OTTAWA—Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) is pleased to announce the 2022 U23 World Championships team that will compete in Pontevedra, Spain, Oct. 17-23. Canada will send 19 athletes who will compete in the women’s wrestling and men’s freestyle events.

“Wrestling Canada Lutte is anticipating a strong performance from our athletes competing at the U23 World Championships,” said Chris Woodcroft, WCL High Performance Director. “The team has a variety of internationally experienced wrestlers, along with some athletes competing in their first World Championships.  Canada has traditionally performed well at the U23 level, and we feel we have an excellent squad ready to compete with the best in the world.”

One of those experienced wrestlers is a returning champion from 2021, Coquitlam, British Columbia’s Ana Godinez Gonzalez. Godinez Gonzalez won the title in the 62kg weight class and has built off the momentum throughout 2022. This year, she added a Pan-American gold and Commonwealth Games silver medal to her collection. In addition, she recently finished fifth at the Senior World Championships. With this being her final year of eligibility in the U23 division, she will no doubt be looking to leave it with another medal.

Another competitor on the women’s side who recently earned Senior World Championships experience is Aleah Nickel. Nickel, originally from Swift Current, Saskatchewan, will aim to build off that experience and turn it into a solid performance at the U23 level.

On the men’s team, one of the names to watch will be Calgary’s Emmanuel Olapade. Olapade made a name for himself earlier this year when he captured gold at the Pan-American Championships. Now, he will look to translate his continental success to the World Championships.

The men’s side also features a pair of competitors who represented Canada at the Senior World Championships in St-Lazare, Quebec’s Jason Luneau and Komoka, Ontario’s Adam Thomson. In addition, Mississauga, Ontario’s Patrik Leder will compete. Leder, originally qualified for both the Senior Worlds and Commonwealth Games by winning the Canadian Wrestling Trials but was unable to compete in either event due to injury. Now that he is healthy, he gets a chance to show what he can do on the international stage.

2022 U23 World Championships Team

Accompanying the athletes is the coaching and support staff. The group includes coaches Shane Bradley, Dave McKay, Owen Dawkins, Victor Zilberman, Paul Ragusa and David Spinney. The team medical is Max Hanna and Jason Flinders will represent Canada at the event as a referee.

For complete tournament information, including links to livestream matches, visit: https://uww.org/event/world-championships-63