After claiming gold at the Commonwealth Games this summer, Justina Di Stasio will be looking to pin another.
The Burnaby product has been chosen as one of 20 athletes that will represent Canada at the 2022 World Championships in Serbia, on now until Sept. 18.
The women's 76 kg weight-class competition is scheduled to start tomorrow (Sept. 13) where 29-year-old's qualifying match will be against Thi Linh Dang of Vietnam.
She previously won gold at the 2018 World Championships in the 72 kg category.
"WCL is excited to see this talented group of wrestlers compete at the upcoming 2022 Senior World Championships," Wrestling Canada Lutte executive director Tamara Medwidsky said in a news release.
"With the success that many have already had this year, these athletes have shown they are some of the best within the Americas and the Commonwealth. Now is their opportunity to shine on the world stage."
Last month, Di Stasio claimed gold in the 76 kg women's freestyle wrestling category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
She was matched up against Hannah Rueben of Nigeria in the final, who would go up 1-0 at the break.
In the second half, Di Stasio was able to grab a four-point takedown to take the 4-1 lead. She would only give up one more point and captured gold with a 4-2 win.
"We had a gameplan [for the gold medal match], I am trying to work on my two-on-ones and adjusting on the fly," Di Stasio told Wrestling Canada Lutte at the end of the gold medal match.
"Sometimes I abandon my gameplan but in that match when I heard my coach say something, I listened and was able to do it. I needed to know I could do that and now I do."
In her opening match, Di Stasio cruised to a 10-0 win against Australia's Naomi De Bruine, which moved her into the semifinals against Pooja Pooja of India.
She had a tougher competition in the semis with India's Pooja Shiag, but came out with a 6-0 win and advanced to the gold-medal bout.
Di Stasio, who lives in Coquitlam, already had several medals to her name, including golds at the 2018 World Championships and the 2019 Pan-American Games, as well as four more gold from past Pan-American Championships.
