Canada’s top wrestlers hit the mat in Waterloo for championships
Some of the country’s top wrestlers are in Waterloo region for the 2023 Canadian Wrestling Championships.
Thursday marked the first day of the competition in Waterloo’s Rim Park.
Close to 600 wrestlers are expected to face-off, competing in senior, junior and cadet categories. The organization said it is a key event in determining the athletes who will go on to represent Canada at the upcoming Pan Am Games and World Wrestling Championships as well as identifying the top Canadian wrestlers in each category.
From former Olympic competitors to up and coming athletes, there is a wide array of talent and skill level set to hit the mat this week.
“It's not a common sport and being able to be like ‘yes, I wrestle’ is really empowering,” said Kate Thorne from the Matmen Wrestling Club. “Just the competitiveness and seeing other girls fight tooth and nail against you is just really nice.”
Tickets are available at the door with spectators encouraged to come out.
“You're going to see some very impressive wrestling over the next two days,” said Chris Woodcroft, high performance director for Wrestling Canada.
Woodcroft, a former Olympian himself, said those attending the event could catch some future Olympians in action before they start their path to the podium.
“Saturday is our big tournament. It qualifies for Olympic ladder, qualifies for the world championships, the Pan America games. So you're going to see some outstanding competition that we have here.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.