Abbotsford wrestlers achieved great success at the Canadian Wrestling Championships (U19, U17, U15), which ran from March 24 to 26 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Robert Bateman Secondary School’s Rupinder Johal defended her title in the U19 women’s wrestling 80 kilograms division. She picked up falls at 2:21, 2:39 and 2:09 in her three matches to earn the crown. Johal, who trains with Guru Gobind Singh Wrestling Club, also won gold at the 2022 Cadet Pan-American Championships and Canada Summer Games. She was recently nominated for the Sport BC female high school athlete of the year award.
W.J. Mouat’s Tejvir Dhinsa scored a first place finish in the U19 Greco Roman 92 kg division and also placed third in the U19 freestyle division. He won by technical fall (8-0) over Prince Albert’s Landon Mudjar in the Greco Roman final. Dhinsa’s career has taken off since his win in 2022 as he went on to win a Pan-American bronze medal and recently captured gold at the Cadet Canadian Wrestling Championships. Dhinsa was named WCL’s Cadet Men’s Wrestler of the Year for 2022. He also trains at GGSWC.
Johal and Dhinsa both won medals at the British Columbia School Sports Wrestling Championships in February. But the pair weren’t the only locals to finish at the CWC’s.
Abbotsford Traditional’s Jack McEwen took home first in the U19 freestyle 110 kg division, scoring a pin fall in 1:32 over Surrey’s Arjan Narwal.
Gushaan Kahlon from the GGSWC won the U15 freestyle 52 kg division after a technical fall (11-1) victory over Calgary’s Austin Calingay. Kahlon also finished third in the U15 Greco Roman 52 kg division.
GGSWC dominated the U15 freestyle 68 division, with members Manjot Dhaliwal and Mehar Deol squaring of in the final. Dhaliwal pinned Deol at 1:24 to finish first.
Michaeljeet Grewal of the GGSWC placed first in the U17 freestyle 92 kg division after a 12-0 technical fall win over London, Ont.’s Attila Adamko.
GGSWC athletes topped the U17 freestyle 110 kg division, as Jagroop Dhinsa and Manraj Randhawa squared off in the final. Dhinsa earned the win with a 10-0 technical fall. Club member Mehtab Rai also took home first in the U17 freestyle 125 kg division.
Other local wrestlers who finished in the top three included: GGSWC’s Harvey Grewal (second, U15 freestyle 62 kg), Miri Piri Wrestling Club’s Gurkaran Gill (second, U15 freestyle 85 kg), MPWC’s Dominic Wendt (second, U15 freestyle 55 kg), MPWC’s Omrao Dhadda (third, U19 freestyle 71 kg), MPWC’s Gurshar Johal (third, U17 freestyle 51 kg), GGSWC’s Roop Ghuman (third, U15 Greco Roman) and GGSWC’s Panav Sidhu (third, U15 Greco Roman 57 kg).