LAS VEGAS — Wahiawa's Taylor Takata is going to the Olympics.

The 26-year old judoka won the 145.5-pound division tonight at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Judo at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Takata, who was the top seed, beat second-seeded Jeremy Liggett in the final.

"It's an honor," Takata said. "I've been training so hard for this, I just tried to do everything right."

Takata scored a waza-ari on a left uchimata (inner thigh throw) midway through the match and held on for the win.

He pointed to a Hawai'i contingent of about 50 in the crowd after the final seconds ran off.

"They made me feel like I could do it," Takata said. "It's humbling to see how many people came to support me."

Takata is the first Olympian in judo from Hawai'i since Clifton Sunada in 1996 and just third overall.