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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 2:49 p.m., Friday, April 24, 2009

Hawaii's Clarissa Chun helps U.S. win wrestling title at Pan Am championship

Advertiser Staff

Hawai'i's Clarissa Chun won three matches en route to the 105.5-pound title, helping the United State win the team title at the Pan American Women's Freestyle Championship today at Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Chun, a Roosevelt grad and the 2008 World champion, stopped Canada's Lindsay Rushton in the finals.

"She has been on lately. She wrestles with a lot of confidence and scores points when she wants to. She really believes in her stuff and she makes it look easy," said National Women's Coach Terry Steiner in an article in USA Wrestling. "She did a good job in all her matches today. We she had to score, she put a point on the board. There is so much talent there."

Two other U.S. wrestlers — Alyssa Lampe and Elena Pirozkhova — won individual titles. Chun and Pirozkhova won Pan Am titles for the second consecutive year.

The U.S., with six medalists, finished with 62 points, ahead of runner up Canada (56). Tied in third place were Cuba and host Venezuela with 48 points.