Clarissa Chun coaching at a Beat the Streets Los Angeles event (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Clarissa Chun, two-time U.S. Olympic wrestler and 2008 world champion, was one of four athletes to be welcomed into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018 on Tuesday.
Chun, born in Honolulu in August 1981, started her sports career in judo where she was a five-time junior national champ ... but then took up wrestling as a junior at Honolulu's Roosevelt High School. She won a Hawaii state title in 1998, the first-year women's wrestling was an officially sanctioned sport in the state.
Chun continued in freestyle wrestling on the world stage at 48 kilograms/106 pounds, twice earning a place on the U.S. Olympic wrestling team, first at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (where she placed fifth) then the 2012 London Olympics, where she earned a bronze medal, becoming the first Hawaiian wrestler to medal at any Olympics. In addition, Chun was a five-time world qualifier, earning a gold medal at the 2008 World Championships.
In addition to Chun, other inductees for this year's class include 2004 U.S. Olympic volleyball gold medalist Clay Stanley, professional golfer Dean Wilson, and Major League Baseball star Shane Victorina.
The four Class of 2018 honorees were welcomed into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame at a dinner and awards presentation at the Honolulu Country Club.
The Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1978 to provide "a permanent recognition of what (honorees) have accomplished in their athletic careers."
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