Medal record
Competitor for  Azerbaijan
Women's Wrestling
Olympic Games
Bronze	2008 Beijing	Freestyle – 48 kg
World Championships
Gold	2009 Herning	Freestyle – 48 kg
Silver	2011 Istanbul	Freestyle – 48 kg
European Championships
Gold	2008 Tampere	Freestyle – 48 kg
Gold	2009 Vilnius	Freestyle – 48 kg
Gold	2011 Dortmund	Freestyle – 48 kg

Mariya Vasilyevna Stadnik (born 3 June 1988 in Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) is an Azerbaijani wrestler of Ukrainian descent, who competed in the 48 kg weight class at the 2008 Summer Olympics, she won a bronze medal.^[1]

Personal life[link]

Mariya has been married to Andriy Stadnik, a wrestler from Ukraine. Her sister-in-law Yana Stadnik competes in the same weight category as Mariya.

References[link]

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Maria Panaiotova Kirova (Bulgarian: Мария Панайотова Кирова) (born January 13, 1982), best known as Maria (Bulgarian: Мария), is a Bulgarian pop-folk singer.

Early life[link]

Maria made her debut on a children's show for young talents with Lili Ivanova's song Detelini (Clovers). She has been successful since then and has had many popular hits including "Спомен"(Spomen/Memory), "Първа луна" (Purva luna/First Moon), "Бисери в очите"(Biseri v ochite/Pearls in the eyes), "Родени за любов"(Rodeni za lyubov/Born for love), "Обич на заем"(Obich na zaem/Love in rent), "Искаш мойто тяло"(Iskash moyto tyalo/You want my body), "Обичай ме така"(Obichai me taka/Love me that way), "Край"(Kray/End), "За теб"(Za teb/For You), "Направи го"(Napravi go/Do it), "Желая те"(Zhelaya te/I desire you),"Не съвсем"(Ne suvsem/Not Really), "Не те обичам"(Ne te obicham/I don't love you),"Просто ти"(Prosto ti/Just you), "Осъдена душа"(Osudena dusha/Judged soul), "Единствен"(Edinstven/The One), "Точно за мен"(Tochno za men/Right for me), "Изпепелена"(Izpepelena/Prostrated), "Не ме обичай"(Ne me obichai/Don't Love Me), "Луд в любовта"(Lud v lubovta/Mad in love), "Не,не,не"(Ne, ne,ne/No, no,no), "Обичам само теб" (Obicham samo teb/Love Only You), "Най-доброто място"(Nay-dobroto myasto/The Best Place), "Ако бях заменима"(Ako byah zamenima/If I was replaceable), "Сладко, сладко"(Sladko, sladko/Honey, honey), "Мойте задръжки"(Moyte zadryzhki/My Obstacles), "Най-добрият"(Nay-dobriyat/The Best), "Дай жега"(Dai Zhega/Give heat), "Ти позна ли ме?"(Ti pozna li me/Did you remembered me), "Какво правим сега" (Kakvo pravim sega/What are we doing now) feat. Cvetelina Ianeva"Давай, ти си"(Davai, ti si/Come on, you are), "Всичко е платено"(Vsichko e plateno/Everything is paid), "Още три"(Oshte tri/Three more), "Завърти се и върви си"(Zavurti se i vurvi si/Turn around and go away).

Discography[link]

1. "Спомен", Spomen; (A Memory) (2000)
2. "Първа Луна", Purva Luna; (First Moon) (2001)
3. "Истинска", Istinska; (Real) (2003)
4. "Maria" (2004)
5. "Осъдена Душа", Osudena Dusha; (A Judged Soul) (2005)
6. "Единствен", Edinstven; (Unique) (2006)
7. "XIII", (2012)

Concerts[link]

• Maria was in Planeta Derby for five years in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010.

