Maider Unda

The following video (in Spanish) shows the interview to Maider by Gidatu TV, Internet TV channel from Araba.

From August the 6th to the 8th the Senior International Tournament "Poland Open" took place in Spala (Poland).

Maider started the tournament fighting with Alena Starodubtseva from Russia, and she could not win the fight. Starodubtseva was not able to reach the final (she finally won the bronze medal) and this closed the repechage to Maider and she finished in tenth place.

Maider stayed for one more week training in Spala with wrestlers from other countries, preparing for the world championship that will take place in September.

Maider has won the bronze medal in the X. “Gran Premio de España” International Tournament that took place in Madrid on July the 10th and the 11th.

During the qualification rounds on Saturday she won Haridian González from Spain first, but then she could not beat Iris Smith from the USA in the quarter final fight (3-3, 3-1), and she lost all chances to fight in the final.

The north american qualified for the final, giving Maider another chance to fight for the bronze, medal that Maider won on Sunday beating Roxana Iancolovici from Romania (4-0, 3-0). 

320 wrestlers from 36 countries fought in the tenth edition of the Grand Prix. Maider will stay for few more days in Madrid training with some of the participants of the tournament.  

Maider has won the bronze medal again in the Austrian Ladies Open that took place on June the 12th in Götzis, Austria.

After beating the British S. Jones and the Finnish J. Konivuori, Maider could not defeat the Swedish J. Fransson in semifinals.

Finally, and fighting for the bronze medal, she won D. Ivanova from Azerbaijan and reached the podium of a tournament that she already won in year 2008.

Next week she will stay in Austria training with fighters from other countries, getting ready for her next international event that will take place in July in the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.

Last Monday May the 31st, Maider received the bronze medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit in the award giving ceremony that took place in the Faculty of Phisical Activity Sciences (INEF) in Madrid.

 This award and recognition to Maider's sport career arrives right before another international event that will take place in Austria, which will kick-off the preparation for the next World Championship.

Maider has become member of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit with the bronze medal category.

This distinction has been granted by Jaime Lissavetzky, president of the National Sports Council, in recognition of Maider's merit, circumstances and contribution to the sport.

The award giving ceremony will take place on Monday May the 31st in the Faculty of Phisical Activity Sciences (INEF) in the UPM in Madrid.

Maider has reached the podium in the Europan Championship that is taking place in Baku (Azerbaijan) and she gets her first bronze medal in the main continental competition.

She started the day with a very close fight with Maria Louiza Vryoni (0-1,1-0,2-0) from Greece. Then, in quarter finals, she couldn't beat Ekaterina Bukina (3-0,4-1) from Russia, who was finally qualified for the final, and this allowed Maider to go to the repechage.

In the first fight for the bronze Maider won Dina Ivanova (0-2,0-4) from Azerbaijan. In the final fight for the bronze, and as already happened in the last World Championship, Maider had to fight with Marina Gastl from Austria, and Maider beat her again (0-1,4-0).

From April the 13th to the 18th the European Championship of Olympic Wrestling 2010 will take place in Baku in Azerbaijan. On Thursday Maider will have the medical examination and weigh-in right before the pairing off that will pair the wrestlers for the figths on Friday.

One of Maider's aunts passed away few days ago and Maider was about not participating in the championship, but finally she decided to go to Baku.

The lack of international competition during the first half of the season has not prevented Maider from getting the right preparation and once again the podium is her goal. With the fifth position and the qualification for the Beijing Olympic Games that she achieved in the last World Championship in 2007 in mind, Maider comes back to Baku to get a medal. 

On March the 6th the Klippan Lady Open took place in Sweden, and Maider was not able to reach the podium as she did two years ago. The drawing of lots paired her with Marina Gestl from Austria in the first round and Maider was not able to beat her. They already fighted in the last World Championship when they were competing for the bronze, and the outcome was better for Maider that time. 

Marina was not able to reach the final, even if she was third in the final placing, and this meant that Maider was not elligible for the repechage, completing her participation in the nineth position. 

She will now stay for one week in Sweden training to complete her preparation for the upcoming European Championship that will take place next week in Baku (Azerbaijan).  

Last February the 27th the Spanish Wrestling Championship took place in the Marina Besós sports center in Sant Adriá de Besós (Barcelona), where Maider won the gold for twelveth time.

She had to beat first Haridian González and Maria José Noguera. Then, fighting for the gold, she beat Dacil López from the Canary Islands.

The Basque female team won the bronze medal in the final teams placing.

You can see a summary of the 2010 championship in the following video:

On Thursday Maider travelled to Sweden, where she will take part in the Klippan Lady Open tournament, and will stay for a week training with the Spanish National team, preparing the upcoming European Championship.