Chun delivers to earn her first Olympic medal
The 2008 World champion defeated 2004 Olympic gold medalist Merlini
By Craig Sesker
LONDON – Clarissa Chun ran around the mat, holding the U.S. flag over her head with a huge smile on her face. The sellout crowd of 6,500 fans stood and cheered.
Chun didn’t win the gold medal she planning on winning at the 2012 Olympic Games.
But the bronze medal she captured on the sport’s biggest stage still provided a special moment for the 30-year-old from Hawaii.
Chun knocked off 2004 Olympic gold medalist Irini Merleni of Ukraine 1-0, 3-0 to capture a bronze medal in women's freestyle wrestling.
"This time, I learned from Beijing that I didn’t get in the emotional roller coaster ride," said Chun, who placed fifth in the 2008 Olympics. "I just stayed calm, cool and collected for the opportunity. "It’s not the color I imagined, but I’m
happy. Gold is what I strive for, but I’m happy with the bronze. For me, it was about finishing strong." Four years after nearly making the finals of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, Chun came back strong to earn a spot on the medal podium at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Chun fired in for a clutch double-leg
takedown on Merleni and finished with just three seconds left to take the first period 1-0 at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Chun, a 2008 World champion, then delivered with a huge three-point arm throw late in the second period.
"Clarissa's gone through a lot of tough times," U.S. Coach Terry Steiner said. "To hold things together and believe she could do it here is really impressive. She's just an unbelievable athlete and a super human being on top of that. I'm so
12 USA Wrestler
Clarissa Chun won the first Olympic wrestling medal for the United States in 2012 after earning a bronze medal in women’s freestyle. John Sachs photo.
happy for her."
Chun qualified for the bronze-medal match by launching World bronze medal- ist Iwona Matkowska of Poland to her back and recording a dramatic second- period fall in the repechage. Chun opened with a 5-0, 1-0 victory over two-time World bronze medalist Shasha Zhou of China at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Chun ran into 2009 World champion
Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan in the sec- ond round.
The powerful Stadnyk took control early to earn a 2-0, 3-0 victory over Chun, a 2008 World champion. Chun received a chance to wrestle back after Stadnyk advanced to the finals. Stadnyk fell to Japan’s Hitomi Sakamoto Obara in the gold-medal match.
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