USA's Hawn is defeated by 'actor' in quarterfinal

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Aug 18, 2004 | by DAVID RAMSEY THE GAZETTE

ATHENS, Greece - Rick Hawn had not watched Mehman Azizov's atrocious acting during the opening rounds of the Olympic 81 kilogram judo competition.

That's too bad for Hawn, who wasn't ready for Azizov's con job. Hawn, who has lived the past eight years in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Center, lost to Azerbaijan's Azizov in a quarterfinal and failed to earn a medal in the competition.

Ilias Iliadis of Greece won the gold over Ukraine's Roman Gontyuk. Russia's Dmitri Nossov won the bronze

Azizov suffered from a series of agonizing injuries in Tuesday's matches. He injured his ribs, his stomach, his leg. Somehow, he was fully recovered by the end of each match.

Hawn fell victim to Azizov's acting. Hawn was cruising along in his match against Azizov when disaster arrived.

It had been a long day for Hawn. Over the course of four hours, Hawn had won two matches and lost one. But he was still competing with energy, and he remained in the hunt for a bronze medal.

Then Azizov began experiencing pain in his forearms. Or at least that's what he told the referee, who gave him a break to rest.

According to Ed Liddie, Hawn's coach, Azizov should not have been allowed the pause. Liddie suspects Azizov wanted to distract Hawn.

The ploy worked. A few seconds later, Azizov threw Hawn and ended the match.

Hawn, 26, was upbeat after the loss. Injuries have prevented him from competing in international meets, and he had wondered if he could compete against elite judo athletes.

His trip to the Olympics made him believe he can.

"No one expected me to go this far," he said. "I really didn't expect it, either."

He shrugged off his exit from the competition. He should have known better than to fall for Azizov's act, he said, but next time he'll be wiser.

"I was doing great with him," Hawn said, "until I fell asleep."

Liddie says Hawn has a promising future.

"He's what I call a late bloomer," Liddie said. "I still call him the baby of my judo group."

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