Delpopolo finishes 7th

LONDON — Nick Delpopolo made a promise he intends to fulfill now that his first Olympic Games are over. It's a simple project, mailing a package overseas, but one he hopes will lead to a relationship with his biological parents.

Delpopolo, a Burnt Hills graduate and Amsterdam resident, finished seventh in the Olympic judo 73-kilogram (161-pound) division Monday. He won two matches, including upsetting the ninth-ranked judoka in his class (Delpopolo is ranked 12th), took the top-ranked judoka into and through overtime tied (losing a unanimous decision) and came up two wins shy of a bronze medal.

"I'm not disappointed the way I fought," he said. "I trained hard. I fought hard. I think I'm a winner."

Delpopolo, 23, enjoyed his entire Olympic experience, marching in the opening ceremony, meeting Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, not to mention his favorite sportsman — Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic. Delpopolo is of Serbian heritage. He was born Petra Perovic in Montenegro, orphaned for 21 months and adopted at age 2 by a New Jersey family.

His promise, he hopes, will lead him back to Montenegro and his birth father. Delpopolo has seen the man before, on a trip home to find his identity in 2009, but opted not to reveal himself because the man was hostile.

"I'm going to send him a package," Delpopolo said. "It's going to be a DVD of my fights, some pictures, a note in Montenegrin or Serbo-Croatian saying, 'Hey, I'm your son. This is what I've done.

Thank you for having the peace of mind to put me in an orphanage and get me some sort of opportunity to get out of there.' That was a catalyst. If not for that, I don't know where I'd be right now.' "

It won't end there. Delpopolo plans to re-learn the Montenegrin language (he forgot it as he assimilated to America), go back to Montenegro, spend time with his biological father and then work on finding his biological mother (he already knows her name).

It's a hearty task, but Delpopolo climbs mountains. He improved his world ranking from 99th to 16th in 2010 and won the last spot on the U.S. Olympic judo team in a best-of-three battle titled, "Hour of Power" in May.

"My only goal was to make the Olympic team from my Olympic trial," Delpopolo said. "Now you make the Olympic team, your only goal is to hopefully win a match or two. Then you win a match or two, and now you're like, 'OK, now I want to medal.' It's all relative. But I fully expected to make some noise. I know I'm good. I know I'm dangerous."

So, what did he learn in London?

"Hopefully a little inspiration, that it is possible for him to do it, to win at the world stage," U.S. Olympic coach Jimmy Pedro said. "(Delpopolo) had a three-win 2010 worlds, he had three wins in a row, so he knows he can get far in the event. It's just a matter of getting over the hump and winning that one important match that puts you in the medals."

Judo is synonymous with Delpopolo's life. He has posters to prove it. Four years is a long time, especially for a man with so much on his mind away from the sport, but he didn't hesitate when asked about Rio 2016.

"It's not only a possibility, it's gonna happen," Delpopolo said. "Look for me to do better there. This is a good experience. It's obviously not what you want (to finish seventh), but it's a good experience and a good step forward."