KS Kapālama's Teshya Alo wins wrestling world championship

Teshya Alo (top) won the gold at the FILA Cadet World Championships in Snina, Slovakia, a year after taking bronze at the same event. Photo by Cindy Ellen Russell of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

July 17, 2014

Contributed by Pakalani Bello

Kamehameha Schools Kapālama junior-to-be, Teshya Alo, won gold in the 56 kg. female weight class at the FILA Cadet World Championships Thursday, in Snina, Slovakia.

Alo won the gold medal match in dominating fashion, defeating Russian opponent Ksenia Nezgovorova 9-2 in the final. Throughout the day, Alo won five matches, including close, one-point, victories over Tatjana Rizhko of Ukraine (9-8) and Kumi Irie of Japan (4-3), in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Last year, Alo earned a bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships. She has won numerous national titles in both wrestling and judo over the years in her age division. She’s also a two-time state champion at KS Kapālama in the 130-pound division and won the 129-pound weight class in judo her freshman year.

Over the past five years, Alo has been the subject of the documentary “The Animated Adventures of Judo Girl,” currently in post-production. The film documents her wrestling and judo career including her four years at KS, along with her life off the mat.

Alo's life is being chronicled in the documentary "The Animated Adventures of Judo Girl." Photo courtesy of Making Waves Films.