Clarissa Chun, Wrestling
Born: August 27, 1981, in Honolulu, Hawai‘i
Current Residence: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Ethnicity: half Japanese and half Chinese
Height: 4’11”
Weight: 105 lbs.
Event: Women’s freestyle wrestling — 48kg/105 lbs
Did you know? Chun was the first girl to make state championships in Hawai‘i at 98 pounds in the year of ’98.
Measuring under five feet and weighing in at 105 pounds, Clarissa Chun may not look like the typical wrestler. But as the first Hawai‘i-born athlete to make the U.S. Olympic wrestling team, Chun is a natural. Chun grew up swimming and doing judo and in high school decided to try wrestling. She immediately took to it and soon qualified for the state championships. She graduated from high school in 1999 and continued with wrestling at Missouri Valley College in Missouri, which started their women’s wrestling program that year and offered her a wrestling scholarship. In 2002, Chun moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., where she trained at the Olympic Training Center for five years. In 2004, the first year of Olympic women’s wrestling, Chun lost in the Olympic trials to longtime wrestling rival Patricia Miranda, who went on to Athens while Chun was an alternate. However, at this year’s trials, Chun defeated Miranda to earn a berth on the team.
Did you wrestle with boys in high school?
Yes — I was one of two girls on the team. It wasn’t a problem because I grew up doing judo, where we practice and train with guys.
I like wrestling with guys and am still wrestling with them to train for Olympics. It’s a different feeling than wrestling girls; boys seem to work and fight harder. If anything, it might make boys more uncomfortable wrestling with girls because the boys are like, ‘I don’t want to touch her boob!’
Women’s wrestling is a relatively recent sport. How is it evolving?
In the U.S., many states still don’t have separate state tournaments for girls and boys. However, many colleges are just starting to add women’s college programs, which is really good.
When you aimed for the 2004 Athens and ended up as an alternate, how did you feel watching everything in Athens?
I was very fortunate to go there and see how the games were like. I got to do the fun part of watching other sports. I’m glad I got to experience it on the other end, so now I can focus on just competing.
You trained at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs from 2002 until last year. How was that?
At first, it was new and exciting, but then I got stagnant there. It’s hard because you have the top people all training there. It was hard to be training in the same room with the same people I would be competing against. Sometimes they would pair us together, and I felt like I was holding back.
So I’m still living in Colorado Springs, but I chose to train at another gym with another coach this year. It’s more one-on-one.
How has the one-on-one focus has helped you?
I believe it got me here where I am. I had a lot of technique to fine-tune and little holes to work on, and you don’t get that focus when you’re with top people from all the weight classes.
Is your family going to be coming with you to the Olympics?
Yes. I’m excited for that since my dad’s Chinese, so to be able to see where our ancestors came from is cool.
Being a female wrestler, do you get a lot of surprised reactions?
Definitely from some who don’t know about it. When people ask me if I’m an athlete because my arms and legs are toned, they expect me to say gymnastics. Some people say, ‘I didn’t even know women’s wrestling existed.’ But in Hawai‘i, women’s wrestling is known.
Do you go back to Hawai‘i a lot? What do you miss most about it?
Twice a year, three times if I’m lucky. I miss my family the most. I also really miss the ocean when it’s hot. Instead of the ocean, we have mountains here in Colorado. You can’t dip into the mountains to cool off!
Looking at your past records, you’ve had a long rivalry with Patricia Miranda. What was it like to finally defeat her?
It felt so good. It was like a dream that came true. She’s a tough competitor and I respect her as a person and wrestler, and I was able to finally prove to myself that I am capable of opening my mind in wrestling more. It showed me that anything is possible. Even the greatest can have bad days.
How many times have you wrestled her?
I can’t even count. A lot!
Has wrestling her pushed you to become better?
Definitely. She was the one to beat. You can’t compete against the world until you beat her.
What do you plan to do after the Olympics?
I haven’t decided wrestling-wise, but I’ve made plans to teach English in Japan in September for a couple of years. I will be teaching kindergarten in the countryside. It will be a big adjustment, adjusting to the language barrier, the different lifestyle and having an 8-3 job.
If you decide to continue wrestling, would you like to train in Japan?
Absolutely. Japan is number one in women’s wrestling. If I have time and energy, I would love to.
Career Highlights
2008: Pan American Wrestling Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. — Gold medal
2008: Guelph Open, Guelph, Canada — Silver medal
2006: U.S. Senior Nationals — Gold Medal
2005: 2005 Sunkist Kids / ASU International Open — 1st place
2004: USA Wrestling’s Women’s University National Champion
April 14, 2003: USA Wrestling’s Women’s University National Champion in St. Joseph, Minn.
2002: U.S. Nationals — 4th place
2001: Represented USA in first Women’s World Cup 2001 in Levalois, France
2001-02: USA World Team Trials — Runner-up
2001: Won international open in Phoenix
2001: USA Wrestling’s Women’s University National Champion
2001: Won international open in Sweden
2000-02: Pan American Championships — Silver medal
2000 U.S. World Team member.
2000: U.S. Collegiate Nationals champion
1998: Hawaii State champion wrestler — the first year girls wrestling was a sanctioned sport.
Consistently ranked No. 2 by USA Wrestling
Wrestling USA Magazine’s High School Girls All-America Team
