Mariza Nasu's stock is rising fast.
The Squamish-based wrestler placed fourth among 43-kilogram girls at June's U17 Pan-American Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She lost to eventual victor Natalie Radecki of the United States and Mexican bronze medallist Karen Silva, but did defeat Peru's national champ Margarita Pumachaico.
It was Nasu's maiden international contest, and the first she participated in without her father, Mike, by her side.
"I was definitely more nervous not having my dad there, but I had lots of support from my coaches and teammates," she remarked. "I also knew my dad was watching me online back home, cheering me on."
Nasu grinded her way through a demanding early season just to qualify for Pan-Ams. She fell short at B.C. Provincials and was bested during her fifth-place match at the Canadian Wrestling Championships (U19, U17, U15) in T'Suutina Nation, Alta.—but soldiered on undeterred.
A reversal of fortune took place at the Canadian Championships (Senior, Junior, Cadet) in Edmonton, which doubled as national team trials and were held separately from the T'Suutina event because of divergent age groups at the international level. Nasu struck gold to clinch a Pan-Am berth, winning each of her matches.
"This achievement means a lot to me because at the start of the wrestling season, I wasn’t getting the results I wanted in tournaments," Nasu said. "Then when it mattered most, I finally placed first and I'm very proud that my hard work paid off."
Her coach, Coast Wrestling Academy technical director Frank Mensah, is very impressed by her poise.
"I've seen a lot of great athletes over the years who do very well nationally, but they get to Pans-Ams and freeze. They can't even put together a way to score points," Mensah said. "To see [Mariza] come out the same athlete in Rio that she was [in Edmonton], it shows she's a competitor, and I don't think any obstacle will stop her.
"The Pan-Ams, for me, are a test to see how athletes deal with struggles. You're looking at the best of every country. It's almost like going to rehearsal for a wedding and then going to the actual wedding … [in all of Mariza's previous competitions] the mat would have been at ground level, with coaches only a few feet away from you. At the international level, she's competing on a platform which is elevated a good 33 inches or so. Your coach feels so much further from you, and you feel like you're naked on stage."
A grappler's life
Nasu started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) as a child out of Mountain Jiu-Jitsu in her hometown, with her dad as coach. She transitioned into wrestling two years ago because of the future opportunities it presents, and believes her BJJ experience grants the mental toughness necessary to go far as an athlete.
Mensah agrees, saying: "Even though she's wrestled for a short time, the other martial arts that she's done helps [bolster] her competitive experience. It's grappling with a few different rules, but at the end of the day it's still a combative sport. I find that jiu-jitsu makes kids a little bit tougher. They have a little more grit."
When asked about the people who have helped her develop, Nasu praised the team at Coast Wrestling Academy as well as her previous gym, Westsider Wrestling.
"[Mariza's kind words] mean a lot because you never truly know as a coach what kind of impact you're having on the athlete," said Mensah. "There are a lot of coaches in our program that make everything work. The funny thing is, in her final Pan-Ams match, she was actually coached by a couple of other people so it shows we've all worked together to make sure she meets her goals.
"I definitely don't want to take anything away from Westsider. That program did an amazing job for Mariza. They put a lot of effort into her over the years, to the point where she was good enough to be with our program and we could put in some finishing touches."
Now approaching her Grade 12 year, Nasu must decide whether to pursue international or university competition after high school. If choosing the former, she'll need to put on muscle in order to make the 50-kg weight class (the lightest offered to adult female wrestlers overseas). Before that, however, keep an eye out for Nasu at the U17 World Championships from July 28 to Aug. 3 in Athens, Greece.
