Reser, long one of America’s top judo athletes, made the Olympic team in his third attempt at qualifying by winning at 161 pounds Saturday night in the U.S. trials. He was surprised by Chuck Jefferson in the final mini-tournament match, but came back to beat Jefferson in consecutive matches in the best-of-three finals.

“It’s the story of my life,” Reser said. “I can’t make it easy. I can’t win the first match, I lose and I have to come back and it makes me angry and I want to get it over with.”

Not surprisingly in a sport in which strength, quickness and dexterity are a necessity, Reser bounced around the mat in joy after throwing Jefferson to the mat to secure his trip to Beijing.

Reser and 21-year-old Ronda Rousey, who needed only three matches and less than three minutes to win her way onto the team Friday, are seen as the top U.S. judo medal hopes.

Reser was the top alternate for the 2000 and 2004 Olympics behind former world champion Jimmy Pedro, a four-time Olympian who retired after winning his second Olympic bronze medal in Athens. Reser then moved into the No. 1 U.S. ranking and has won three Pan Am championships.

“It was good being behind Jimmy, I learned a lot from him,” the 28-year-old Reser said. “He kept me training harder. I think it’s good I wasn’t No. 1—I had to chase and chase and chase to beat one of the best in the world.”

Reser has already said he wants to become the first American gold medalist in judo, although he might have to race to beat Rousey to that accomplishment. Reser won two World Cup silver medals in 2006.

Valerie Gotay was the comeback story of the judo trials. She made the 1992 U.S. Olympic team as an 18-year-old, but had medical problems trying to cut weight and retired after those Games. She returned to competition in 2004, only because the event was near her San Diego home, yet was second that year at the Olympic trials.

Sixteen years after that first trip to the Games, she’s going back after defeating Hannah Martin in the 125 3/4 pound finals, with the aid of a disputed penalty call. That led some spectators to boo, and an unhappy Gotay declined afterward to talk to reporters.

Gotay was hoping to be joined in China by sister Natalie Lafon, but Lafon was beaten in her 106-pound semifinal match.

Also returning to the Olympics is Taraje Williams-Murray of the South Bronx after overcoming a blood disorder and a national finals loss in April to Nick Kossor to beat Kossor in the 132 pound finals.

“In 2004, I was a teenager and didn’t really have a grasp of how much other people sacrificed for me and how much sacrifice it really took to be an Olympian,” the 23-year-old Williams-Murray said. “This time around was a lot different and took a lot more effort on my part.”

Brian Olson retired after his third consecutive Olympics in 2004, but came back last year at 198 1/2 pounds and is returning to the Games as a 35-year-old at 198 1/2 pounds.

Also making the U.S. team on Saturday were Sayaka Matsumoto at women’s 106 pounds and Travis Stevens at 178 1/2 pounds. Stevens defeated Aaron Cohen, whose father, Irwin, and uncle, Steve Cohen, were judo Olympians.

Teenage siblings Daniel (18), Chrissy (15) and Mindy Chow (13) of Hawaii lost before making the finals in their weight classes and did not make the team.