El Cerrito resident Sayaka Matsumoto took years to achieve her goal of making the Olympic team .
El Cerrito resident Sayaka Matsumoto represented the U.S. in judo at the Summer Olympics in Beijing and is now senior instructor at the East Bay judo Institute .
El Cerrito resident Sayaka Matsumoto , who represented the U.S. in judo at the Summer Olympics in Beijing and is now senior instructor at the East Bay judo Institute , took years to achieve her goal of making the Olympic team .