#WrestlePontevedra

Promising Sterkenburg twins head to Spain with history on line

Thursday, October 13, 2022 - 07:35 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 13) -- For a long time, the Netherlands had been all but wiped out of the wrestling map. Apart from the small bursts in female wrestling, it mainly struggled to get into the top-10 position at international competitions.

But that changed last year.

Twin brothers Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) and Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED) are the rising stars of the nation with hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympics. But before they know their Olympic fate, the twins are putting the country back on the world map, one step at a time.

The two will become the first wrestlers from the Netherlands to compete at the U23 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain next week with hopes of winning the first medal as well.

They are no strangers to breaking new barriers. Last year, the two wrestled their way to historic gold and silver medals at the U20 World Championships to end a long wait for the Netherlands.

This year in March, Marcel won the U23 European Championships at 82kg while Tyrone finished third at 97kg. Two weeks later, they debuted at the senior Europeans aged 20 years but failed to win a medal.

Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED)Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED) is a U20 Worlds silver medalist. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Continuing their progress to become elite-level wrestlers, the U23 Worlds is an important pit stop for the two.

"I did gain enough power and weight for 87kg," Marcel said. "I’ve been feeling good this last month and the most important part of this U23 Worlds is proving that I can wrestle just as good as I was in 82kg."

After winning the U23 Euros, Marcel realized that the 2024 Paris Olympics are just around the corner and qualifying for the Games is an important step to keep his career going. For that, he moved to the Olympic weight class of 87kg.

"My focus after that was to gain weight," Sterkenburg said. "I am going to go to 87kg and in the Netherlands, my brother is the only training partner but he is 97kg so it is difficult to train with a bigger guy. So now I will be a better training partner for my brother as well."

The two were on the course when an unexpected problem arose. Marcel got a throat infection, making it difficult for him to breath while wrestling due to swollen tonsils. It got worse in Poland when he wrestled at the Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup in June.

"I passed out during my bout before getting a surgery done there," he said. "I will get the tonsils removed after the World Championships."

The training was halted and it only resumed in September when Marcel felt better. For the major part of their career, the two have been the only training partners for each other as the Netherlands lacked the 'quality' to make international wrestlers. But with wins at the U20 Worlds and U23 Euros, the Olympic committee in the Netherlands invested in the brothers.

"Since our medals for two years, we get budgets from NOC so we can travel and improve our wrestling," he explains.

The two, along with their coach Edward GICEWICZ, travel around Europe to get the best training. Over the years, they have found a great circle in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, training with European champion and world silver medalist Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN).

The training stints become important since different training partners bring in vast level of skills to challenge the wrestlers.

"On a technical base, I can improve a lot like my stance as it is a little bit rushed," Marcel said. "I fall at the beginning of the bout so small things."

The training trips to different countries come as a huge relief to them as they recalled the early days in the sport when it was impossible to get any partners.

"Before wrestling, we were training in boxing and judo," he said. "But everyone told us that we should try wrestling and begin naturally competitive, so we decide to train. Then my Poland coach came to the Netherlands and he coached only Greco-Roman so we decided to do.

"It was scraping with very little," he said. "We were asking for budgets from friends or foundations and our coach helped us. Sometimes we slept on the mats or at the cheapest possible option because the money to fund trips was difficult."

The medals at the Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup in Poland in 2020 and a bronze at the U20 European Championships a year later not only brought funding, the U20 Worlds medals helped them being noticed in the Netherlands.

The two brothers were all over the newspaper, invited to TV and radio shows and even to charity events. They were the new hope of Netherlands wrestling.

While training takes up most of the time, the twins liked the new side of their life. They enjoyed it. But quickly returned to training.

"I am studying commercial economics which also takes my time," Marcel said. "Apart from training I like going to cinemas and drawing. Both of us go to Thailand every year since my mother is from there."

Even during their off time, the Sterkenburg twins train on the beach in wrestling and visit the MMA gyms every day for training.

But before they leave for Thailand for another homely trip, the two want to bring more attention to the Netherlands with a medal at the U23 Worlds next week and embark on their Olympic journey.

"We’re both going for the gold medal, to make things even better than last year when Tyrone got silver," Marcel said.

Stadnik retires: Europe's best who rewrote history

Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 11:06 By Vinay Siwach

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BAKU, Azerbaijan (February 4) -- Four Olympic medals, six World Championships medals, 10 European titles, two European Games golds, many triumphs and heartbreaks later, Mariya STADNIK (AZE) has called it a day.

Stadnik, who debuted 22 years ago in 2003, announced her decision to retire from wrestling in an event organized by Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation in Baku on Monday. In an emotional video, Stadnik can be seen removing her shoes on the mat in front of a crowd and then speaking about her career.

