Beijing Olympic Games

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By ALAN ROBINSON, AP Sports Writer

BEIJING (AP)—Randi Miller and Ali Bernard made their international debuts in the Olympics, of all places, not exactly the place for a rookie. Not surprisingly, neither wrestled like a veteran.

Miller and Bernard were roughed up by Chinese wrestlers in Sunday’s quarterfinals, meaning the United States will leave the two-day Olympic women’s tournament without a gold medal for the second games in a row.

Whether the Americans get any medals—neither Clarissa Chun nor Marcie Van Dusen got one Saturday—depends on whether Miller and Bernard can win two matches each to take a bronze. Neither will be favored.

“We talk when you make the U.S. team that you’re going to medal and we haven’t done that yet,” U.S. coach Terry Steiner said. “We’ve got some work to do.”

Miller, who defeated 2004 silver medalist Sara McMann in the U.S. trials in June, won her first two matches against two non-contenders before being pinned at 63 kilograms by returning Olympic champion Kaori Icho of Japan at 1:20 of the second period.

“I came out thinking I could beat her,” Miller said.

Icho, the younger sister of two-time 48 kg silver medalist Chiharu Icho, made it through a tight 1-0, 0-1, 1-1 decision against Canada’s Martine Dugrenier in the semifinals and will wrestle Russia’s Alena Kartashiva for her second gold in as many games.

Icho has won every world championship since 2002.

Bernard, the least-experienced of the four U.S. women’s wrestlers in Beijing, won her first match before losing 3-1, 7-3 to China’s Wang Jaio at 72 kg. Wang then pinned five-time world champion Kyoko Hamaguchi, the daughter of a well-known Japanese pro wrestler nicknamed the Animal.

Not bad for a backup. Wang normally is No. 2 on China’s depth chart behind 2004 Olympic champion Wang Xu, but was moved up after Wang injured a shoulder recently in practice.

Wang Jaio will have the home mat advantage in the noisy China Agriculture University gymnasium, where the fans root loudly for every Chinese wrestler, no matter the score or the opponent. Wang may need it against two-time reigning world champion Stanka Zlateva, who lost to Hamaguchi in Athens.

Bernard, from New Ulm, Minn., wrestles at a Canadian college because so few U.S. schools offer the sport. She told herself in advance she couldn’t be awed by the Olympics, even though it is her first senior-level world championship.

Then, of course, she was.

“Came out a little star struck, I guess,” Bernard said. “Hopefully, I can pick it up. It’s the big show, I guess.”

Miller and Bernard can’t allow the disappointment of not reaching the finals stay with them long, according to their coach.

“It’s hard, but it will be a lot harder if they leave here without a medal,” Steiner said.

The United States got two women’s wrestling medals in Athens, McMann’s silver and Patricia Miranda’s bronze at 48 kg.