The Canadian Olympic Trials took place from Thursday December 5th to Saturday December 7th. Quebec’s top athletes converged on the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagra Falls Ontario hoping to secure a chance to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games being held in Tokyo, Japan.
The stage is set, here we go!
Day 1 began with the Greco-Roman Team Trials where Thomas Barreiro (97 kg) and John Yeats (77 kg) of the Tristar Wrestling Academy qualified their weights, with Yeats being named top wrestler for the tournament.
Aly Barghout with the crossed ankles
Jayd Davis looks for position
Day 2 saw both the Men and the Women take to the mat with Quebec fielding athletes in almost every weight division in both Freestyle and Women’s Wrestling. The tournament lasted two days, with the preliminary rounds being held on Friday December 6th and the repechage and finals being held the folowing day.
Laurence Beauregard locks up
Sam Barmish with the tilt
Quebec had a strong showing in the tournament with fourteen athletes competing across nearly all the weight divisions. Here are the final results:
Women’s Wrestling:
53 kg
Jayd Davis 3rd
57 kg
Linda Morais 1st
Laurence Beauregard 5th
68 kg
Veronica Keefe 4th
Veronica Keefe with the hipsag
Scott Schiller goes for the pin
Men’s Wrestling
65 kg
Vincent De Marinis 3rd (True Third)
Scott Schiller 4th
74 kg
Guseyn Ruslanzada 3rd (True Third)
97 kg
Jordie Steen 1st
125 kg
Aly Barghout 3rd (True Third)
Frederique Choquette 5th
Vincent De Marinis vs. Dylan Williams
The finals were contested in a best two out of three to determine who would get to represent Canada at the Pan-American qualifiers. Linda Morais and Jordie Steen faced off against two tough opponents from the Brock Wrestling Club and the Burnaby Mountain Wrestling club respectively. Linda would finish both her her matches in dominant fashion, pinning Hannah Taylor twice to secure her spot.
Linda Morais
Goes for the pin in her second match
Linda receives well-deserved hug from her coach, David Zilberman
Jordie would also secure two dominant wins via Technical Superiority, courtesy of his crossed-ankles versus Nishan Randhawa. In addition to this, Linda would be named the Outstanding Wrestler for the women at the tournament.
Jordie receives some advice in between rounds
Jordie Steen with the crossed ankles for the victory
The next step on the road to Tokyo will come in March at the Pan-American qualifiers in Ottawa. Both Jordie and Linda will have to secure a Top Two finish in order to lock in their spot for the Olympics. To qualify for the Canadian team is difficult. To qualify in the dominant manner in which they did was even more special. Best of luck at the Pan-Am Qualifiers!
Linda Morais receives her First Place Award
Linda Morais with her MVP
Jordie Steen receives his First Place Award
Team Canada