Biography
Margarita Gritsenko was born in 2001 in Kostanay, Republic of Kazakhstan. She is ethnically Russian and a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan. From an early age, Margarita showed a strong interest in sports and an active lifestyle.
In 2009, she began practicing judo at the Youth Sports School in Kostanay. Her first coach, Nikolay Mikhailovich Maksakov, helped the young athlete take her initial steps in the sport and instilled in her a passion for martial arts. Later, she began training under Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pletnyov, under whose guidance she started achieving high results at the national level.
As a young athlete, Gritsenko repeatedly won and placed at regional and national judo tournaments and was selected for the youth national team of Kazakhstan.
Education
- 2019-2023 U. Sultangazin Kostanay State Pedagogical University. Faculty of Physical Education and Sports.
Athletic Achievements
- In 2017, Margarita made her international debut at a tournament in Tyumen, Russia — a significant milestone in her athletic career.
- In 2018, she won the Asian Championship and became the champion of several European and Asian Cups held in Beirut (Lebanon), Antalya (Turkey), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan), and Hong Kong. These achievements qualified her for the 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2018, where she competed in the under-78 kg weight category.
- At the Youth Olympic Games, Gritsenko confidently advanced through the competition, defeating opponents from Ecuador and the Czech Republic to reach the final. In the decisive bout, she was narrowly defeated by an athlete from Germany, earning a silver medal — Kazakhstan’s first Olympic medal at those Games, which brought her national recognition.
- Throughout her sports career, Gritsenko has repeatedly become a champion and medalist of the Kazakhstan National Championships, a winner of European and Asian Cups, and in 2019, was featured in the book “Golden Youth of Kazakhstan.”
