Member Association News: CAN Announces Wrestling Team
July 7th, 2008
David Zilberman (CAN)
Olympic-bound David Zilberman of Montreal highlights a roster of 14 student-athletes who will represent Canada at the 8th world university wrestling championships in Thessaloniki, Greece, July 9-13. The Canadian roster is comprised of five individual champions and 10 medallists from the 2008 Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships held last March in Calgary. The 14 wrestlers have combined for 40 CIS medals thus far over their varsity careers. The 10-time CIS men’s team champion Brock University Badgers and the Simon Fraser Clan, crowned CIS women’s champions five of the past six years, will be well represented in Greece with four wrestlers – current or graduates - apiece. They will be joined by three Saskatchewan Huskies, a pair of Calgary Dinos, and Zilberman, who wrestled at Concordia from 2003-04 to 2006-07 and has since transferred to McGill to pursue an education degree. Zilberman, who will participate in his first Summer Olympics in August and will wrestle at 96 kilograms in Thessaloniki, is a two-time medallist at the biennal World University Championships, having claimed silver both in 2006 in Mongolia and 2004 in Poland. He also represented Canada at the 2005 Summer Universiade in Turkey. Rounding out the men’s roster are the Simon Fraser trio of Raj Virdi (55 kg) of Surrey, B.C., Bo Gregson (66 kg) of Kamloops, B.C., and Arjan Bhullar (120 kg) of Richmond, B.C., Saskatchewan teammates Ryley Walker (60 kg) of Eston, Sask., and Jeff Adamson (74 kg) of Saskatoon, as well as Brock’s Alex Brown-Theriault (84 kg) of Ottawa. Bhullar claimed a bronze medal at the 2006 World University Championships. Virdi (2005-06), Gregson (2004-05) and Zilberman (2003-04) are all former CIS male rookies of the year in wrestling. On the women’s side, Canada will count on the Brock triumvirate of Alana King (48 kg) of Thorold, Ont., Jessica Bondy (51 kg) of Windsor, Ont., and Michelle Fazzari (59 kg) of Caledonia, Ont., Calgary teammates Justine Bouchard (63 kg) of Wetaskiwin, Alta., and Vanessa Wilson (72 kg) of Calgary, Simon Fraser’s Miranda Dick (55 kg) of Kamloops, and Saskatchewan alumni Megan Buydens (67 kg) of Saskatoon. King captured a silver medal in Mongolia in 2006. Dick is the reigning CIS most outstanding female wrestler, while Fazzari was CIS female rookie of the year back in 2005-06. The Canadian delegation will be led in Greece by team leader Todd Hinds from the University of Saskatchewan, coaches Marty Calder from Brock, Justin Abdou from Simon Fraser, Paul Ragusa from Calgary and Victor Zilberman from Concordia, and medical chief Surinder Budwal. A three-time CIS coach of the year, Zilberman was inducted as a builder into the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame earlier this year. Calder is a six-time CIS coach of the year, including five nominations for his work with the Badgers men’s team, while Hinds has won the award on one occasion. Canadian referee Lenis Thokle will also be at the championships. Canada amassed seven medals (3 silver, 4 bronze) at the 2006 World Uuniversity Championships, and five medals (1 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) in 2004.
