Midwest Jiu Jitsu Academy to welcome Olympic judo champion on Saturday

QUINCY — Local jiu jitsu and judo athletes have the opportunity to train with Lynn Roethke, an Olympic gold medalist in judo, on Saturday.

Lynn Roethke, whose career began in 1967, reigns as one of the most accomplished American women judo athletes in the history of the sport. Roethke holds the rank of eighth degree black belt. This promotion made her the youngest female eighth degree black belt and one of only three of the highest ranked women in the United States.

Roethke was the first American woman to medal in judo at the Olympic Games, winning a silver medal in 1988 in Seoul, Korea. She was an Olympic team member in Barcelona in 1992. Other honors include being selected by the U.S. Olympic committee as “female athlete of the year” in the sport of judo in 1985 and 1987.

Roethke was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame in 1987, making her the first woman in the world to earn that honor. She was inducted in the inaugural class of the USA Judo Hall of Fame in 2008.

Roethke’s honors also include approximately 450 judo awards in competitions throughout the world, winning international medals in the United States, Canada, Russia, England, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Austria, China, Cuba, Holland and Poland. She is the only U.S. woman to be a three-time medalist in the prestigious Japan’s Fukuoka Women’s International tournament, and she is a nine-time U.S. Senior National Champion.

Roethke lives in Fond du Lac, Wis., and is owner/operator of Club Olympia, an adult co-ed fitness center. She teaches and coaches a judo program at her fitness club which has produced state, national and international Champions. She also conducts motivational seminars and clinics throughout the United States.

For more information, contact Midwest Jiu Jitsu Academy by calling 217-653-3937, emailing coachaltgilbers@gmail.com or visiting the Midwest Jiu Jitsu Academy Facebook page

Registration in advance is required.