'Always been a part of my life': Wrestlers compete at championship event in Guelph
Tristan Cako has been brawling on wrestling mats for as long as he can remember.
"You got to enjoy it, you can't force yourself to be here," he said. "You got to love it, you got to love working hard, love the grind."
The passion for the sport has passed down from one generation to the next.
“My dad was a high level wrestler, and he got me into it at a young age,” Cako told CTV News. “So it's always been a part of my life.”
When the University of Guelph wrestling team member found out that U Sports would be hosting their wrestling championships in Guelph, he was thrilled.
“It's really exciting, it's really fun to be at home competing, family and friends are all here," said Cako. "It’s a great time.”
Excitement filled the Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre Saturday as 160 of the country's best wrestlers were brought together for a display of skill, determination, and sportsmanship.
“My main goal today isn't just medaling, if I medal, that's great,” said Guelph Gryphon Mary Adwarka. “It’s all about my best performance, getting out there and learning all those life skills.”
Adwarka, who has been wrestling for five years, says Saturday's event was a way for her to showcase her talent and dedication to the sport.
“Personally, I’m very thankful for my journey and the thought and everything. So just have faith in yourself, keep on going [and] give them something to talk about,” she said.
This is the first time the wrestling championships have been hosted in Guelph since 1999 years.
“It's one of our better championships,” said Mark Alfano, director of sports at U Sports. “Our individual championships are so engaging in the true meaning of amateur sport here in Canada. So we're happy to be back involved. Our priorities is really ensuring that the host is putting our student athletes first and their experience and competition as a priority. So we know that there's a great community of volunteers that come out to support everything.”
“We hosted the first national championship in wrestling 51 years ago,” said Scott McRoberts, director of athletics at the University of Guelph. “We held the first ever women's wrestling championship 25 years ago and this is the sixth time we hosted it.”
While the wrestling community has expanded in Guelph over the years, U Sports has also noticed an increased interest in the sport across Canada.
“The number of teams and the size of the teams on the women's side has really increased over the last few years…it’s great to see the number of female athletes entering into our wrestling,” Alfano said.
The university aims to host more of these championships in the future.
“We have the right venue for it and you can see we have the right support for it as well,” McRoberts said.
Cako says the months of gruelling training and preparation have led him to this moment and hopes to compete at the Senior National Championships in Ottawa in mid March.
“[I’m going to] try to win that one to make the world team but other than that, this has been it for this year. It’s just to come here and wrestle. It's been the goal all year,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Police questioning a man in Pennsylvania in connection with killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, law enforcement officials say
Police are questioning a man in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in connection with the shooting and killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter tell CNN.
Hazardous conditions expected in some parts of Canada with weather warnings in effect
Hazardous conditions are expected in some parts of Canada this week.
GST break would cost Ottawa $2.7B if provinces with HST asked for compensation
The federal government's GST holiday would cost as much as $2.7 billion if provinces with a harmonized sales tax asked for compensation, the parliamentary budget officer said on Monday.
Family spokesman says slain Edmonton security guard had only been working 3 days
A spokesman for the family of a security guard who police say was murdered while patrolling an Edmonton apartment building last week says the man had only been on the job for three days.
Police search for three men who escaped from immigration holding centre in Quebec
Authorities are searching for three Chilean nationals who escaped from the Laval Immigration Holding Centre north of Montreal.
Sask. hockey player recovering after near fatal skate accident during game
The Sask East Hockey League (SEHL) has released details of a near fatal accident at one of its games over the weekend – which saw a Churchbridge Imperials player suffer serious injuries after being struck with a skate.
Celebrities spotted at Taylor Swift's final Eras Tour performance in Vancouver
Taylor Swift fans from around the world gathered in Vancouver on Sunday to witness the final performance of her massively popular Eras Tour, including a few celebrities.
The Canada Post strike involving more than 55,000 has hit 25 days
The Canada Post strike involving more than 55,000 workers has hit 25 days.
'Emilia Perez' leads Golden Globe nominations with 10, followed by 'The Brutalist' and 'Conclave'
Jacques Audiard's audacious musical 'Emilia Perez,' about a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery to become a woman, led nominations to the 82nd Golden Globes on Monday, scoring 10 nods.