In 2004, Maria also featured in a 30-second television commercial for the beer, (Ariana) (Bulgarian: Ариана), in which she appears to open a bottle with her breasts, but then reveals a bottle opener on a necklace. That won her the nickname Mara Otvarachkata (otvarachka - bulg. a bottle opener; Mara is a short for Maria).

External links[link]

• Payner music
• Images of Maria
• Pictures and info

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Olympic medal record
Competitor for  Ukraine
Women's Wrestling
Olympic Games
Gold	2004 Athens	Freestyle – 48 kg
Bronze	2008 Beijing	Freestyle – 48 kg

Iryna Oleksiyivna Merleni-Mykulchyn (Ukrainian: Ірина Олексіївна Мерлені (born February 8, 1982) is a Ukrainian wrestler, who competed in the – 48 kg weight class at the 2004 Summer Olympics and claimed the gold medal. In the same event at the 2008 Summer Olympics, she won a bronze medal.

Merleni was born in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi. She is a three-time world champion, and won the European championship once.

References[link]

• sports-reference

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Clarissa Chun (陳美玲, born August 27, 1981 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American Olympic Women's freestyle 48 kg (105.5 lbs) wrestler. Chun, who graduated from Roosevelt High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, captured the state wrestling title in 1998, the first year girls wrestling was a sanctioned sport. ^[1]

She attended Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri and earned a communications degree from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. ^[2]

At the 2008 U.S. Olympic wrestling team trials in June, Clarissa Chun, a diminutive athlete from Hawai'i, gained the admiration of fans and media alike by staging a huge upset of seven-time national champion and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Patricia Miranda. In the process, Chun, who stands 4 feet 11, fulfilled a lifelong dream, becoming the first wrestler from Hawai'i to qualify for a U.S. Olympic team. ^[3] She placed fifth at the 2008 Olympics, making her mark on the international level. ^{[4] [5]}

Two months after the 2008 Olympic Games, Chun turned in a superb effort to capture a gold medal at the World 2008 Championships in Tokyo, Japan. She relied on her defense in pulling out a gritty 1-0, 1-0 finals win over Kazakhstan's Jyldyz Eshimova-Turtbayeva at the Yoyogi National Stadium. ^[6]

Chun successful seasons included winning the U.S. Senior National titles, and international titles from the Canada Cup, New York AC Freestyle International, Poland Open, Mongolia Championships, Russia International and Pan American Games. Chun also represented the U.S. at the FILA Women's World Cup in China in 2009 and Japan in 2012. ^{[7] [8]}

Clarissa Chun (Colorado Springs, Colo.) became the first women's freestyle wrestler to be nominated to her second Olympic Team after her stellar performance at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling in Iowa City, Iowa, on April 22, 2012. ^{[9] [10]}

International Award Winning Wrestler[link]

2012: U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion - First place - women's freestyle wrestling ^{[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]}
2012: Gold Medal - Pan Am Games women’s freestyle, KISSIMMEE, Florida. ^{[20] [21] [22]}

2011: 5th Place: Mongolia Open, ULAN BAATAR, Mongolia. ^[23]

2011: Gold Medal: U.S. Open Wrestling Championships in Arlington, Texas. ^{[24] [25]}

2011: 2nd Place: New York AC Freestyle International.^{[26] [27]}

2011: Silver Medal - Pan Am Games women’s freestyle, GUADALAJARA, Mexico ^[28]
2011: 7th Place - World Championships, ISTANBUL, Turkey ^[29]
2011: 1st place - Gold Medal - Poland Open, Poznan, Poland ^{[30] [31]}
2011: 1st place - U.S. World Team Trials in Oklahoma City ^{[32] [33]}
2011: Bronze: Mongolian National Wrestling Championship ^[34]
2011: Gold Medal: ASICS U.S. Open Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. ^{[35] [36] [37] [38]}

2011: Silver Medal: Grand Prix of Tourcoing, Tourcoing, France. ^{[39] [40]}

2010: Gold Medal: Open Cup in Russia International. ^{[41] [42] [43]}

2010: 1st Place: New York AC Freestyle International.^[44]

