World Champ Maria Stadnik already has three Olympic medals in her kitty. But it is in Tokyo where she can etch her name down in the history book. She is currently 32, and by the time Olympic arrives in Tokyo, she will be 33. If she manages to win gold in 50kg, Stadnik will become the oldest wrestler to do so. The current record belongs to the Japanese legend Kaori Ito, quadruple Olympic champion and ten-times world champion.
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Stadnik too has had some big achievements. She is seven-time European Champion and six-time world medallist including twin gold medals.
However, Stadnik is not the only one in the race to surpass Kaori Ito’s record. Her country-mate and world silver-medallist Hiroe Minagawa who will be close to 34 at next year’s Summer Games is another wrestler to create history. But her task is tougher than that of Stadnik.
She competes in women’s 76kg weight division which is probably the most competitive weight category. In order to win gold, she needs to get pass Olympic champs Erica Wiebe and Natalya Vorobieva and five-time world champion Adeline Gray.
