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.
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