#WrestleSofia

LIVE BLOG: World Olympic Qualifiers, Day Two

Friday, May 7, 2021 - 06:37 By United World Wrestling Press

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Women's wrestling gets underway in Sofia as 12 Olympic spots will be decided at the World Olympic Qualifiers on Friday. (Day 1 Wrap)

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER | PHOTOS

SEMIFINALS (As they come in)

50kg
Anna LUKASIAK (POL) vs. Seema SEEMA (IND)
Lucia Yamileth YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU) vs. Patricia Alejandra BERMUDEZ (ARG) 

53kg 
Betzabeth angelica ARGUELLO VILLEGAS (VEN) vs. Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS) 
Andreea Beatrice ANA (ROU) vs. Samantha Leigh STEWART (CAN) 

57kg
Giullia OLIVEIRA (BRA) vs. Mathilde Hélène RIVIERE (FRA) 
Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RUS) vs. Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR) 

62kg
Veranika IVANOVA (BLR) vs. Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL) 
Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS) vs. Luisa Helga Gerda NIEMESCH (GER) 

68kg
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) vs. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) 
Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) vs.Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)

76kg
Yasemin ADAR (TUR) vs. Martina KUENZ (AUT) 
Maria Jose ACOSTA ACOSTA (VEN) vs. Alla BELINSKA (UKR) 

13:27: The quarterfinals are underway in Bulgaria! The match order is listed below.

12:54: That was unexpected! Bullen crushed Morais, 12-2, in less than two minutes and moved into the 57kg quarterfinals. She'll now face Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) for a spot in tonight's quarterfinals

12:47:  The matchup between world champions Linda Morais and U23 world champion Grace Bullen is up now on Mat B!

11:58: That was short-lived. Adar rallied off 16 unanswered points and moved into the quarterfinals with an 18-7 win. She'll wrestle U23 and junior world champion Milaimys de la Caridad MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) for a spot in tonight's semifinals.

11:55: There's a huge upset brewing on Mat A. Genesis Rosangela REASCO VALDEZ (ECU) leads '17 world champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR), 7-2, after the opening period.

11:50: That's back-to-back massive wins for Kriszta Incze. In her two patches, she's defeated two-time Olympic bronze medalist Jackeline Renteria Castillo and world runner-up Elif Jale Yesilrmak. She'll take on world silver medalist Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS) next.

11:47: Two-time Olympic bronze medalist Renteria trails Incze, 3-2, with 80 seconds left. They are wrestling on Mat A.

11:21:  How about this upcoming match between world champions on Mat B (Bout 201)? It'll be Linda Morais and U23 world champion Grace BULLEN (NOR).

10:56: World champion Linda Morais opens up her day with an impressive three-minute 10-0 routing of '16 Olympian Bediha GUN (TUR).

10:33: Mat A is about to heat up! Two-time world bronze medalist from Hungary Emese BARKA and world champion Linda MORAIS (CAN) will wrestle in back-to-back matches. 

10:08:  How about that timing? Kriszta INCZE (ROU) scored a step out with three seconds left and ended Elif YESILIRMAK's (TUR) quest to become the first Turkish woman to reach the Olympic Games on three occasions. 

10:02: What a way to kick off our women's wrestling opening session! We'll have two-time Olympic bronze medalist Jackeline RENTERIA CASTILLO (COL) beginning the day on Mat A. 

10:00: Just minutes away from action here in Sofia

#CanadaWrestling

Former world champion Di Stasio of Canada retires

Thursday, March 13, 2025 - 17:45 By United World Wrestling Press

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OTTAWA, Canada (March 13) -- After nearly 15 years of representing Canada, Justina DI STASIO (CAN) has decided to retire.

During her career, Di Stasio built an impressive resume that will go down as one of the all-time greats in Canadian wrestling history. The 32-year-old represented Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Di Stasio won gold medal at the World Championship in 2018, a Pan-American Games gold medal in 2019 and Commonwealth Games gold in 2022. In addition, she is a multiple-time Pan-Am Championships gold medalist.

While there have been many memorable moments, a few stood out to Di Stasio, including her start with the national team, her win at the 2018 worlds, being coached on the national team by two-time Olympic medalist Tonya VERBEEK (CAN), and making her first Olympics in 2024.

“Winning worlds was a special moment, especially because I could hear my parents cheering from the stands," Di Stasio said. "It reminded me of my tournaments as a kid. It also helped me frame everything in my life better. I realized it is about the journey and not the destination. It was amazing to feel the way I did on that one day, but it was only one day. I had worked so hard in the lead up, but I realized I had to enjoy those days too. I still wanted to be the best in the world and I never didn’t train like it, but from that point, I made sure to enjoy my wrestling every day.”

That love for the sport kept Di Stasio going despite setbacks that stalled her dream of competing at the Olympics. After failing to qualify for the Rio and Tokyo Games, Di Stasio qualified for Paris 2024, eventually finishing 12th.

“Making it to the Olympics came with lots of pressure, but good pressure. I had won everything else and trained every day thinking I could be an Olympic champion. Even though it was a heart-breaking result, I know I couldn’t have worked harder and that helped me accept the result. I would have loved to make it there when I was younger, but I think I needed to be more mature to handle the result.”

Read full news on Wrestling Canada Lutte website.