2010: Bronze Medal: German Grand Prix.^[45]

2010: 2nd place - in U.S. World Team Trials ^[46]

2010: Gold Medal: Pan American Wrestling Championships in MONTERREY, Mexico.^[47]

2009: Gold Medal: Canada Cup, Guelph, Canada ^[48]
2009: 1st place - in U.S. World Team Trials ^{[4] [49] [50] [51]}
2009: Gold Medal: Pan American Wrestling Championships in Maracaibo, Venezuela.^{[52] [53] [54] [55]}
2009: 1st place - in U.S. Nationals ^{[56][57] [58] [59]}
2008: Women's Freestyle World Championships - First place - Gold Medal - 48 kg ^[60]
2008: 1st place - in U.S. World Team Trials ^[61]
2008: 5th place - Olympics - Beijing, China ^{[62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [70] [71]}
2008: U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion - First place - women's freestyle wrestling ^{[72] [73] [74] [75]}
105.5-pound division at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Judo - Beijing, China.
2008: Fourth in U.S. Nationals
2008: Gold Medal: Pan American Wrestling Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. ^{[76] [77]}

2008: Silver Medal: Guelph Open, Guelph, Canada ^[78]

2007: Fourth in U.S. World Team Trials
2007: Third in U.S. Nationals

2007: Third in Guelph Open (Canada)

2006: U.S. Senior Nationals - Gold Medal ^[79]
2006: Second in New York AC Holiday International Open

2006: Sunkist Kids/ASU International Open champion

2006: U.S. Nationals champion

2006: Vehbi Emre Golden Grand Prix champion (Turkey) ^{[80] [81] [82]}

2006: Tenth in Ivan Yarygin Memorial International (Russia)

2006: Second in Klippan Ladies Golden Grand Prix (Sweden) ^[83]

2005: Sunkist Kids/ASU International champion - 1st Place 2005 Sunkist Kids / ASU International Open ^{[84] [85]}

2005: Second in NYAC Holiday Championships ^[86]

2005: Clansmen International champion (Canada) ^[87]

2005: Third in U.S. World Team Trials

2004: Second in Sunkist Kids International Open

2004: Fourth in World Cup

2004: Second in U.S. Olympic Team Trials - runners-up

Placed second at the U.S. Olympic Trials in women's wrestling (the first year with the style in the Olympics) (48 kg)

2004: Second in U.S. Nationals

2004: Sixth in Ivan Yarygin Memorial International (Russia)

2004: Fourth in Dave Schultz Memorial International

USA Wrestling's Women's University National Champion

Consistently ranked No. 2 by USA Wrestling

2003: Second in Sunkist Kids International Open

2003: Second in U.S. World Team Trials

2003: Second in U.S. Nationals

2003: Fourth in Klippan Ladies Open (Sweden)

April 14, 2003: USA Wrestling's Women's University National Champion in St. Joseph, Minn.

2002: Second in U.S. World Team Trials - Runner-up ^[88]

2002: Fourth in U.S. Nationals

2002: Third in Pan American Championships

2002: was among the charter group of about 20 women invited to the
U.S. Olympic Training Center when its women's wrestling facility opened. ^[89]

2001: Sunkist Kids International Open champion

2001: Fourth in World Cup

2001: Second in U.S. World Team Trials - Runner-up

2001: Third in U.S. Nationals

2001: Klippan Ladies Open champion (Sweden)

2001: Second in Pan American Championships

2001: Missouri Valley International Open champion

2001: Second in Minnesota - Morris Women's Open

2001: Third in Manitoba Open (Canada)

