A pair of Abbotsford wrestlers will be representing Canada at the 2022 Cadet (U17) World Championships, July 25-31 in Rome, Italy.
Abbotsford’s Rupinder Johal and Tejvir Dhinsa were announced as two of the five athletes heading to the event. The pair were chosen after strong showings at the 2022 Canadian Wrestling Trials, May 26-29 in Edmonton, combined with results at the 2022 Pan-Am Championships, June 24-26 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Johal, a Robert Bateman Secondary School student who trains at Abbotsford’s Guru Gobind Singh Wrestling Club, excelled at the Pan-Ams in her 73 kilogram weight class and won gold.
“Winning gold made me feel very proud for myself, my parents, my coaches, my teammates and my country,” Johal told Wrestling Canada. “This was my first international tournament of, hopefully, many more. Wearing the maple leaf and stepping on the mat knowing I’m representing Canada gave me the feeling of being a Canadian athlete and making my country proud. I’m very happy on how I performed with space for more training and ways to get better. I hope to represent Canada in the future and win more medals for my country.”
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She also captured gold at the B.C. School Sports (BCSS) Provincial Wrestling Championships in Vancouver in February.
Dhinsa, a W.J. Mouat Secondary School student who also trains with Guru Gobind Singh Wrestling Club, will compete at 71kg. Dhinsa took bronze at the Pan-Ams after his only loss was to the eventual gold medalist.
He won gold in his weight class at the B.C. School Sports (BCSS) Provincial Wrestling Championships in Vancouver in February.
The other three athletes attending the 2022 Cadet World Championships include Port Moody’s Ella Finding, Surrey’s Arjun Nagra and Quebec’s Nathan Rainville.
“Wrestling Canada Lutte is excited to witness the next generation of Canadian wrestlers that will compete at the World U17 Championships in Rome, Italy,” said Chris Woodcroft, WCL High Performance Director. “We are sending five athletes who have excelled on both the national and Pan-American (Pan-Am) stage and have earned the right to represent themselves, their families, personal clubs and our country at the world level. We anticipate strong performances by all athletes and are confident, regardless of the results, this will motivate them to continue training and competing at the junior and senior levels.”