Justina Di Stasio

Biography

Justina Di Stasio is a two-time medallist at the Pan American Games. After winning 75kg silver at Toronto 2015, she captured 76kg gold at Lima 2019. A couple months later, she won 76kg bronze at the Olympic test event for Tokyo 2020. But she never got the chance to compete at the Olympic Games because she did not qualify for the Canadian team.

After a big break from the sport because of the COVID-19 pandemic (during which she started a career as a teacher), Di Stasio decided to fully commit to wrestling again in the hopes of achieving her Olympic dream at Paris 2024. She secured her long-desired Olympic ticket at the Pan American Qualifier in February 2024.

Di Stasio has made five world championship appearances, highlighted by her world title in the 72kg event in 2018. She had missed qualifying for the world championship team in her natural 76kg weight class, so made the decision to drop down a weight category. She had previously won 75kg bronze at the 2017 World Championships.

Di Stasio won 75kg gold at three straight Pan American Championships from 2015 to 2017. After not competing at the continental championships in 2018 or 2019, she returned in 2020 and won another gold medal in the 76kg event. She followed up with bronze medals in 2022 and 2023. Di Stasio won 76kg gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Di Stasio was first exposed to international competition at the 2011 Junior World Championships after she won the first of her back-to-back junior national titles. She was on the podium at the senior Canadian championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014 before winning her first senior national title in 2015.

A Little More About Justina

Getting into the Sport: Started wrestling at age 12… Was a multi-sport athlete coming out of high school but decided to focus on wrestling because it offered her the chance to go to a great university… Didn’t really love the sport until she was in university… Won the junior national title at the end of her first season… Outside Interests: Graduated from Simon Fraser University in May 2015 with an English degree… Completed a Professional Development Program in Teacher Education at SFU during the COVID-19 pandemic and started her career as a teacher… Odds and Ends: Nickname: Juice… Tries to bring a new book on every trip… Favourite motto: “Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her.”