Clarissa Chun

Born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii, Clarissa Chun got involved with Judo at the age of seven and over the course of her young career she won five junior national championships. In 1998, as a junior at Roosevelt High School, she gave wrestling a try. In her debut in the sport Clarissa won the state championship; it was the first year girls wrestling became a sanctioned sport in Hawaii schools. She went on to defend her championship title the next year as a senior. Clarissa accepted a partial scholarship offer with Missouri Valley College which had just started a women’s wrestling program, and really put the program on the map. She medaled in both the U.S. Nationals and Pan American Games during all three of her seasons. Prior to her senior year, Clarissa accepted an invitation to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to hone her wrestling skills. While training she earned her Communication degree from the University of Colorado. She made her Olympic debut in 2008, finishing 5th in the Beijing Games, and went on to win the bronze medal in the 2012 Games in Lodon. Clarissa is the first wrestler from Hawaii to medal in the Olympics. She is also one of only three females to participate in two Olympic Games in wrestling. In 2017, Clarissa was named the USA Women’s Wrestling Assistant Coach at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado.