Explaining how the coronavirus pandemic has affected him negatively is actually not easy for Myles Amine. That speaks volumes about his character and will.

The three-time University of Michigan All-American, who will also represent San Marino at the next Olympics, has taken always taken the attitude that setbacks can only set him up for future success.

The Olympics being a delayed a year? It affords Amine, relatively inexperienced internationally, more training time to adjust to Olympic freestyle wrestling.

Taking an Olympic redshirt in what turned out to be a non-Olympic year? That saved him from using his final year of eligibility during a season in which there was no NCAA Championships.

Not seeing teammates on a regular basis? They are staying in touch virtually, holding each other accountable, keeping one another motivated and sharing workouts. 

Classes abruptly moving online? No problem. Amine earned his bachelor's degree in business administration last month. 

"I've always had an optimistic side that has helped me deal with whatever is thrown at me," he said. "Sure, the Olympics being postponed was a little disappointing at first, but I've been lucky, honestly. I've still been able to train well with my brother and my cousins at my house and their house and should be even better prepared for the Olympics."

That’s Amine – always positively moving forward. 

Such attitude and drive are no surprise to Mitch Hancock, Amine's coach at Detroit Catholic Central where he amassed a 163-16 record, including a pair of state championships as well as three team titles. 

"Myles is successful due to his incredible passion for the sport, his knowledgeable and loving support system, and uncanny ability to put life into perspective," Hancock said. "Myles is remarkably smart, witty, and well-liked by everyone. He embraces opportunity and makes the most of each day with an attitude and smile that lights up a room." 

Amine’s schedule last week perfectly illustrates how events of the past few months have done little to slow him down or dampen his spirits. 

Amine spent five days training with an elite group of Olympic hopefuls and past All-Americans at the Oklahoma Regional Training Center after accepting an invitation from former Oklahoma State standout and 2013 All-American Jon Morrison.

Brother Malik, a two-time NCAA qualifier who wrestled for Michigan from 2014-2019, and former teammate Domenic Abounader, a four-time NCAA qualifier and 2018 All-American, accompanied Amine on the trip along with current teammate Logan Massa. He is a three-time NCAA qualifier and 2017 All-American who also used an Olympic redshirt. 

Malik hopes to join Myles on the San Marino Olympic team while Abounader is attempting to wrestle for Lebanon at the next Olympics. The Amine brothers have dual citizenship because their mother’s grandfather came to the United States from San Marino in the early 1900s. 

"The first thing I had to ask Jon is if it was safe to go down there, but he assured me all precautions were being taken and every wrestler was being tested for coronavirus because Oklahoma has opened up more than Michigan," Myles said. "I talked it over with the guys and we went. It was the best week of training we've had in some time with great partners to challenge us."

An energized Amine returned to Michigan Friday evening, bounced from bed the next morning, and headed to the home of cousins Jordan and Cameron Amine for a workout in
"The Cave," a wrestling training facility constructed in their garage.

Cameron, Myles’ Michigan teammate, will be a redshirt freshman next season while Jordan wrestled for the Wolverines from 2013-2017. 

Myles and Malik have also been working out in the basement of their parents' home.

"I've been fortunate through all this to have different outlets for training and people to train with," Myles said. "We've been pushing each other and some workouts have been intense. That kind of support for each other has been crucial. Obviously, the facilities our parents agreed to construct at our homes took on greater importance."

Mike, Myles and Malik's father, and Sam, father to Cameron and Jordan, both wrestled for Michigan in the 1980s. Mike was an NCAA runner-up in 1988.

One of the most difficult aspects of the pandemic for Amine was seeing his teammates robbed of a chance to compete at the NCAA Championships. 

"I know very well how all your training is geared to preparing for that one big event where you hope to peak and to see that taken away from them was devastating," Amine said. "My heart really went out to the seniors. I feel very fortunate to still have one more chance at the NCAA Championships."

Just 12 days after the NCAA Championships were canceled, the 2020 Olympics were officially postponed to the summer of 2021. 

"That was tough to begin with because the Olympics were only a few months away and I was getting excited to go, but having another year to prepare is bound to work in my favor," said Amine, who became San Marino's first-ever Olympic wrestler by placing fifth at 86 kilograms in the 2019 World Championships. "Obviously, already being qualified makes it easier to have that perspective."

Before the pandemic began shutting the sports world down, Amine was training on campus at the Michigan Regional Training Center with, among others, Massa and Stevan Micic, another Michigan teammate who will be wrestling for Serbia in the next Olympics.

They all received some good news recently when it was announced that Sergei Beloglazov, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, will continue coaching there. He has been invaluable in helping Amine improve his grasp of international freestyle wrestling. 

"I remember being struck at first by how much more technical freestyle is compared to (college) folkstyle and the training being not as physically intense," he said. "I thought I should be more exhausted by the workouts, but I've learned how important it is to focus on perfecting technique and not killing your body. I'm thankful for more time training with Sergei before the Olympics."

Amine hopes to be training in person with larger groups of his teammates by the end of the month. In the meantime, they will continue using technology to communicate and post workouts like 125-pound NCAA qualifier Jack Medley running a marathon the morning of May 4 on streets around his New Baltimore, Michigan home. 

Medley covered the 26.2 miles in a respectable three hours, nine minutes, and 35 seconds which would have placed him 81st out of more than 20,000 finishers in last year's Detroit Marathon. 

"Yeah, we had to kid Jack about showing us up after that," Amine said, chuckling.

His Olympic dream delayed, Amine is turning his attention to the lofty goals he's set for his final season of collegiate wrestling. 

Chief among them is capturing his first NCAA championship. In fact, no Wolverine has won a national title since Kellen Russell in 2012. 

Amine is ranked second at 174 pounds behind two-time Iowa All-American Michael Kemerer, whom he has never wrestled. 

Amine takes an 80-18 record into next season, but all college opponents who have beaten him are out of eligibility and he has lost only one or two-point decisions the past two seasons. 

An even bigger goal, arguably, is leading Michigan to its first Big Ten championship in 48 years. The Wolverines will fill eight weight classes with ranked wrestlers, including six NCAA qualifiers and three All-Americans. 

"I'm looking forward to making next season something really special," said Amine, who also begins work on a master’s degree in sports management this fall. "The international success I've had and some really close losses at the NCAA Championships I've learned from make me confident of winning a national title. I'm also confident we will be prepared to compete strongly for a Big Ten title." 

Count Michigan coach Sean Bormet among those thankful Amine is returning to the lineup.

"Myles' personal and team goals are the highest possible, so I know he will continue to be a great leader and worker," Bormet said. "He is very passionate and understands the great opportunity in front of us next season. Myles gets how important it is to just be present, enjoy camaraderie, and to have fun in the midst of the grueling training that our sport requires in order to consistently improve and truly be ready when those special moments arrive."

After hanging up his maize and blue singlet for good, Amine will resume Olympic preparation. 

"I have big goals for the Olympics too," he said. "At first, it was to become San Marino's first wrestling medalist, but then I was like 'If I'm good enough to win a medal, I'm good enough to win gold'."

Mark Spezia is a freelance writer based in Lapeer, Michigan. He has written for ESPNW, Flohockey, Flint, Michigan-based My City Magazine, the Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit Magazine and Troy, Michigan-based Oakland Press. He previously worked for the Flint Journal, Lapeer (Michigan) County Press and Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton, Michigan.