Marano Moves Up, but Not Out

Kristie Marano’s road to Athens took an unexpected turn when she weighed in at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials and was a pound too heavy to compete in the 138.75-pound class, in which she won the national championship last month.

Faced with a choice between dropping out or moving up in weight, she switched to the 158.5-pound class, the heaviest in women’s Olympic competition. However, she lost and was plunged into the challenge tournament Friday. Then, early in her match with Elena Mena at the RCA Dome, she lost a contact lens.

No matter. It would take a lot more than that to faze a woman who delivered her own baby six years ago in the bedroom of her parents’ home and 10 days later won her third U.S. wrestling title.

“I was surprised that I didn’t make weight, but I feel pretty positive in any weight class,” said Marano, who won world titles in 2000 at 149.75 pounds and 2003 at 147.5 pounds. “It’s not too bad.”

Marano, 25, wrestled confidently Friday in defeating Mena by technical fall, 10-0, and advancing to today’s semifinals. “It doesn’t really matter if I sit out two days or wrestle for two days,” said Marano, whose father, Conrad Steinglen, moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., to coach her and help care for her daughter, Kayla. “I’m happy to wrestle anytime.”

While the top-seeded wrestlers await Sunday’s finals, which will determine the 17 wrestlers who will compete in the Athens Games, the preliminaries and quarterfinals began Friday with few surprises.

Three-time U.S. champion Cael Sanderson, who lost his 185-pound title to Lee Fullhart last month, overpowered Andy Hrovat by technical fall, 10-0, and moved into the semifinals. Sanderson, legendary for his 159-0 record at Iowa State, said he has struggled to put his college success behind him. “I’m trying to change things and get my focus back,” he said.

Also triumphant was Sammie Henson, who lost the gold-medal match at 119 pounds at the Sydney Olympics in a controversial decision and sobbed after receiving his silver medal. He returned after retiring three times and looked as if he’d never been gone, defeating Eric Albarracin on a fall 1:08 into their match.

Losing at Sydney, he said, “has nothing to do with why I’m here. A couple of years ago it might have had all the reason, and those were the wrong reasons. I want to have fun and win and go out the right way.”