Samantha Stewart attempts to pin her opponent down onto the ground.United World Wrestling / Tony Ro
United World Wrestling / Tony Ro

Samantha Stewart wins bronze at wrestling worlds

On Wednesday in Oslo, Norway, Samantha Stewart won bronze in the women’s 53kg category at the 2021 Wrestling World Championships.

To reach the podium, Stewart faced off against Ukrainian Khrystyna Bereza. The Canadian secured the victory by fall, scoring four points and pinning Bereza down for the win. Also on the podium with bronze was Katarzayna Krawczyk of Poland. Akari Fujinami of Japan won the gold, while Moldovan Iulia Leorda received silver.

This morning Stewart dominated Assylzat Sagymbay of Kazakhstan, winning 10-0 and advancing to the bronze medal match.

Samantha Stewart wears her bronze medal around her neck and holds it up with her right hand while holding flowers in her left hand.
Samantha Stewart shows off her 53kg bronze medal won at the 2021 Wrestling World Championships on Wednesday October 6, 2021 in Oslo, Norway. (Credit: @WrestlingCanada/Twitter)

READ: Day 2: Dhesi, Weicker and Stewart reach the Matteo Pellicone podium

Stewart started the tournament by defeating Anzhelika Vetoshkima of the Russian Wrestling Federation by a score of 10-0 in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals, the Canadian was up against Leorda, falling 10-4. However, it wasn’t over yet for Stewart. She advanced to the repechage when Leorda won her semifinal and advanced to the gold medal match.

This is Stewart’s first time competing at the world championships. Her most recent podium finishes were third at the Olympic Games Qualifier in May 2021, and third at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series in March 2021.

The 2021 World Wrestling Championships continue through Sunday, with Olivia Di Bacco set to compete in the 68kg repechage tomorrow. Ioannis Narlidis is Canada’s lone competitor in Greco-Roman wrestling. He will compete on Friday in the 97kg class.