2001: Represented USA in first Women's World Cup 2001 in Levalois, France

2001: Won international open in Phoenix

2001: USA Wrestling's Women's University National Champion

2001: Fifth in Junior World Championships

2000: DNP in World Championships

2000: Second in Pan American Championships

2000: Second in U.S. World Team Trials

2000: Second in U.S. Nationals

2000: Dave Schultz Memorial International champion

2000: Minnesota-Morris Women's Open champion

2000-02: Silver medal at Pan American Championships

2000-01: FILA Junior Nationals champion

2000: Third in University Nationals

2000 U.S. World Team member

2000: U.S. Collegiate Nationals champion

2000: Eighth in Junior World Championships

1999: Third in Sunkist Kids International Open

1999: Third in Sunkist Kids International Open

1999: USA Age-Group: Fourth in 2004 University World Championships

1999: Hawaii State champion wrestler

Wrestling USA Magazine's High School Girls All-America Team

1999 USGWA High School Nationals - Third ^[90]

1998: Hawaii State champion wrestler - the first year girls wrestling was a sanctioned sport. ^[89]

CAREER NOTES: (themat.com) ^[91]

External links[link]

• {Clarissa KML Chun}
• Official Facebook site (Hawaii)
• London Olympics (USA)
• Articles (USA)
• Honolulu Advertiser's Article
• NBC Olympics Biography
• Article

References[link]

Alim Qasimov
Alim Gasimov
Background information
Born	1957
Origin	Shamakhi, Azerbaijan
Genres	Mugham, Ashiq
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Singing, Daf
Years active	1977–present
Associated acts	Farghana Qasimova

Alim Qasimov (born 1957) is an Azerbaijani musician, and one of the foremost mugam singers in Azerbaijan. He was awarded the International Music Council-UNESCO Music Prize in 1999, one of the highest international accolades for music. His music is characterised by his vocal improvisation and represents a move away from the traditional style of mugham.^[1] Qasimov has recorded nine albums, three of which are mugham albums with his daughter, Ferghana Qasimova.

According to The New York Times, "Alim Qasimov is simply one of the greatest singers alive, with a searing spontaneity that conjures passion and devotion, contemplation and incantation."^[2]

He joined fellow Azerbaijani, Sabina Babayeva on stage at the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku to sing back vocals for her entry, When the Music Dies.

Biography[link]

Formative years[link]

Born in 1957, Qasimov grew up in Nobur near Shamakha, Azerbaijan, a village 100 km north of the capital Baku.^[3][4] His family worked on a Soviet commune and Qasimov worked alongside his parents from a young age.^[5] He later reflected that growing up in poverty helped him to live modestly later in life and he never attempted to extricate himself from his peasant background.^[6] Qasimov's father was an occasional singer with a good voice but he was a humble man; he never pursued a professional career in singing.^[3] Qasimov on the other hand was a keen singer from a young age and his parents noticed his musical desire.^[5] Lacking the money to buy him an instrument, his father used a frame and a goat's stomach lining to make a crude drum for his son.^[3]

He began singing at religious events and his parents suggested that he study music at school.^[5] The form proved difficult for him at times: once, while performing in a local music contest at the age of fourteen, the audience —thinking he did not grasp the correct traditional style—laughed him off the stage.^[3] Despite various setbacks, his parents urged him to persist and he did, enrolling in the Musiki Mektebi state music school in Baku at 21-years-old.^[5][6] The course consisted of four years of study, specialising in vocal technique and mugham — the repertoire of classical Azerbaijani song. It was here that Qasimov honed his voice and his teachers were so impressed that they encouraged him to take the final exams two years early. He refused, stating that he still needed time to perfect his abilities.^[6] He had realised that music was no longer a pastime for him, but rather a necessity, saying his sole talent and desire was for music.^[3] Over the final years of his study he refined his vocal technique, easily passing the final exam, but he later reflected that he had placed too much emphasis on vocal perfection; he believed it was not until later that he fully understood the deeper content and emotion of mugham.^[6]

Professional career[link]

