Canadian wrestlers learn valuable lessons from World Under-20 Championships – Wrestling Canada

PONTEVEDRA, SPAIN – It was tough competition for Canadian wrestlers at the 2024 World Under-20 Championships held in Pontevedra, Spain, September 2-8. The Canadians fought some tough battles and, although they didn’t come away with medals, they gained tremendous international experience that will certainly serve them well in the future.

Canada sent 13 wrestlers to these Championships, competing in women’s wrestling, men’s freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling.

The best result of the competition went to Tehani Blais of Hamilton, who finished eighth. Blais won in the round of 16 at 72 kg against Croatian Gia Kastelan, before being eliminated in the quarter-finals. Madisyn Grof of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, finished tenth in the 55 kg category; Annika Fines of Calgary, 11th in the 67 kg category; Vanessa Keefe of St. Catharines, Ont., 13th in the 68 kg category; Shahreen Gulacha of Mount Hope, Ont., sixth in the 50 kg; and Bronwyn MacGregor of St. Catharine, 20th in the 62 kg category.

On the men’s side, Tejvir Dhinsa of Abbotsford, British Columbia, finished twelfth in the 97 kg; Rohit Bal of Surrey, British Columbia placed thirteenth in the 86 kg category; Omogbai Asekomhe of Mississauga, 19th in the 125 kg category; Blayne Helou, of Pickering, Ontario, twenty-third in the 61 kg category; Sehaj Sidhu of Surrey, twenty-fourth in the 70 kg; and Nick Hooper of Cochrane, Alta., twenty-seventh in the 74 kg category. For his part, Jorawar Dhinsa finished fourteenth in the 130 kg category in Greco-Roman wrestling.