Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing. Patricia’s talents are not limited to wrestling as she also enjoys playing the piano, river rafting and is fluent in Portuguese. 
Meet Patricia Miranda
Patricia started wrestling at the age of 12 before l attending Stanford University where she was a member of the men’s varsity team. At Stanford she majored in economics and international policy before graduating from Yale University Law School in May 2007. Patricia has two brothers, Joe and Michael, and one sister, Andrea. She is the daughter of the late Jose and Lia Miranda who were political refugees from Brazil. She is currently married to her coach, Levi Weikel-Magden, whom she met at Stanford while they were both freshman wrestlers.
Hobbies include river rafting, conflict mediation, reading and writing
Why Root For Her?
Already an Olympian, Patricia has been a staple in women’s wrestling for more than a decade. Since competing in her first national championship in 1996, she has won the event six times in what is just the beginning of a long list of accomplishments. In the 2004 Olympic Games, Patricia became the first American female wrestler to earn a medal with her bronze medal performance.
Additionally Patricia has earned medals in three World Championships with second place finishes in 2000 and 2003 as well as a third place finish in 2006. In 2003, Patricia earned first-place hardware at the Pan American Games as well as the World Cup.
Performance Record
- 2006 World bronze medalist
- 2004 Olympic bronze medalist
- 2003 Pan American Games champion
- 2003 World Cup champion
- Six-time U.S. Nationals champion (2000, 2002-04, 06-07)
- 2000 and 2003 World silver medalist