Qasimov began singing professionally while Azerbaijan was still under Soviet rule and the mugham form had not received support from the state. Performances were restricted and, whilst a few singers aimed to preserve the history of the traditional style, the ruling communist party largely regarded it as a local curiosity.^[6] However, Qasimov's growing popularity was accompanied by declining Soviet influence and in 1983 he won the national Jabbar Garyaghdioghlu Singing Competition.^[3][6]

As his career progressed he was recognised internationally, winning awards at the 1983 and 1987 UNESCO Symposia on Traditional and Modern Art of Central Asian ans Asian Countries. His tours were very well received in his both home country and abroad; as travel outside the Soviet Union was rare for citizens at the time, his tours and concerts garnered much press and many television announcements.^[6] As his career was blossoming, so was his personal life — Qasimov and his wife, Tamilla Aslanova, had their first child in 1980, Ferghana Qasimova, and later had two more children: a son, Gadir, and second daughter, Dilruba. Despite such changes, Qasimov's background continued to shape his personality and music, dismissing the foreign influences found in cities and television.^[4]

Over time, Qasimov's style had developed to include not only traditional Azerbaijani music and mugham, but also ashiq, a rural bardic tradition with roots in Turkey, Azerbaijan and the Azeri region of Iran.^[7] In addition, he was influenced by artists from other disciplines, placing particular importance on Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: "When I heard him in concert many doors were opened for me and many questions answered".^[6] His success was all the more impressive for he had broken from the traditional style of mugham and brought his own interpretation to the genre. He saw this as a way of showing mugham to a wider audience and making it relevant to contemporary society, saying: "The world in which we live changes daily. Music has to lend emotional expression to this vitality. I accommodate that by seeking out new paths and interpretations".^[6] Similarly he revolutionised the strict mugham instrumentation, introducing his own improvisation and including new sounds such as the double-reeded balaban (also known as a duduk), the clarinet and the nagara, a metal-bodied drum.^[3] Additionally, he remained conscious of the need to modernise when choosing his ensemble; mixing older, experienced players with younger, more dynamic musicians.^[6]

The 1990s saw Qasimov tour widely with concerts in Iran, Brazil, the United States and throughout Europe.^[3] His music gained more exposure in Europe and North America when a chance meeting with American musician Jeff Buckley at a classical music festival in France resulted in a collaboration. Buckley was a fan of Qasimov's music and they performed a duet of "What Will You Say" which featured on Buckley's Live à l'Olympia release.^[5] Buckley, an avid listener of Qawwali, was highly impressed with Qasimov's performance, noting: "he just came with his drum, and he sang, and it was so pure and effortless... That's what the voice is for".^[8] Qasimov was equally pleased with the collaboration, stating that his American counterpart "was very gifted and had a real feeling for Eastern people." The performance resulted in the introduction of Qasimov's music to a broader Western audience.^[5]

Revitalised by Azerbaijan's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union, the artistic importance of Azeri culture, including both Qasimov and mugham, began to be recognised internationally. Qasimov was named the "People's Artist of Azerbaijan" in 1993 and earned the highest honour in his field in 1999 when he won the International IMC-UNESCO Music Prize — an award given to high calibre musicians such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Ravi Shankar and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.^[6][9] Partly helped by Qasimov's extensive touring and promotion of mugham, UNESCO proclaimed the mugham of Azerbaijan a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" in 2003, reassuring the preservation of a centuries-old classical tradition.^[10][11] Similarly, the preservation of Qasimov's own music was assured as he recorded and internationally released his music for the first time, beginning with Classical Mugham, a 1996 collaboration with the Mansurov brothers, and following with Azerbaijan: Art of the Mugham and Legendary Art of Mugham in 1998.^[12]

2000 to present: Introducing Ferghana[link]

