com/archive/2003/may/03/105.html|publisher=Biafra Nigeria World News|date=3 May 2003|accessdate=29 July 2014}}

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Jessey qualified for the Nigerian squad, as a lone wrestler, in the men's welterweight class (66 kg). Earlier in the process, he placed sixth at the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, but managed to fill up an entry by the International Federation of Association Wrestling through a tripartite invitation.{{cite news|last=Abbott|first=Gary|title=Olympic Games preview at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. in men's freestyle|url=http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=10306|work=USA Wrestling|publisher=The Mat|date=18 July 2004|accessdate=29 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522160536/http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=10306|archive-date=22 May 2014|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|last=Abbott|first=Gary|title=FILA announces 12 wildcard selections for the 2004 Olympic Games|url=http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=9756|work=USA Wrestling|publisher=The Mat|date=22 April 2004|accessdate=29 July 2014|archive-date=11 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811141315/http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=9756|url-status=dead}} Jessey lost his opening match 1–3 to South Korea's Baek Jin-kuk, and then lost to Japan's Kazuhiko Ikematsu on a pin with a minute remaining; he was ranked penultimate out of 22 wrestlers in the final standings.{{cite web|title=Wrestling: Men's Freestyle 66kg|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/wrestling/results/3532642.stm|work=Athens 2004|publisher=BBC Sport|date=15 August 2004|accessdate=30 September 2013}}