Maria Oryashkova was the recipient of the Golden Belt for the Best Female Athlete of the Year accolade ©FIAS

Six-time world sambo champion Maria Oryashkova was the recipient of a Golden Belt award from the National Association of Martial Arts of Bulgaria.

The National Association of Martial Arts of Bulgaria held an awards ceremony for the fighters and coaches who made the greatest contributions to the development of martial arts in the country over the past year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held without an audience but was broadcast on television. 

More than 40,000 athletes from 12 federations were eligible for awards. 


The Golden Belt for the Best Female Athlete of the Year accolade went to Oryashkova, who claimed her sixth world title in the women's under-80-kilogram division in Serbia last month. 

The 32-year-old is also a nine-time European champion. 

In addition, Oryashkova sits on the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) Athletes' Commission.