BC's own Justina Di Stasio captures gold at World Wrestling Championships!

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Simon Fraser University assistant women's wrestling coach Justina Di Stasio won her first world championship in the 72-kilogram weight class at the world wrestling championships at the Papp Laszlo Sports Arena in Budapest with a 4-2 win over Mongolia's Nasanburmaa Ochirbat. Di Stasio, from Burnaby, BC, scored two early takedowns to move in front 4-0. Ochirbat scored a takedown to close the gap, but Di Stasio defended successfully for the remainder of the match to pick up the win. Justina is the world wrestling bronze medalist (75Kg), as well as a three-time Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association champion with the Clan. Justina was recently inducted into the Indigenous Gallery of the BC Sports Hall of Fame along with Olympian (92Kg) and 1994 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist (100Kg), Greg Edgelow, both of Cree ancestral heritage from Manitoba.

SFU Clan alum Danielle Lappage earned silver after a controversial 6-5 loss to Finland's Petra Olli in the women's 65 kg final. The 2016 Olympian from Olds, AB, was a four time finalist and three time champion in the WCWA during her collegiate career with SFU and was named Female Athlete of the Year at SFU as a senior.

Coquitlam native, Haislan Garcia, a national team veteran at 35 years old, defeated Korean Seungbong Lee in the 70 kg qualifying round 4-1 where he earned a spot in the repechage match. He advanced to the 1/8 final where he fell 0-2 to Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov of Russia. A win would have advanced Garcia to the bronze medal match.

Also wrestling for Canada was World Team Trial Champion and Abbotsford native Jasmit Phulka at 79 Kg and NCAA Bronze medalist Amar Dhesi from Surrey representing Canada at 125 Kg. Dhesi lost his first match the China 4-1, whom won the silver medial and succumbed to Nicholas Gwadowski, USA 7-0 in the repechage match.  Gwadowski went on to win the bronze medal.

​The British Columbia Wrestling Association is a not for profit provincial sport association and the governing body for amateur wrestling in British Columbia. BC Wrestling has approximately 3,000 registered members consisting of both male and female wrestlers, coaches and officials. BC has produced 5 Olympic medalists, 9 senior world championship medalists and 10 Commonwealth Games Gold medalists since 1982.