Wrestler Randi Miller has unfinished business in Olympic ring

Randi Miller reluctantly retired from wrestling after winning the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics. She returned to school, worked odd jobs and prepared for an MMA career.

“Kind of all over the place really,” said Miller, an Arlington Martin product.

Although Miller left wrestling, wrestling never left her.

Miller watched the 2012 Olympic wrestling competition online at a friend’s house, deciding then and there she wasn’t done. Less than a week after the Olympics ended, Miller returned to the sport that won her heart.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after wrestling,” Miller said. “I wasn’t ready to retire when I retired, but some personal issues came up, and I decided to walk away from the sport. I actually had no intention of coming back. But watching the 2012 Games, it kind of sparked that fire again. I knew that if I didn’t try to wrestle again that I’d be regretting it for the rest of my life. That’s what brought me back to wrestling.”

Now, Miller tries to complete some unfinished business. She and Tervel Dlagnev, an Arlington High School grad, will compete in the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials this weekend in Iowa City, Iowa.

Dlagnev is ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in the 125-kilogram/275-pound freestyle. Miller, wrestling for the U.S. Army club, enters No. 2 in the 69-kilogram/152-pound division behind Tamyra Mensah of Katy.

“It’s been quite awhile since I’ve competed at an Olympic Trials, but I feel like I still have that experience on my side and want to use that to my full advantage,” said Miller, who trains in Colorado Springs. “I feel really good about it. It’s been a good season and a good comeback.”

Miller keeps her Olympic bronze medal in her living room, where she sees it every day.

In 2008, in the Olympic quarterfinals of the freestyle 63-kilogram division, Miller lost to defending gold medalist Kaori Icho of Japan. But Miller rebounded and beat Canada’s Martine Dugrenier in the closing seconds to take the bronze.

“I’m always going to be proud of that accomplishment,” said Miller, who is in the Army National Guard. “However, I do feel like that day I fell short of my goal of getting that No. 1 spot and that gold medal. I didn’t get it. But I will never look on that day with shame. I’m very proud of what I did.

“But I do want to be No. 1. That’s why I’m still doing it. I want that honor of being considered the best in the world, even if it is for one day.”

Miller began wrestling at Arlington Martin, but it took getting cut from the basketball team for her to dedicate herself to the sport. Now 32, Miller trains 6-8 hours a day.

“I feel great,” Miller said. “It’s hard to tell if I feel my age. Wrestling hurts. It hurt me when I was 18.”

Miller has no plans to retire this time, no matter the outcome.

“I’m not retiring,” Miller said. “I’ll probably go about another four years. After that, I think it might be time to hang it up.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Wrestler Randi Miller has unfinished business in Olympic ring."