"I recorded my name in the history of Women's Wrestling. Thank you to everyone who created this story together with me," Stadnik wrote on Instagram. "Now it's time to close this page of my life and write a new history."

Back in 2003, Stadnik began with a gold medal at the U17 European Championships, won a U20 world title two years later, added senior one as well and had a storied Olympic career which was laden with heartbreaks.

"I always had the motivation and will to win," Stadnik said last year. "I have had this will since early childhood, and this is endless."

READ MORE: Stadnik, 34, remains unbeaten in Europe

Though her will has stretched her career over two decades, Stadnik's decision to retire came after a lot of thought.

"In wrestling, I used all my chances," Stadnik said. "Now I understand that the time has come when I can be useful for wrestling in another role."

The 36-year-old, who was born in Ukraine but competed for Azerbaijan, will be moving into a caretaker role with the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation in Women's Wrestling and will be responsible for churning out new stars.

When Stadnik made her debut in 2003, Japan, China, United States and Canada were top nations. However, Stadnik changed that. She won her first World Championships medal in 2007 and qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in which she won a bronze medal as an 18-year-old.

Soon, she won her first world title in 2009 and emerged as the new force from Europe. She went on to win the European Championships as well. Stadnik brought competition to Women's Wrestling.

"For these countries, the competition with me was always serious," she said. "We always had tense and intriguing fights that were followed by the whole world. Mariya Stadnik from Azerbaijan was always a danger for them."

Mariya STADNIK (AZE)Mariya STADNIK (AZE) won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Martin Gabor)

Perhaps it was no surprise that she was in the final of 2011 World Championships and 2012 London Games. However, she came up short both times to Hitomi OBARI (JPN).

"I give a lot of respect to Obara because she was stronger than me at that moment and the London gold was hers," she said. "She was my strongest opponent whom I respect very much."

Barring those Japanese hurdles, Stadnik was unstoppable. She added more medals at the continental level and always stood on the podium at the World Championships.

Mariya STADNIK (AZE)A dejected Mariya STADNIK (AZE) at the 48kg medal ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Tony Rotundo)

Then came the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Stadnik was at the peak of her wrestling her. A Olympic gold would take so much off her back. She was in the final of the 48kg in Rio and the gold medal was within touching distance as she was leading Eri TOSAKA (JPN) 2-1 in the final. But Tosaka crushed those dreams in the final five seconds, beating Stadnik 3-2.

Stadnik till today has no explanation as to what happened in those last five seconds of the final against Tosaka.

"I didn't watch my match from Rio for two years and still can't find an explanation why that competition ended like that," Stadnik said. "I knew and felt that the Rio gold should have been mine."

Stadnik geared up for one more time. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics would have been perfect ending for her. But by then, wrestling had changed with two-day weight ins, a newer generation of wrestlers had come up and Yui SUSAKI (JPN) was on a mission.

Mariya STADNIK (AZE)Mariya STADNIK (AZE) lost her first meeting with Yui SUSAKI (JPN) 2-2 at the Klippan Lady Open in 2018. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Max Rose-Fynn)

The first time Stadnik and Susaki faced each other was in the Klippan Lady Open final in 2018. Stadnik was winning the final but Susaki scored a stepout in the final second to shock Stadnik.

People doubted Stadnik and her mental strength. The 2019 World Championships gave a huge boost of confidence for Stadnik who won her second of the two world titles in Astana, exactly ten years after winning her first.

The Tokyo Olympics were just 10 months away and Stadnik was ready for it. However, with COVID-19 pandemic, it got pushed to 2021 and Susaki went on to win the gold medal with a 41-0 record in four bouts including a 10-0 rout of Stadnik in the semifinals.

Stadnik still managed to win a bronze medal, her fourth of the Olympics, tying her with Kaori ICHO (JPN) and Saori YOSHIDA (JPN). Icho was four golds and Yoshida has three silver and one bronze.

"I know people talk about the gold medal but I am so happy with this bronze. It's satisfying," she said back in 2021.

But Stadnik wasn't satisfied with wrestling. After being away from the mat in 2022, she returned in 2023 and won her ninth European title, the most in Women's Wrestling, extending her unbeaten streak in European Championships to 34 bouts.

Then she made a run for the Paris Olympics and though that meant taking losses to opponents she used to toy with in the past, the mother of two secured her place for Paris in the final qualifiers in Istanbul. Her body was ageing, reducing weight was becoming gruesome and her opponents were becoming quicker.

She returned home without a medal but became the first female wrestler to compete at five Olympics. Soon after Paris, Stadnik reflected on what she has left for wrestling and decided that a role off the mat was more suited now. Letting go off something so big in her life was hard and emotional for her.

"When I watched the video in which I take my shoes off, I had tears," she said. "This is the end of an important part of my life. What I loved so much for many years is ending."