LAS VEGAS – Patricia Miranda dropped to her knees in the corner of the tunnel, rested her head against the cement wall and cried her eyes out.   Her bid to wrestle again in the Olympics had ended in tears.   The Olympic Training Center resident was stunned Friday by a familiar opponent, Clarissa Chun, in the 105.5-pound women’s freestyle finals of the U.S. Olympic wrestling trials at Thomas & Mack Center.   Also an OTC resident, Chun, 26, of Honolulu, qualified for the Beijing Games in August with back-to-back wins in the bestof-three championship series over Miranda, a bronze medalist at the 2004 Athens Games.   “It’s pretty darn disappointing,” Miranda said, adding that her 13-year wrestling career is “likely” over.   Other women’s freestyle qualifiers were OTC residents Marcie Van Dusen (121); Randi Miller (138.75) over 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann; and Ali Bernard at 158.5. Spenser Mango earned an Olympic berth in the 121-pound Greco-Roman division.   In the U.S. Olympic judo trials, five people punched their tickets to Beijing – OTC residents Taylor Takata (145.5) and Brian Olson (198.4); Ronda Rousey at 154.3; Adler Volmar at 220.5; and Daniel McCormick at 220.5-plus.   The judo trials conclude today with competition in seven weight classes. The wrestling trials feature 12 finals today and Sunday in men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman.   A runner-up to Miranda at the 2004 Olympic trials, Chun reached the finals on the strength of wins over Alyssa Lampe, OTC resident Sara Fulp-Allen and Mary Kelly in the seven-person challenge tournament.   Chun topped Miranda 4-0, 0-6, 3-1 in their first match, scoring all her third-period points in the final three seconds. Miranda had Chun locked with 14 seconds left in the third but couldn’t finish, and Chun tied the score with a takedown and got two points at the buzzer.   In their second match, Chun edged Miranda 1-0, 3-1 on narrow victories in each period. Chun won the first by preventing Miranda from scoring in sudden death, then took the second with three points in the closing 12 seconds.   “I knew I could do it,” said Chun, the 2006 national champion. “I just had to grit my teeth and do it.”   Miranda blamed herself for not countering Chun’s late scores.   “It’s something you should expect,” she said. “With that short of time left, don’t step on the line unless you’re ready to wrestle. I was in automatic pilot instead of being ready.”   If Miranda, a 29-year-old graduate of Yale Law School, calls it quits, she’ll finish with an Olympic bronze medal, three world medals, a Pan American Games gold medal and seven national titles.   “I don’t know if it’s an age thing,” Miranda said. “I had all the opportunities given to me to excel in the sport. After a while, you make room for those who might be better.”

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