University of Winnipeg Wesman Kyle Nguyen is a CIS champion.
The Vancouverite and former captain of the J.O. Jokers is the country’s university champion heavyweight wrestler after he won the silver medal in 2014. He won gold in the 120 kg class in Edmonton on Feb. 28.
“Capturing my first CIS national championship means a tremendous amount for me,” Nguyen wrote in an email. “It also speaks to the environment which I am in, which allows me to steadily progress as I continue to grow as an athlete.”
Nguyen, in his second year at Winnipeg, defeated two opponents 10-0 and 10-2 to advance to the final. He faced Manheet Kalhon, a former B.C. high school champion, wrestling as a freshman for the University of the Fraser Valley.
“It was an exceptionally physical match for sure but I remained in control of it throughout its duration,” said the second-year computer science student.
“The hardest thing about getting his far, or rather what changed this year, was my ability to train smarter as opposed to just harder. Prior years had been plagued by injuries — as is the nature of our sport — and our athletic therapy team as well as coach and trainers have played a tremendous role in keeping me healthy and allowing me to compete to the best of my ability.”
Jokers at nationals
The wrestling program at John Oliver continues to thrive under coach Chris Fuoco. Six athletes will compete at the national cadet and juvenile championships April 9 to 12 in Fredericton. B.C. high school champs Torrey Toribio and Earl Lagos will compete in the juvenile and cadet meet, respectively. Christian Olarte and Austin Bartolome will also represent the Jugglers in the boys flight. Cadet wrestlers Janina Pascua and Chantelle Wacchan will compete for J.O. in the girls meet.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the Jokers as the Jugglers, which is the mascot of another Vancouver school. We regret the error and will strive to no longer confuse these two circus acts. -- MS
