Last month, KPBS told the story of two sumo wrestlers from Lincoln High who had qualified for the World Championships in Poland but could not afford to participate.

Since then, support from the community has come in, far exceeding the $10,000 needed, said trainer Christina Griffin-Jones.

Donations are still coming in, but she plans to close the GoFundMe feature soon.

“We are being taken care of and that is great,” she said.

At first, only donations of $5 or $20 came in, which she said could have been the last dollar for some of the donors.

She said these initial donations gave the team the momentum they needed to keep going and stay motivated.

Athletes at schools in poorer neighborhoods do not always have the financial support from friends and family to cover the costs of competition.

After the KPBS report aired, larger donations were received.

“At first we thought it was going to be a stressful event because we didn’t know if we would have enough,” she said. “But you know what? I should have had more faith in San Diego and the people who care about equity and access to sports.”

She said the community response had been a “healing journey” for the team and had given them the freedom to focus on preparations to “hit the ground running in Poland.”

“Such a valuable lesson to teach young people that as long as you love yourself and take care of yourself and have a supportive community – whether it’s family or the community you create for yourself – you can achieve anything anywhere,” she said.

One of the wrestlers, Jaheim Galeana, was unable to obtain his passport in time before the championship registration deadline and will not be able to compete.

But he will join the team in Poland to cheer on fellow Lincoln Hornet Maily Lo.

Griffin-Jones hopes the trip will offer Galeana a transformative experience and a bigger world – and a chance to get a taste of next year’s competition.

“Now he has his passport, there are no limits for this guy,” she said.

She said that fairness in competitive sport is not just about the success of athletes, but also about who gets to represent the country.

Together, the team will present a more comprehensive picture of the United States to the world.

They invite the community to celebrate with them on Saturday, August 24th from 3-5 p.m. at the Skyline Hills Library.

They are flying to Poland on September 3rd.`