American Joe Betterman set to compete at final Olympic qualifier in Greco-Roman
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by Craig Sesker
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - 2007 World Team member Joe Betterman is set to take another shot at qualifying the United States for the 2008 Olympic Games in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Betterman has been selected to compete at Greco-Roman Olympic Qualifying Tournament No. 2 on May 23-25 in Novi Sad, Serbia.
The top three wrestlers in each weight class from the second of two qualifiers will qualify their countries for the 2008 Olympics, set for Aug. 12-21 in Beijing, China.
Betterman (Chicago, Ill./New York AC/USOEC) is scheduled to compete in the qualifier in Serbia on May 24 at 60 kg/132 lbs.
"Joe Betterman has a very good chance to qualify the 60 kg weight class for the Olympic Games," U.S. National Coach Steve Fraser said. "He will need to bring his 'A' game and wrestle at his very best. The field is still very strong, so the key for Joe will be to eliminate any mistakes, wrestle aggressively and confidently. We have great confidence in Joe's ability to beat all of the foreign competitors left in the qualifier. I think Joe is totally up for the challenge."
The U.S. team, which won the team title at the 2007 World Championships, already has qualified the other six Greco-Roman weight classes for the Olympics.
Betterman came up short in two other opportunities to qualify the weight class for the Olympics. He did not place at the 2007 World Championships and won a bronze medal at the 2008 Pan American Championships.
American Jim Gruenwald (Marquette, Mich./Sunkist Kids) failed to place at 60 kilos at Greco-Roman Olympic Qualifying Tournament No. 1 on May 10 in Rome, Italy. Gruenwald suffered a shoulder injury in that event.
Betterman placed second to Gruenwald at last month's U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas.
The U.S. has qualified 15-of-18 weight classes overall for the Olympics. The U.S. has qualified 6-of-7 classes in Greco-Roman, 6-of-7 classes in freestyle and 3-of-4 classes in women's freestyle.
Betterman has been selected to compete at Greco-Roman Olympic Qualifying Tournament No. 2 on May 23-25 in Novi Sad, Serbia.
The top three wrestlers in each weight class from the second of two qualifiers will qualify their countries for the 2008 Olympics, set for Aug. 12-21 in Beijing, China.
Betterman (Chicago, Ill./New York AC/USOEC) is scheduled to compete in the qualifier in Serbia on May 24 at 60 kg/132 lbs.
"Joe Betterman has a very good chance to qualify the 60 kg weight class for the Olympic Games," U.S. National Coach Steve Fraser said. "He will need to bring his 'A' game and wrestle at his very best. The field is still very strong, so the key for Joe will be to eliminate any mistakes, wrestle aggressively and confidently. We have great confidence in Joe's ability to beat all of the foreign competitors left in the qualifier. I think Joe is totally up for the challenge."
The U.S. team, which won the team title at the 2007 World Championships, already has qualified the other six Greco-Roman weight classes for the Olympics.
Betterman came up short in two other opportunities to qualify the weight class for the Olympics. He did not place at the 2007 World Championships and won a bronze medal at the 2008 Pan American Championships.
American Jim Gruenwald (Marquette, Mich./Sunkist Kids) failed to place at 60 kilos at Greco-Roman Olympic Qualifying Tournament No. 1 on May 10 in Rome, Italy. Gruenwald suffered a shoulder injury in that event.
Betterman placed second to Gruenwald at last month's U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas.
The U.S. has qualified 15-of-18 weight classes overall for the Olympics. The U.S. has qualified 6-of-7 classes in Greco-Roman, 6-of-7 classes in freestyle and 3-of-4 classes in women's freestyle.
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