An epic day of failure three years ago has been a constant source of motivation for Bellevue Wolverines wrestler Christian Villani.

Flashback to February of 2012: Villani was on the cusp of advancing to the Class 3A state wrestling tournament as a freshman. All he had to do was get past regionals to clinch a berth at the Mat Classic Class 3A state wrestling tournament at the Tacoma Dome. Villani never got a chance to wrestle at regionals because he couldn’t make weight.

“I missed weight my freshman year at regionals. I was just .2 over the weight I needed to be at. Looking back at it now I’m kind of glad that I missed weight because I haven’t missed weight like that again since,” Villani said.

Villani rebounded from the freshman year setback, winning state titles during his sophomore and junior seasons. This year he is going for the three-peat.

“Once you get to the top its hard because you have to wrestle a little bit differently than you normally would. The competition is tough and you have be at the top of your game and have the right mindset,” he said. “Staying injury free is very important.”

Villani is planning on continuing his wrestling career in college, but doesn’t know where he will land as of yet. Recently the Bellevue Reporter had an opportunity to ask Villani a few questions about his life away from the wrestling mat.

Bellevue Reporter: What is your favorite movie of all time?

Christian Villani: I like the movie “Limitless.”

BR: What is your biggest pet peeve?

CV: I don’t have that many, but one thing that really bothers me is getting snuck up on. I just don’t like being startled.

BR: If you could pick one person to go to dinner with, who would it be?

CV: Kyle Dake (former Cornell University wrestler). He’s a four-time NCAA champion. He is my idol for going Division-1 in wrestling.

BR: Who was your favorite sports team growing up?

CV: The Penn State wrestling team. I have always loved watching them. Their wrestling style is methodical and is so much more technical than a lot of other schools. That is the kind of wrestling that I like.

BR: What is something unique about you that nobody would know?

CV: I’m a two-time national champion in Judo. I do jiu-jitsu a lot, too.

BR: What is your favorite hobby away from wrestling?

CV: I would probably say running.

BR: What is your favorite dinner dish?

CV: I like the Jalapeno Burnin’ Love Burger at Red Robin. It’s so good and it just hits the spot. It usually puts me in a food coma by the end of the night.

Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@bellevuereporter.com