| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's judo | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2000 Sydney | 57 kg |
| European Championships | ||
| Competitor for Hungary | ||
| Silver | 1996 The Hague | 57 kg |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
| Competitor for Australia | ||
| Gold | 2002 Manchester | 57 kg |
Maria Pekli (born 12 June 1972 in Baja, Hungary) is an Australian judoka of Hungarian descent. She was Australian Champion in the u/57 kg division for seven consecutive years, between 1997-2003.
She won a bronze medal in the lightweight (57 kg) division at the 2000 Summer Olympics, the first Australian woman to win an official Olympic Judo medal (although Sue Williams won a medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics when Women's Judo was a demonstration sport).
Along with Cuba's Driulys González and Japan's Ryoko Tamura-Tani, Pekli became in 2008 the first female judoka to compete at five Olympics. The only other judokas to compete at five Olympics are Belgian Robert Van de Walle and Puerto Rican judoka-bobsledder Jorge Bonnet.
In 2011, Pekli was awarded Life Membership of Judo Australia for her contribution to the sport at the Australian National Judo Championships.
| Year | Tournament | Place | Weight class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Olympic Games | 5th | Lightweight (57 kg) |
| 2003 | World Judo Championships | 5th | Lightweight (57 kg) |
| 2002 | Commonwealth Games | 1st | Lightweight (57 kg) |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | 3rd | Lightweight (57 kg) |
| 1996 | European Judo Championships | 2nd | Lightweight (56 kg) |
| 1995 | European Judo Championships | 7th | Lightweight (56 kg) |
| 1993 | World Judo Championships | 5th | Lightweight (56 kg) |