This past week the Canadian Wrestling Team have been representing Canada at the Junior World Championship in Tallinn, Estonia. Among the athletes was BC's own Ana Godinez. Earlier this year Godinez was both the Junior and Senior Canadian National Champion. 

Godinez first match of the Junior World Championships was against Japan's Yuzuka Inagaki, though she failed to overcome her opponent she did not lose hope for placing at the World Championships. Godinez next match was a repechage against Zhala Aliyeza from Azerbaijan; Godinez received a ten point lead over Aliyeza in less than two minutes. This win sent her into the bronze medal match. Fighting for bronze, Godinez wrestled Irina Rigaci of Moldova. Godinez won by a big lead of 13-2, securing her the bronze medal win. 

Congratulations again to Ana Godinez for crushing it at the Junior World Wrestling Championships.

The best Junior Wrestlers in the world are set to compete this week to be crowned a World Champion in their respective weight classes. The tournament runs from August 12th to August 16th in Tallinn, Estonia.

BC's very own Alexia Seal (50KG) and Ana Godinez (62KG) compete on the 14th and 15th. 

Good Luck Team Canada! Bring home some hardware!

Schedule:
Monday, August 12
10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Qualification rounds FS 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg, 97 kg
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Semifinals FS 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg, 97 kg
Tuesday, August 13
10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Qualification rounds FS 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg
10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Repechage FS 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg, 97 kg
5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Semifinals FS 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Finals FS 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg, 97 kg
Wednesday, August 14
10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Repechage FS 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg
10:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. – Qualification rounds WW 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg
5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Semifinals WW 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Finals FS 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg
Thursday, August 15
10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Qualification rounds WW 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg
10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m – Repechage WW 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg
5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Semifinals WW 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Finals WW 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg
Friday, August 16
10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Repechage WW 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Finals WW 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg

BC Wrestlers Justina Di Stasio and Darthe Capellan had a successful week at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. 2018 World Champion Justina won Gold by defeating Brazil's Aline Da Silva 2-1, a very close match in the 76 KG finals. This is Justina's second Pan Am Games, at the 2015 Toronto games Justina captured the silver medal in the 75 KG weight class.

Darthe Capellan got the men their first medal of the games with a bronze at 57 KG, Capellan defeats Colombia's Oscar Tigreros in a nail-biter match 8-7 decision. 

Congragulations to Darthe and Justina, we wish you the best of luck going forward!

This past weekend multiple Canadian wrestlers competed at Ziolkowski, Pytlasinski, The Poland International Open in Warsaw. One wrestler stood out from the rest. Former World Champion and multiple Candian World team member Amar Dhesi secures the Gold medal in the 125KG weight class. Defeating three-time world champion Bilial Makhov (RUS) by forfeit. It is an understatement to say the least that Amar is training hard and preparing for the upcoming Olympic Trials in December, eyes locked on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

​Congrats Amar and keep up the great work!

A group of 11 wrestlers from British Columbia traveled to Mongolia for a wrestling experience of a lifetime. The athletes participated in a high volume training schedule, and had to be mentally focused and tough. It was great to see the athletes dig deep and push through the training load. All athletes that attended had an incredible experience through wrestling, culture, food and company. 

Special thanks to Former Mongolian National Team coach Lhamsuren Naidan (Sama) who has been working alongside the BC Wrestling Association to make these amazing training opportunities possible for our athletes. 

Each athlete was asked to write a short paragraph about the trip, here is some of what they had to say. "Some of my favorite parts of the trip were training in 5 different clubs/places and meeting so many wrestlers." - Stephanie Mould. 

The team not only got to experiene Mongolia from inside the wrestling room but also from a little exploring. "My favourite part of the trip other than the practices was getting to experience a piece of their culture through the events and opening ceremonies at the Nadaam festival." Marquesis. 

Thank you to the coaches that took our athletes on this incredible trip to Mongolia, it gave our BC wrestlers an experience of a lifetime. "it was awesome definitely would come back again!" - Owen Martin.

For more testimonials from our BC athletes please click on the link. 

Five wrestlers from BC have just returned from a 10 day trip to Japan. These BC athletes were part of a group of 15  elite wrestlers from accross Canada. They attended training sessions, battled in dual meets, experienced Japanese culture in schools and homestays, and toured the beautiful country.

The team partook in three different dual meets, the first one took place in Morioka where the team walked away with 12 wins and 4 losses. The second meet ended with 8 wins and 6 losses for the Canadians. The third dual meet the team wrestled against the third-ranked team in Japan and held their own. Not only did the athletes get to compete against Japanese teams they also got the opportunity to train alongside them during practices held after the dual meets.

While they were in Japan they got to take in all the sights and sounds. Visiting Hiraizumi, Tsukiji Fish Market, a Buddhist temple that was built in 1277, as well as a Yushima Seido Temple. They were also lucky enough to experience a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony and watched a traditional Geisha dance performance. 

This trip was a huge success and gave these BC athletes an experience of a lifetime.

​This past week the Westsider Wrestling team held a camp for kids 5 to 12. They had a great turnout of 27 kids who were ready and eager to learn new wrestling skills. Throughout the camp the kids learned and practiced the fundamentals of wrestling through drills and games. By the end of the camp the kids had advanced in their skills and were looking forward to their next opportunity to wrestle. Thank you Westsider Wrestling for putting on a great camp for the kids. 

Alberni Wrestling held their annual summer camp from July 11th to the 14th, the development camp targeted elite athletes. The turnout was high, 80 athletes came from all over the lower mainland. With the help of world calss clinicians, the athletes have grown and sharpened their skills, making them well prepared for the upcoming competitions. 

The succesful camp has been running for over 30 years! Congratulations Alberni Wrestling.

It is the rebirth of wrestling in Chilliwack. Head coach Bill Brooks, a former University Of Alberta wrestler, starts a free summer program with hopes of getting enough interest to become a competitive program for the fall. The free period of the program is 10 weeks long, from July 19th through to September 25th. 

Practice runs on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM at Landing Sports Centre on 45530 Spadina Avenue

There is no experience required and is open to all kids between grades 6-12. 
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For further inquiries please contact, Bill Brooks 
chwkgrapplers@gmail.com

Link to full article

The Burnaby Mountain Wrestling Club men's team faced off in Calgary, Alberta for the Canada Cup capturing four gold medals! Darthe Capellan dominated the 57kg division defeating all his opponents by tech (10 point superiority) securing the gold medal. Jasmit Phulka (74kg), Brad Hildenbrandt (125kg) and Nishan Randhawa (97kg) all conquering gold medals in their respective weight classes. Capturing a silver medal was Aso Palani in the 61kg weight class. Junior wrestlers Jacob Alexander Torres (65kg) and Karan Dhillon (85kg) both placed sixth.

On the women's side, junior wrestlers Ana Godinez (62kg) and Victoria Seal (53kg) bring home silver medals along with Alexia Seal who won the bronze medal in the 50kg weight class. The senior aged athletes also performed well, with Amber Wiebe (53kg) placing third, and Karla Godinez (57kg) who placed fourth in 57kg round robin. Great performance by Justina Di Stasio who brings home the silver medal in the 76kg weight class.

Congratulations to all the athletes of the Burnaby Mountain Wrestling Club on their performance at Canada Cup.