Mariya Stadnik

Professional female wrestler, Mariya Stadnik has represented Azerbaijan since 2007. She is a gold-medal-winning champion and three-time Olympic medallist.

Competing internationally since she was in her teens, Stadnik won her first gold medal at the European Championships during 2008 in Tampere where she competed in the 48kg category. A familiar face at the competition, Stadnik has gone on to participate at the European Championships throughout her wrestling career and has since become a seven-time European wrestling champion, with her most recent gold medal win in the 50kg category during 2018 in Kaspiysk. Soon after her first major title win, Stadnik repeated her success when she became a world champion during 2009 after taking home the gold at the World Championships in Herning. She went on to win a bronze and three silver medals at the event in two weight categories before going on to the become a two-time world champion ten years later in 2019 at the Championships in Nur-Sultan for the 50kg category. Of her other gold medal wins, Stadnik also successfully took home the gold medal for Azerbaijan at the European Games during 2015 in Baku and again during 2019 in Minsk. She also won gold at the 2017 Baku Islamic Solidarity Games.

A highly successful Olympian, Stadnik has represented Azerbaijan at the Olympic Games on three occasions where she won bronze at Beijing in 2008, followed by two silver medals in London during 2012 and again in Rio de Janeiro during 2016.