Sofia "Sonya" Asvesta (Russian: София Асвеста, born 5 June 2000) is a Cypriot judoka of Russian heritage. She participated at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has twice been national champion, and was the 2020 European junior bronze medalist.[1]
Background
Sofia Asvesta was born in Limassol, Cyprus, into a Cypriot/Russian family.[1][3] She started judo under her first coach Pieros Leonida at the age of 15, then moved to Nicosia and joined the "Christodoulides judo academy".[1][2]
Career
She has twice been junior Cypriot national champion. As a senior athlete, she won national titles in 2018 and 2022. In 2020, Asvesta received a bronze medal at the European junior championships in Poreč, Croatia. In 2021, she came in third place at the senior European cup in Dubrovnik, Croatia. In January 2024, she earned a quota place for Cyprus for the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Paris, France.[1] At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she won her first bout against Morocco's Soumiya Iraoui, but in the next round she was eliminated by Amandine Buchard of France and finished in the 9th place.[4]
