Maya Stasiuk is a sport climber who was awarded a Tier 2 Scholarship within the 2024 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring Program.
Maya was born in Melbourne in 2007. She started indoor climbing at age four after her parents decided that climbing free solo up doorframes and six-metre trees became too dangerous. She found her passion for climbing in the lead gym, then later in competitions after placing 2nd at Junior Nationals in 2015, at age seven.
After her first Junior National gold medal in 2017, Maya has been the reigning Junior Champion for the Lead, Bouldering, and overall disciplines through years 2017, 2018, 2019 then again in 2022 (excluding the 2020/2021 COVID-19 pandemic). In 2022, Maya was exposed to international events for the first time, where she competed in the IFSC Youth World Championships, placing 23rd (Bouldering) and 22nd (Lead).
In 2022, at the age of 15, Maya made the Open National team having won the combined title at the Open National Championships. She was selected to represent Australia in the Open International 2023 IFSC World Cup circuit. Maya travelled around the world and experienced new and exciting styles of climbing. She placed 21st in her third World Cup in Brixen, Italy.
Maya is a determined and focused climber with an immense passion for the sport, and she continues to train hard and enjoy the journey of her sporting career. Outside of climbing, Maya is a high school student devoted to learning science-based subjects and takes several accelerated classes. She wants to become a specialist doctor and help people in need around the world.
“I am so grateful and honoured to receive a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship. This scholarship will provide me with support from a network of extraordinary Australian athletes. These are people who have been, or are still, on the same journey as myself. As a young athlete in an emerging sport, it is vital to have the support necessary to travel, compete and train so that I can stand amongst the best in the world” – Maya Stasiuk on being selected as a 2024 Tier 2 Scholarship Holder
Achievements and Honours
- 2023: IFSC World Cup Brixen, 21st Place
- 2022: Sport Climbing Open Nationals Bouldering, 1st Place
- 2022: Sport Climbing Open Nationals Lead, 2nd Place
- 2022: IFSC Youth World Championships Dallas Lead, 22nd Place
- 2022: IFSC Youth World Cup Dallas Bouldering, 23rd Place
Social Links | Instagram @maya.stasiuk
