Honolulu's Melinda Swanson won two matches and lost another to finish as first alternate in the women's heavyweight (over-171.75 pounds) judo division yesterday at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Las Vegas.

Swanson, who is from Hawaiii Tenri Judo Club, drew a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed, then beat third-seeded Nanoushka St. Pre in the semifinals to set up a final against No. 1 Heidi Moore.

Moore pressed Swanson to claim the top spot.

"I was still a little disappointed," Swanson said. "Especially because I was kind of training specifically for (Moore)."

However, because the U.S. did not qualify the weight for the August Olympics, Moore will only go to Beijing on a "contingency basis." That is, if there are enough declinations from qualified countries, a spot would open for Moore. If she cannot attend, Swanson would then replace her.

Also, Pearl City's Andrew Hung advanced to the semifinals of the men's 178.5-pound judo division before falling to No. 1 seed Travis Stevens.

"I was just trying to circle away from his power hand and I thought I was doing OK, but the one time I didn't is when he caught me," Hung said.