Mariya Gerginova Oryashkova ( bg, Мария Гергинова Оряшкова; born 12 January 1988) is a Bulgarian sambist, judoka, sumo wrestler and freestyle wrestler. She is a ten-time European and six-time world champion in the sport of sambo. She is also a 15-time Bulgarian champion in various age groups in judo.

Biography

Oryashkova was born in the town of

Pirdop Pirdop ( bg, Пирдоп ) is a town located in South-West Bulgaria in Pirdop Municipality of Sofia Province in the southeastern part of the Zlatitsa - Pirdop Valley at 670 m above sea level. It is surrounded by the Balkan Range (also known as t ...

. When she was 10 years old, she and her mother moved to the village of Bata, after her parents separated. Her early years were spent in

Panagyurishte Panagyurishte ( bg, Панагюрище, also transliterated ''Panagjurište'', ) is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of P ...

, where her sports career began, thanks world sambo champion Ivan Netov discovering her. He has been her coach for years, with him she achieved many of her prestigious results. In 2015, Oryashkova underwent successful surgery for torn knee ligaments. In 2022, Oryashkova acquired a scientific degree "Doctor" in direction 7.6 - Sport in the scientific specialty "Theory and Methodology of Sports Science" at the

National Sports Academy "Vasil Levski" The Vassil Levski National Sports Academy ( bg, Национална Спортна Академия "Васил Левски"), commonly referred to as the NSA, is Bulgaria's premiere higher education institution specializing in teaching physical ...

. In 2023, Oryashkova participated in season 5 of "Igri na volyata", a

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

reality competition series based on the Colombian series Desafío, where she finished in 10th place.

Sporting career

In 2019, Oryashkova entered the history of the European Games as the only athlete participating in two sports – wrestling and sambo. In 2019 and 2020, she won the "Golden Belt" respectively in the "Bright Victory" and "Best Athlete - Women" categories of the Bulgarian Sambo Federation at the III and IV Annual "Golden Belt" Awards, established by the National Association of Combat Sports in Bulgaria. In 2020, she was No. 4 in the

Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year ( bg, Спортист на годината на България, ''Sportist na godinata na Balgariya'') is an annual award given to the best Bulgarian sportsperson of the year. The winner is selected by authori ...

ranking. She was also awarded as "Sportsperson of the Year" of

Panagyurishte Municipality Panagyurishte Municipality is located in the Pazardzhik Province, western Bulgaria. It is one of the 11 municipalities in the province. Its territory is 598,5 km² being fourth in the province after the municipalities of Velingrad, Batak and ...

. Oryashkova was elected as a member of the executive committee of the International Sambo Federation with the most votes at a congress of the International Headquarters held in Tashkent in 2021. The same year she received an award from the municipality of Panagyurishte for outstanding contribution to the promotion of sports. In 2023, Oryashkova announced her retirement from professional sports during the recording of "Igri na volyata".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oryashkova, Mariya 1988 births Living people Bulgarian female judoka Bulgarian sumo wrestlers Bulgarian female sport wrestlers Bulgarian sambo practitioners People from Pirdop Sportspeople from Sofia Province