OyChicago articles

Aaron puts the Ju-wish in Judo

For the Cohen family of Buffalo Grove, athletic ability of Olympic proportions runs in the family.

Aaron Cohen, first alternate on this year’s Olympic Judo team set to compete in Beijing this month, follows in the footsteps of his father, Irwin Cohen, who competed in Judo in the 1972 Olympics, and his uncle, Steve Cohen who competed in the 1988 Games.

“I always wanted to be an Olympian because of my father,” says Cohen, who found himself as an alternate for the third time after losing in the finals of the Olympic trials due to what he describes as a controversial call. “It’s heartbreaking to come so close.”

Despite the close call, Cohen has had much success in his Judo career, and currently stands as the 2008 USA Judo Senior National Champion. When he is not traveling and competing, Cohen teaches at the Cohen's Judo Club with his dad, uncle and brother R.J., and is also the assistant wrestling coach at Deerfield High School.



Aaron, getting ready to toss you over his shoulder

“It’s not just the competing,” Cohen says of his love for his sport. “It’s a lot of dedication and hard work. I love that I get to travel the world and see a lot of stuff. The coolest thing is that I meet friends from all over the world.”

In fact, he will soon be traveling to Israel for the wedding of Arik Zeevi, a close friend and Judo expert, who Cohen says is a “superstar” in Israel.

“Judo is the second-most practiced sport in the world. It’s small in the U.S., but it’s a world power in other countries like Israel, Japan and Lithuania,” he says. Athletes like Zeevi, he says, are like celebrities in their respective countries.

Since visiting Israel himself last year, Cohen says his Jewish identity and connection to the homeland is much stronger, but Judaism and Judo, though they share a common syllable, are separate passions in his life.

“I love being Jewish and I love being an athlete—though I’m not sure how they relate,” he says.

But whenever he travels for competitions, Cohen is certain to bring his good-luck charm—a mezuzah. “It was good luck when I brought it on my first trip so now I bring it everywhere I go,” he says.

Though he is the first alternate, Cohen says unless one of the eight-team members gets injured before the Olympics, there is not much chance he’ll travel to China, because there is only one day of competition in Beijing.

But we haven’t seen the last of Cohen.

“I will try again for the 2012 Games in London,” he says. “And if the Olympics are in Chicago, I might stick around for those too.”