Clarissa Chun is no stranger to Hall of Fame inductions, and the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and former Hawaii state wrestling champion at Roosevelt will add another to her ledger in the coming days.
Chun, a pioneer in women’s wrestling at multiple levels of competition, is set to be inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations’ High School Hall of Fame in Seattle on July 1.
She is the third person from Hawaii to be bestowed with that honor, along with Punahou’s class of 1965 multi-sport standout Charlie Wedemeyer and longtime Punahou swimming coach Jeff Meister.
Chun, who in 2021 became the first women’s wrestling coach at a Power Five program when she was hired at Iowa, is one of 12 inductees in the 2023 class. Kapaa High School principal Tommy Cox, a member of the NFHS Board of Directors, will present Chun with her induction medal, according to the HHSAA.
While at Roosevelt, Chun became the first girls wrestler in the country to win an official high school championship when she claimed Hawaii's 98-pound title in 1998. She repeated in the division in her senior year of 1999 to become one of Hawaii’s first multi-year girls champions.
She went on to compete in two Olympics and five Senior World Championships, multiple Pan-American Championships and U.S. Opens over an 18-year career at the top level of competition.
She was prolific at Roosevelt as a five-sport high school athlete, competing in swimming, bowling, judo and water polo in addition to her main sport.
Chun was previously inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2021. In 2018, she was inducted into three: the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame, the Missouri Valley College Hall of Fame and the Roosevelt High School Hall of Fame.
The NFHS 9 a.m. Hawaii time press conference will be livestreamed, followed by the induction banquet and ceremony at 3 p.m. HST.
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.