PENRYN, Calif. — A Loomis wrestling phenom is getting to take her skills to the world stage.
17-year-old Elena Ivaldi, a Del Oro High School junior, will compete at the United World Wrestling Championships in Rome in July. Recently she won the US title for wrestling in her class at a competition in Ft. Worth.
Ivaldi started wrestling at the age of 9.
Though Ivaldi competes against other female athletes in her class, she trains exclusively with boys from Del Oro High School, Ivaldi said.
"It's hard to find girls at my level locally, so I've been training with the Del Oro team," Ivaldi said. "They've been really cooperative in helping me to get ready."
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Her father, Jim, owns Penryn's MatTime gym where she trains.
"To know what she's done over the years, to know the time she's put in, to know how much effort she makes and the countless practice," Jim said. "It couldn't happen to a better person."
Elena took a trip to Japan earlier in the year to train with a 19-time world champion and a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
Her coach, John Perreira, is a protege of Olympian Quincy Clark.
"Her superpower is definitely her adaptability," Perreira said. "I come in here every day with a different approach and she seems more than able to adapt."
What advice does this phenom have for others trying to break through to their best?
"Work hard, stay focused, believe in yourself, all of that will come to play in the long run," Ivaldi said.
(Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect Elena's correct age.)
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