FokaiFemme:MariaDunn

In the women’s event, Maria Dunn earned her team’s second gold medal in her weight division, pinning Chuuk’s representative early in the first round.

With the win firmly in hand, Dunn gave credit to her opponent for stepping up a division and competing in a male-dominated sport.”When I first started competing, I was all about winning and beating everybody,” said the 24-year-old, who, despite her age, has competed at the international level several times over. “I’ve toned down a lot, and I’m more about the progression of women in competition.” “Some of these women are from the outer islands,” she said. “It takes a lot for them to break those barriers … to come out and compete.”