( Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ) – Ronda Rousey ( NYAC )
lived up to everyone’s expectations on Friday when she won the silver
medal at the World Championships in the 70kg division on Friday, September 14th and became the
first American woman to medal at a Worlds since 1995.
After
moving up from 63kg earlier this year, Rousey’s day included wins over
the #3-ranked player in the world, an Olympic medalist and the reigning
World Champion.
“I’ve always had this in mind ever since I was
kid. My mother won Worlds in 1984 and that’s always been my goal, so
I’m a little disappointed not to have won, but I’m happy to have
medaled for the first time,” Rousey said. “A lot of people didn’t
expect me to [medal] because I just moved up from 63kg so I’m happy
with that.”
Rousey won her first three preliminary matches to advance to the semifinal against reigning World Champion Edith Bosch (NED).
Rousey
previously beat Bosch at the German Open last month, but found herself
behind in this match when Bosch threw her for a yuko (quarter-point)
with a harai (hip throw). Bosch was given a penalty for stalling in
the last two minutes and Rousey increased her attacks, ultimately
throwing her for ippon with a reverse sode (sleeve throw). Rousey
during her post-medals press conference.
In the final match,
2005 World silver medalist Gevrise Emane (FRA) threw Rousey for two
yukos with the referees giving the second to Rousey first before taking
it away and giving it to Emane. In the final minute, Emane received a
penalty for stalling. With seven seconds remaining, Emane ran from
Rousey and received a second penalty to give Rousey a yuko score, but
she lost the match two yukos to one.
Rousey’s silver medal win
is the first World medal for a U.S. woman since Liliko Ogasawara won a
bronze medal in 1995 and the first medal of any kind since her new
coach Jimmy Pedro (Methuen, Mass.) won the 1999 World Championships.
“For
a while there, I was training on my own and jumping from place to
place, so it was a really sad time for me,” Rousey said. “But a lot of
people have really been great in helping me, including USA Judo my
coach Jimmy Pedro and my teammates because all of that’s what motivates
you to get out of bed and run and train every day.”
In her first
match, Rousey defeated reigning Asian Champion Asuka Oka (JPN) in her
first match of the 70kg division, throwing her for a yuko score three
minutes into the match and again for a waza-ari (half-point) in the
last 50 seconds.
In her next match, Rousey threw two-time
World and Olympic medalist Ylenia Scapin (ITA) for a waza-ari just over
a minute into the match and, though she received a penalty in the final
minute for stalling, Scapin was still scoreless.
In the
quarter-finals, Rousey matched up against Mayra Aguiar (BRA), the
teenager who she beat in the final minute of the Pan Am Games here in
July. This time Rousey used her much acclaimed groundwork skills to
take her to the mat and pin Aguiar mid-way through the match.
Article courtesy of US Judo.