Member News

August 12, 2007

Rousey Upsets World Champion at German Open  

Jimmy Pedro warms up Ronda Rousey for her bronze medal match.

Rousey prepares with Pedro and Team Manager Chris Skelley for her bronze medal match.

Skelley gets a laugh out of Rousey.

Rousey (blue) takes the mat.

Rousey receives her bronze medal.

70kg medals.

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Since she was 17, Ronda Rousey (Wakefield , Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) has been unofficially dubbed “the one.”  

“The one” to become one of the best female judo players in the world. 

“The one” to win a medal at the World Championships. 

And ultimately “the one” to become the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic medal since judo became a full medal sport for women in 1992. 

So far she’s lived up to the hype, winning World Cup and Pan American titles and becoming the #4-ranked player in the world at 63kg in 2006.   

But judo’s a sport with a lengthy list of major events and fighting the top women in the world doesn’t happen often, so the question remained: “How will she do against World Champions and Olympic medalists in a division she’s only fought in since February?” 

The answer?  “She’ll be just fine.” 

Or so it appeared on Sunday when Rousey fought two of the best players in her new 70kg division, defeating the reigning World Champion and nearly knocking off an Olympic medalist en route to winning a bronze medal at the German Open in Braunschweig. 

Rousey began the day with a draw that might give other players nightmares – seemingly the only good news was a first-round bye followed by a second round against Annett Boehm (GER), a 2004 Olympic and 2003 World medalist.  The winner of that match would fight reigning World Champion Edith Bosch (NED). 

“I was happy to get the hardest quarter of the draw,” Rousey said.  “I didn’t come here to win the German Open.  I came here to get my hands on the best girls before Worlds.” 

Rousey dominated her first match against Boehm so greatly that the Olympic medalist ultimately was given a penalty for stalling – a rarity at a European tournament.  With a minute and a half left, Boehm threw Rousey for a yuko (quarter-point).  Rousey got a throw of her own in during the final seconds of the fight, but only received a koka (smallest points) score.   

In the repechage, Rousey defeated Stephanie Eggert (SUI) by a yuko score to advance to her match against Bosch.   

Both Bosch and Rousey fought well until Bosch went in for an attack, hyperextended Rousey’s arm and ultimately was ejected from the match for headdiving. 

After the match, Rousey iced and taped her arm before her next match against Jennifer Kuijpers (NED) who, like Rousey, won a bronze medal at the 2006 Junior World Championships.   

Up by a yuko score, Rousey pinned Kuijpers to advance to the bronze medal match against Illjana Marzok (GER) who she quickly took to the ground and pinned in just over a minute. 

The tournament will be Rousey’s last major event before the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro , Sept. 13-16.  

“I definitely have a lot to improve on, but I’m also not out of my league here,” Rousey said.  “I don’t think I had the best day, but if I’m not at my best and I’m still hanging with these girls then that tells me I’m really in this.” 

Rousey was the third U.S. athlete to fight for a medal this weekend after Chuck Jefferson ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University ) won bronze in the 73kg division and Josh O’Neil (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) placed fifth in the 60kg division.  

“In years past we’ve sent World and Olympic teams, our best guys, to this tournament and we haven’t won two medals nor have we fought for three, so I’m very happy with how everyone did this weekend at a really tough event,” said Jimmy Pedro (Methuen, Mass.) , USA Judo Elite U-23 Team Coach.  

Five-time Pan Am medalist Aaron Cohen ( Buffalo Grove , Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo) went 2-2 in the 81kg division, defeating Tim Rentzing (NED) by a yuko in the first round.   

In his next match, Cohen and 2006 European U-23 Champion Nick Hein (GER) were both scoreless until the last 18 seconds when Hein came in for a sode (sleeve throw).  Cohen countered him, but was thrown for a yuko. 

In the repechage, Cohen defeated Manths Morazas (LTU) by ippon and appeared to be dominating his next match against Anthony Fritsch (FRA), a six-time World Cup medalist in the 73kg division.  Cohen threw Fritsch three times for yuko scores, but got hit with a ko uchi gari (leg throw) to uchimata (inner thigh throw) combination and was thrown for ippon in the fourth minute. 

Of the remaining three U.S. players in the 81kg division, Andrew Hung ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University) was the only one to earn a win, defeating Jan Muller (GER) by a koka in the first round, but losing to Salamu Mezhidov (RUS), the top-ranked 73kg player in the world, in his second round.   

Pan American Games Champion Travis Stevens (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) lost his first match at 81kg to Victor Bivol (MDA), a former World medalist in the 66kg division and fifth-place finisher at the 2004 Olympic Games as a 73kg player, by a yuko. 

Harry St. Leger ( Brooklyn , N.Y. / Starrett Judo) was double-legged by Thomas Iburg (DEN) in the first round of the 81kg division.  

Kenny Hashimoto ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University ) and Taylor Takata ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center ) both went 1-1 in the 66kg division. 

Hashimoto threw Martin Hack (GER) in the first minute with an o soto gari (outer leg throw), but Mikhail Verkholantsev (RUS) threw him for ippon in the second round.   

Takata threw Gerhard Zeitler (GER) with a kata guruma (fireman’s carry) for a yuko score to advance to the second round where he got legpicked for ippon by Georgiy Zantaraya (UKR), a three-time World Cup medalist in the 60kg division.  

Nate Torra ( El Cerrito , Calif. / NYAC / East Bay Judo Institute / 66kg) lost by ippon in the final minute of the first round against 2006 European Championship medalist Kunter Rothberg (EST) who threw him for several scores with sumi gaeshi (sacrifice throw) techniques earlier in the match.   

Also competing in the 66kg division, Justin Flores ( Glenville , N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center ) was thrown for ippon midway through his first match against Ahmed Ould-Said (FRA).  

Sixteen-year-old Emily Lilly ( Camarillo , Calif. / Sawtelle) fought up from 63kg to 70kg, but lost early in the first round to former European Junior Champion Kerstin Thiele (GER).  

The team will remain in Germany for a training camp following the competition.