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Canadian Wrestlers Head Into Pan American Olympic Qualifier

March 02, 2016

(Frisco, USA) – Canadian Olympic wrestling hopes will be on the line this weekend in Frisco, Texas, the site of the March 4-6 Olympic Games qualifier.

On the road to Rio, this is the one and only Pan Am qualifier, and the second of four available qualification events, where the Canadian team is looking to clinch Olympic weight-class qualifications. The team is looking to add to the 48KG and 63KG women’s freestyle wrestling weight classes that were qualified at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas.

“Having already qualified two, we are looking to dominate the women’s wrestling classes at the Frisco event.” says Wrestling Canada Lutte Executive Director Tamara Medwidsky. “With the field not yet including all international competitors, we expect to finish within the top two wrestlers for all weight classes to qualify a full women’s team for the 2016 Olympics.”

Based on the December Team Trials event in Strathcona County Alberta, where Jasmine Mian (48KG) and Danielle Lappage (63KG) won their weight classes and earned the right to be nominated to the Olympic team, Canadian women’s entries include 2015 Pan Am Games Champion Dorothy Yeats at 69KG (Montreal, QC) and Stittsville Ontario’s own 2014 Commonwealth Games Champion Erica Wiebe (75KG). The women’s team also includes recent 53KG wrestle-off champion Jillian Gallays of St. Catharines, ON and 58KG entry Michelle Fazzari (St. Catharines, ON).

75KG wrestler Erica Wiebe is ready to compete and is looking forward to this great opportunity.

“I am really excited to get out there and compete,” says Wiebe. “My goal is to showcase what the long hours of preparation with my coaches has prepared me to do.”

On the men’s freestyle side, entries include two-time Olympian Haislan Garcia (65KG) of Vancouver, BC, at 125KG, 2014 Commonwealth Games Champion Korey Jarvis (Guelph, ON), 2014 Commonwealth Games Champion Arjun Gill (97KG) of Vancouver, BC and at 86KG 2014 Commonwealth Games Champion Tamerlan Tagziev (Toronto, ON).

Canada will also have six Greco-Roman entries fighting to qualify their weight classes for Rio.

The Frisco qualification event begins on March 4 with women’s wrestling. Those interested in watching can catch our Canadians in a pay-per-view option with http://unitedworldwrestling.tv.

Following the Pan Am qualifying event, remaining qualification events include:

  • April 22-24, 2016 (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) – top three male and top two females in each style and weight-class qualify,
  • May 6–8, 2016 (Istanbul, Turkey) – top two in each style and weight class qualify.

Please find following the Canadian entries and the event schedule:

TEAM CANADA

FW 53 kg – Jillian Gallays (St. Catharines, ON)
FW 58 kg – Michelle Fazzari (St. Catharines, ON)
FW 69 kg – Dorothy Yeats (Montreal, QC)
FW 75 kg – Erica Wiebe (Calgary, AB)

FS 57 kg – John Pineda (Vancouver, BC)
FS 65 kg – Haislan Garcia (Vancouver, BC)
FS 74 kg – Cleo Ncube (Montreal, QC)
FS 86 kg – Tamerlan Tagziev (Toronto, ON)
FS 97 kg – Arjun Gill (Vancouver, QC)
FS 125 kg – Korey Jarvis (Guelph, ON)

GR 59 kg – Steven Takahashi (London, ON)
GR 66 kg – John Yeats (Montreal, QC)
GR 75 kg – Shawn Daye-Finley (Fredericton, NB)
GR 85 kg – Alex Brown-Theriault (Fredericton, NB)
GR 98 kg – Alex Thoms (Fredericton, NB)
GR 130 kg – CJ Thoms (Fredericton, NB)

The Pan-American Olympic Qualifier schedule:

Friday March 4
Women’s Freestyle Wrestling (48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg and 75kg)
10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Qualification Rounds and Repechage
5:00 pm – 5:15 pm – Opening Ceremonies
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Finals

Saturday, March 5
Men’s Freestyle Wrestling (57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg, 125kg)
10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Qualification Rounds and Repechage
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Finals

Sunday March 6
Greco-Roman Wrestling (59kg, 66kg, 75kg, 85kg, 98kg, 130kg)
10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Qualification Rounds and Repechage
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Finals