Lynn Joyce Roethke (born June 22, 1961) is an American female

judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

. Among her most notable accomplishments, Lynn is a two-time Olympic athlete, a Pan American gold medalist, and World Champion Silver medalist. She was the first female to be inducted to the Black Belt Hall of Fame and voted as Olympic Athlete of the Year. She competed in the −61 kg division for most of her competitive career (early 1980s – late 1990s).

Olympics

Roethke is a two-time US Olympic competitor for

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

. Lynn competed in the

1988 Summer Olympic Games The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

in Seoul, Korea where she would win the silver medal in the -61 kg (134 lbs) division. This would make her the first American woman to compete in the finals (the gold was won by Diane Bell of GBR). During these Olympics, women's judo was a

demonstration sport A demonstration sport, or exhibition sport, is a sport which is played to promote it, rather than as part of standard medal competition. This occurs commonly during the Olympic Games but may also occur at other sporting events. Demonstration sport ...

, therefore did not count towards the USA's total medal count. Lynn was also a member of the Olympic team at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

in Barcelona, Spain. Lynn is also a Pan American Games Champion in Sambo.

World Championships

Ms. Roethke won the silver medal in the

1987 World Judo Championships The 1987 World Judo Championships were the 15th edition of the World Judo Championships, and were held in Essen, West Germany from November 19–22, 1987. Medal overview Men Women Medal table References External links * Videos(judovisio ...

in Essen, West Germany. She was defeated by Diane Bell of GBR in the −61 kg division.

Pan American Games

Roethke won the gold medal in the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...

in Indianapolis. She defeated Natasha Hernandez in the −61 kg division. Ms. Roethke won the silver medal in the

1991 Pan American Games The 1991 Pan American Games, officially known as the XI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Havana 1991 (), were held in Havana, Cuba from 2 to 18 August 1991. There were 4,519 athletes from 39 countries of the Pan American Sports Organi ...

in Havana, Cuba. She was defeated by Illeana Beltran in the −61 kg division.

US National Championships

Roethke won the gold medal during 9 US National Championships. * 1984 Orlando, FL – defeated Kathy Dalton * 1985 Farmington Hills, MI – defeated Kathy Dalton * 1986 Honolulu, HI – defeated Tammy Otaka * 1987 Pittsburgh, PA – defeated Kathy Dalton * 1989 Tampa, FL – defeated Liliko Ogasawara * 1990 San Diego, CA – defeated Brenda Day * 1991 Honolulu, HI – defeated Brenda Day * 1993 Indianapolis, IN – defeated Idiko Szasz * 1994 Irvine, CA – defeated Hannelore Brown in the −56 kg division Bronze Medal * 1983 Los Angeles, CA – defeated by Robin Chapman (Judo) for gold, Cindy Sovljanski for silver. * 1995 Indianapolis, IN – defeated by

Corrina Broz Corinna West (née Corinna Broz and also known as Corinna Broz-West; born March 13, 1974) is an American retired judo and Olympian. The first competition she participated in was at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta in the women's 56 kg event w ...

for gold, Marissa Pedulla for silver in the −56 kg division * 2004 Villa Park, IL – defeated by Valerie Gotay for gold, Colleen McDonald for silver in the −56 kg division

Present

Lynn currently owns and operates Club Olympia in

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the southern end of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Fond du Lac met ...

, where she is a certified trainer and runs her own dojo, Club Olympia Judo. She is an eighth degree black belt.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roethke, Lynn 1961 births Living people American female judoka Judoka at the 1988 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic judoka for the United States Sambokas at the 1983 Pan American Games Judoka at the 1987 Pan American Games Judoka at the 1991 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in judo Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in judo Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in sambo 20th-century American sportswomen