	"Bagishla mani" noicon from Love's Deep Ocean Demonstrating the mugham style
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Qasimov's daughter, Ferghana Qasimova, had been informally practising with her father since the age of sixteen and was an avid student of mugham.^[3] By the age of twenty she had become a fully-fledged singer in her own right and Qasimov chose to introduce his daughter into his ensemble. Ferghana first appeared on 1997's The Legendary Art of Mugham on which the two shared the vocal tasks on the song Getme Getme. Their next album included a track, Bagishlamani, dedicated to his forebear; Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.^[6] The release marked a high point for Qasimov as it was his first widely available release to western audiences and it proved a critical success.^[13] His aim to reconnect younger generations with mugham began to pay dividends; not only was he appealing to traditional Islamic sections of the Azerbaijani population, but also to more Americanised and modern audiences.^[5] The break through amongst the younger generations spurred him on: "Sometimes young people come up after a concert to thank me. That's like giving me wings. I feel so elated when I can awaken such feelings in people while they are still young; mugham is not an easy genre for young people to understand".^[3]

Qasimov recorded and released further works with The Art of Mugham in 1997 and Central Asian Series, Vol. 6: Spiritual Music of Azerbaijan in 2007.^[12] He took the opportunity to perform in New York City in 2005 as part of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project. The concert aimed to promote multi-cultural artistic exchange between eastern and western cultures and The New York Times regarded Qasimov's performance, alongside Malik Mansurov and Rauf Islamov, as the highlight of the event.^[14] He toured throughout Europe, now bringing Ferghana along with him, and was in demand to appear at spiritual music festivals in countries such as France and Egypt.^[4][15] Their performances were often critically acclaimed, regardless of the location. Remarking upon a performance in London as part of "Voices of Central Asia", Michael Church stated in The Independent that "initial shock turned to delight as we were drawn into his intimate, multicoloured world".^[16] The father and daughter duo paid dividends and, following their performance in Cairo in May 2008, Al-Ahram Weekly stressed the qualities of their powerful vocal unity and stage presence, describing Qasimov as "a master of mugham".^[4]

Their brand of mugham proved equally popular the following September, performing a collaboration with experimental classical group the Kronos Quartet. Band leader David Harrington was keen to work with the Azerbaijani for the Ramadan Nights Festival, saying: "I realised his voice was as unique as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's, or the tenor John McCormack's in Irish ballads, or Bessie Smith's in St Louis Blues. There's a special quality to that voice, a connection between it and his inner life...he is up there in the top five of all time [singers]".^[5][17] Despite initial problems involving the Kronos Quartet's arrangements and Qasimov's improvisation, the event received positive reviews. Robin Denselow of The Guardian opined that Qasimov "is certainly one of the most thrilling, unashamedly emotional performers on the planet, and the finest exponent of mugham".^[18]

Influence and legacy[link]

In 21 November 2009, he was included in a 500 most influential Muslims of world book.^[19][20][21] The Icelandic singer Björk complimented Qasimov, by naming him as her "favourite singer alive today".^[22][23] In 2010, Alim Qasimov was nominated for the United States National Public Radio's "50 great voices in recorded history" award. ^[24]

Discography[link]

Alim Gasimov on the semi-final allocation draw ceremony of Eurovision Song Contest 2012

Albums[link]

• Classical Mugham (3 January 1996)
• The Art of Mugham: Azerbaidjan (Live) (1 December 1997)
• The Mugham of Azerbaidjan (1 October 1999)
• Love's Deep Ocean (11 October 1999) with Ferghana Qasimova
• The Legendary Art of Mugham (15 October 1997) with Alim Qasimov Ensemble
• Central Asian Series, Vol. 6: Spiritual Music of Azerbaijan (25 September 2007) with Ferghana Qasimova
• "Intimate dialogue" - Live at Morgenland Festival Osnabrück 2009 with Ferghana Qasimova

Singles[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Alim and Fergana Qasimov: The Master and his Pearl Interview with Qasimov in Al-Ahram Weekly

External links[link]

• Alim and Ferghana Qasimov performing live