Sports
McNair wrestler wins provincial gold
Jovan Dhaliwal isn’t a big
talker. But his actions speak volumes.
A 2019 gold medallist at the
recent provincial high school wrestling championships, the Grade 12 Matthew
McNair Secondary student has been dedicated to his craft since he first stepped
foot on the mat at age seven. He’s steadily progressed since then, and hopes to
land a university athletic scholarship to continue his ascent up the wrestling
ladder.
“It started with my dad,”
explains the quiet-spoken Dhaliwal. “He was a wrestler in high school and he
was pretty good.”
A silver medallist at the 2018
nationals, Dhaliwal likes that wrestling is an individual sport, where his
performance mostly dictates the outcome.
“I try to always work on my
mechanics. If I lose (a match) I try to fix them,” he says.
When it comes to practice, few
wrestlers are as committed as Dhaliwal. He practices both before and after
school, “usually at least two hours—sometimes more.”
“When I don’t get the results I
want, I try to work even harder,” he says.
All the preparation clearly paid
off at the provincials, where he dominated the boys’ 70-kilogram weight class
though he insists he was “feeling pretty nervous before my first match.”
But a 14-1 win over his
first-round opponent from Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Secondary proved he need
not have been, though it clearly boosted his confidence for the remainder of
the tournament.
He defeated his next two
opponents from Abbotsford’s Rick Hansen Secondary and Maple Ridge Secondary by
scores of 11-0 and 11-0, before pinning his opponent from Coquitlam’s Pinetree
Secondary in three minutes, 40 seconds to win his division.
“When I won gold I was very
happy,” says Dhaliwal, who got a heartfelt “good job” from his proud dad, Raj,
who was on hand to watch the matches.
Proving that father knows best,
the young Dhaliwal adhered to the sage advice of his dad “to stay in a good
stance and look for your moves.”
“I think patience is my strongest
suit,” he says.
But Dhaliwal never gets too far
ahead of himself, believing there is always room for improvement. He has been
training the past few months with coach Aso Palani in Newton. He says has
helped improve his overall technique and fitness level.
He also sometimes practices
alongside his younger brother, who has also taken up wrestling.
Dhaliwal is proof that if you
want something badly enough, you’ll find a way.