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Hawaii’s Nanea Estrella won a gold medal as part of the USA Wrestling U-20 team in the July 8-10 Pan-American Championships.
Estrella, who won four Hawaii high school championships before graduating from Lahainaluna in 2020, went 4-0 en route to the 59-kilogram (130-pound) freestyle title in Oaxtepec, Mexico.
Estrella was one of three Team USA wrestlers to win gold at the tournament and lead the squad to a first-place finish.
Estrella will wrestle for the University of Iowa women’s team that will officially begin competing in 2023-24.
In 2020, Estrella won the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence national award and she was also picked to be a member of the Hawaii High School Hall of Honor.
Nanea Estrella, U-20 Pan-American Championships gold medal, 59 kg
>> First round: def. Camila Roa Ortega (Peru), 12-0
>> Quarterfinals: def. Mia Friesen (Canada), 12-2
>> Semifinals: def. Tatiana Hurtado Lerma (Colombia), 13-2
>> Championship match: def. Lucero Sanchez Silva (Mexico), 10-0
Bedrock Sports Hawaii was unable to obtain video of Estrella’s performance at the Pan-American Championships, but below are two previous videos featuring her. The first was produced as a bio for when she won the Saunders award. The second is one of her tournament matches in May.
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