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 Judo: Greensburg native's Olympics success falls short of medal round
Saturday, September 23, 2000 By Lori Shontz, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
SYDNEY, Australia -- It should have been, hands down, the greatest moment of Colleen Rosensteel's Olympic career. After failing to win a judo match in 1992 or '96, she has won two this year -- a first-rounder even though she was feeling sluggish and a second-rounder over the defending world champion.
But the moment turned out to be a mixed blessing.
On the throw that gave her the victory over Beata Maksymow of Poland, the '99 world champion, Rosensteel hurt her knee. She continued to compete despite the pain, but she lost her next two matches by ippon, the judo equivalent of a wrestling pin, and was eliminated before she reached the medal rounds.
"I'm happy with the two wins," said Rosensteel, 33, a Greensburg native. "I'm disappointed with the two losses. I'm sorry I couldn't bring home a medal."
Rosensteel's left knee had never really healed after she injured it during the world championships last fall. She was cleared to compete in judo in the spring, but that made the knee even worse.
The Games were her first competition since the injury.
Rosensteel eventually returned to practice, but she had to be careful. "We adjusted her judo," said Steve Cohen, Rosensteel's personal coach, who is here as the U.S. men's team coach. "We didn't want her doing throws that could damage her knee."
Still, Cohen couldn't protect her from everything. She twisted the knee in practice again last week, and she really wasn't competing at full strength. The move on which she hurt herself was something Cohen had thought wouldn't be a problem.
Still, the victory over Maksymow was a thrill. Rosensteel had come close to defeating her previously but never had been able to break through. This time, she and Cohen watched hours of videotape and prepared specifically for her style, and the preparation paid off.
"When you focus on people, you start at the top," Cohen explained.
Rosensteel, who has competed at the elite level in discus, javelin or judo since her days at Greensburg Central Catholic, is about ready to finish her competitive career. She plans to go home to Greensburg for a while, and then she will decide what lies ahead.
"As far as my judo future, I'm just looking at today," Rosensteel said. "A lot of decisions will be made in the next few weeks. Now is the wrong time to make any decisions except for what's for dinner."
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