The son of illegal immigrants, American wrestler hoists his flag with pride

BEIJING -- He has shared everything for most of his scuffled life, from twin beds to sofa cushions to last bites.

Oh, what a pair they made, young Henry Cejudo and Old Glory, dancing cloth-to-cheek across the floor of a gym that rocked and roared in disbelief.

"I'm living the American dream," said Cejudo, 21. "The United States is the land of opportunity, and I'm so glad I can represent it."

The flag gave his mother a chance to raise six children on menial wages in countless apartments from Los Angeles to Las Cruces, N.M., to Phoenix. The son now flapped it across his back like a cape, as if showing the world how it had enabled him to fly.

"The U.S.A. is the best country in the world because it allows you to express yourself in whatever you can do best," said his brother Alonzo, watching from the stands. "Wrestling is just Henry's way."