OAXTEPEC, MEXICO – Canadian wrestlers are bringing home an impressive medal haul from the 2022 Junior (U20) Pan-American (Pan-Am) Championships, July 8-10 in Oaxtepec, Mexico. The team won a total of 15 medals (one gold, four silver and 10 bronze) at the event.

The medalists were led by Vianne Rouleau, who captured gold in the women’s 76kg weight class. Rouleau, from Edmonton and the Edmonton WC, was in a four-woman round robin and defeated all three of her opponents. She was impressive throughout the competition. She earned a victory by fall in her opening match against Erinn Valdez Enriquez of Mexico, then defeated Ana Dos Santos of Brazil by superiority 11-0. In her final match, she picked up an 8-1 points win over American Rose Cassioppi to secure the gold medal.

“Winning the gold medal means a lot to me. It’s a manifestation of the hard work and dedication that me, my coach, and my teammates have put in all year in preparation for this tournament and I couldn’t be more proud,” said Rouleau. “I felt that my performance throughout the competition was a reflection of the training I’ve been putting in recently to be more aggressive and take more shots. I’m very happy with how I performed on the mat. Now, my upcoming goal is to place at the Junior World Championships this August.”

Women’s Results
The women’s team also picked up a silver medal from St. Catharines, Ontario’s Mia Friesen at 59kg. Friesen, from Brock WC was in a five-woman round robin and finished with a 3-1 record. She defeated Lucero Sanchez Silva (MEX) 10-0, Tatiana Lerma (COL) by fall and Camila Roa Ortega (PER) 10-0. Her only defeat was to American Nanea Estrella, who went on to win gold.

Ajax, Ontario’s Nyla Burgess (Team Impact) also earned a silver medal at 72kg. Burgess went 2-1 in her round robin, defeating Melanie Sanchez Morales (CHI) by fall and Ximena Suarez Rodriguez (MEX) 6-0. Her sole loss was to gold medalist Haley Ward (USA).

Hamilton’s Serena Di Benedetto (Hamilton WC) battled through the repechage to earn a bronze medal at 50kg. Robbie Ann Pingal, from Edmonton and  Edmonton WC, earned bronze after going 1-2 in her round robin at 55kg. Lethbridge, Alberta’s Angelina Toddinton (Dinos WC) was also 1-2 in the women’s 62kg round robin, which eared her a bronze. Savana Pinsent, from White Lake, Ontario and Edmonton WC earned bronze at 65kg after a 1-2 round robin.

Dorchester, Ontario’s Kendall Dettloff (London-Western WC) was fourth at 53kg. Fredericton’s Vivian Kutnowski (Black Bears WC) was fourth at 68kg. Port Coquitlam, B.C.’s Gabby Cross (Dinos WC) was fifth at 57kg.

Men’s results
The men’s team saw a pair of silver medalists. The first came from Winnipeg’s Sam Pereira. Pereira, from Edmonton WC, finished his 97kg round robin 2-1 which earned him the medal.

The other silver went to Windsor, Ontario’s Roger Li. Li, who trains out of Brock WC, went 3-1 in his round robin at 125kg to pick up the medal.

In addition to the silvers, the men earned six bronze medals. Treye Trotman, from London and the London-Western WC took bronze at 57kg. Trotman won his quarter final match but lost in the semis. Still, he rebounded with a 17-6 win in the bronze medal match.  St. Thomas, Ontario’s Gavin Eldridge (London-Western WC) also rebounded from a semi final loss to claim bronze at 61kg. North York’s Gregor McNeil (Hamilton WC) followed suite winning bronze at 65kg. Hamilton’s Amaan Gulacha (Brock WC) picked up a bronze at 74kg. Connor Church, from Montreal and the Montreal – NTC, went 2-2 in his round robin and earned a bronze medal. Finally, Surrey, B.C.’s Karan Gill (Burnaby Mountain WC) took bronze at 92kg. Aiden Stevenson, from Edmonton and the Edmonton WC, finished fifth at 86kg.

For complete tournament information, visit the tournament website at: https://uww.org/event/pan-american-championships-15

About Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL)
Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) is the national sport governing body for Olympic style wrestling in Canada. Among its responsibilities, the association selects and prepares Canada’s teams that participate in international competitions including Continental Championships, World Championships and major multi-sport Games (i.e. Olympic Games). WCL works with provincial and territorial partners to deliver world-class programs and services to athletes, coaches, and officials to achieve podium success and grow the sport.

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