April 22--Chicago wrestler Joe Rau's Olympic quest suffered a setback Friday after losing in the first round of a qualifying tournament in Mongolia.
Rau, 25, lost in a 4-1 decision to Fredrik Schoen of Sweden. He needed to finish in the top three to qualify for the Olympics later this summer.
A former NCAA Division III champion at Elmhurst College, Rau earned his spot on the U.S. team by winning the Olympic trials earlier this month in Iowa City. The United States, however, did not secure an Olympic berth in the 216-pound weight class at the most recent world championships or Pan American Games, forcing Rau to earn his own spot at the tournament in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
He could still qualify for the Games at a last-chance competition in Istanbul next month, but USA Wrestling has not yet announced which athletes it will send to that tournament.
The competition marked another step in a remarkable 18-year journey for Rau, who never placed in the state tournament when he wrestled for St. Patrick High School on the Northwest side. After graduating from college in 2013, he joined the Minnesota Storm, a renowned club whose facility is one of the regional training sites for world-class wrestlers in the United States.
"It's incredibly rare for someone to go from a Division III program to the Olympic level," Elmhurst College wrestling coach Steve Marianetti recently told the Tribune. "But this was the obvious choice. Honestly, whether it worked out or not, he made the right decision to take the chance."
Lockport native Haley Augello has a chance to punch her ticket to Rio Saturday at the Mongolia tournament. If she finishes in the top two in the 105.5-pound weight class, she will earn an Olympic berth.
sstclair@tribpub.com
