Nichita Anastasia

About

Anastasia Nichita, born on February 19, 1999, in the village of Tătărești, Strășeni district, is a world-renowned Moldovan female freestyle wrestler, specializing in the 57 and 59 kg categories. She made history as the first woman from the Republic of Moldova to win an Olympic medal in wrestling, securing silver at the Paris 2024 Games, after a final lost to Japan's Tsugumi Sakurai. Her impressive record includes the world championship title in 2022 at 59 kg (Belgrade), world silver in 2023 at 57 kg, as well as three senior European titles (2020 in Rome, 2022 in Budapest, and 2023 in Zagreb), plus bronzes and other podium finishes at European and world championships. She also participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, finishing in 7th place, and was Moldova's flag bearer at the closing ceremony in Paris. Her sports career began at the Sports School in Strășeni, where she was discovered by coaches Oleg Furdui and Iurie Roznerita, who noticed her talent and determination from the very first training sessions alongside the boys. She later trained at the Republican Lyceum for Sports and the National Teams Training Sports Center in Chișinău, collaborating with the Moldovan Wrestling Federation and the national team under the guidance of coach Roman Dermenji. Employed at the General Inspectorate of the Border Police, where she proudly wears the uniform, Anastasia was named the best athlete of the year in Moldova in 2019, 2020, and 2023, and was awarded the Order of Honor in 2022. Her fiancé, Valeriu Mircea, is also her personal physical training coach, contributing to her exceptional performances. Anastasia's childhood was marked by a modest family in her native village, where she grew up with her older brother, Dumitru, under the care of her grandparents, after her mother left to work abroad and her father was little involved. Encouraged by her brother, she chose wrestling at the age of 12, initially dreaming of becoming a police officer or a model, but sports changed her destiny.