The 2011 Western Canada Age Class wrestling tournament turned up medals for sisters, Tiana and Marina Dykstra from the 100 Mile Wrestling Club.
Athletes from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan competed on Jan. 14-15 at Tournament Capital Centre in Kamloops.
Tiana, 12, struck gold in the 43-kilogram School Girls division, going the distance in all three rounds of a tough final match with Michaela Shell from Smithers.
The tournament produced a silver medal for Cadet Women’s 54-kg Canadian National Champion Marina Dykstra, 16, who was battling the stomach flu.
Marina competed in the Juvenile Girls 56-kg weight class, after having just recently moved up to that new division this year.
100 Mile Wrestling Club coach Phil Johnston describes Marina’s final match as a tough one with a competitor from Calgary.
Aidan Fentiman, 14, won two and lost two matches in the Cadet 63-kg division, which was noted as being the largest division of the tournament.
“Aidan wrestled well and had a lot of tough wrestlers in his weight class,” says Johnston.
During a special ceremony at the tournament, Marina was presented with the award for Outstanding Female Cadet Athlete of 2009/10.
Besides the national championship, last year’s achievements included designation as alternate for the Canadian National Wrestling Team, BC Provincial Champion, gold medallist at the 2010 Western Canada Age Class and gold medallist and honourable mention for Female Wrestler of the Tournament at 2010 War on the Floor.
