Mililani grad Sakai falls short in wrestling trials

Advertiser Staff

Mililani graduate Debbi Sakai lost twice to Colorado's Stephanie Murata yesterday in the Championship Series of the 51-kilogram division (111.25 pounds) at a special Women's National Team Trials for the three non-Olympic weight classes.

The series was held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Sakai was the No. 1 seed in the division, while Murata reached the final by winning Tuesday's Challenge Tournament. She pinned Sakai 53 seconds into their first match yesterday. In the second, Murata needed a little more than two minutes to secure a 10-0 technical fall over Sakai.

The trials were held to set rankings and national team support for athletes who compete in the three non-Olympic weight classes. There are four weight divisions in women's wrestling at the Olympics. Normally, there are seven for women's wrestling at the World Championships during the other years.

Murata pinned Castle graduate Katie Kunimoto Tuesday to reach the Challenge final. Kunimoto had defeated Hana Askren by a 4-1 decision earlier.