Canadian 2008 Olympic Trials
Dec 14-16 Etobicoke Olympium
Ben Sayah Wins gold in Greco, while Mathieu DesChatelets wins bronze.
Ottawa wrestler floors 'em with Olympic trials win
Martin Cleary, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Ben Sayah shocked the Canadian amateur wrestling community on the weekend, winning the national Olympic team trials in the Greco Roman 66-kilogram class. But the Ottawa wrestler will have to manufacture some more shocking heroics -- this on the international scene -- to earn a berth in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Canada has been a solid contender in freestyle wrestling at the Olympics, but hasn't competed in the Greco Roman discipline since it sent five to the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Being a junior at 19, Sayah missed the first major qualifying tournament for the 2008 Olympics because he didn't compete in the 2007 world senior championships earlier this year. After winning three straight bouts at the Canadian Olympic trials in Etobicoke, Ont., he must now pass a major test in one of three international meets to wrestle in Beijing.
Sayah, a member of the National Capital Wrestling Club, won't be eligible for the first one, the Pan-Am championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in February, because he didn't compete at the world senior championships. His first opportunity won't come until a meet in Italy, where he would have to win a medal podium to make the Olympic grade.
While hard work, determination and good coaching took Sayah to a surprising Olympic trials win, he'll need a lot more than that to complete the job. The Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association's Greco Roman program is not funded by the federal government, which means Sayah would have to raise funds to cover his own costs to compete in Italy.
"I think, if I train more Greco before I go to a qualifying tournament, the chance of me going is not that likely, but I do have a chance," said Sayah in a telephone interview yesterday. "I don't want to deny myself. I don't want to say I'm going to lose."
After defeating Stewart Petrie of London, Ont., in his opening semifinal, Sayah twice defeated Shawn Daye-Finley of Eastern Passage, N.S., in the trials final. Daye-Finley is only 17.
"I didn't think I'd do that well," said Sayah, who was fifth at the Canada Cup this season. "I'm young and I'm from a club that no one knows about at the senior level. Maybe I shocked a few people. It will be fairly difficult (to reach the Olympics). If I can get funding to a qualifying tournament and it doesn't conflict with my junior tournaments, I'm not sure ... it will be difficult."
Sayah's main goal for 2008 is to represent Canada at the world junior wrestling championships.
Clubmate Mathieu Deschatelets placed third in the men's 74-kilogram class in Greco Roman.
In the Olympic trials for freestyle, Ottawa wrestler Tyler Marghetis lost in the men's 74-kilogram final, and Alex Brown-Theriault of Ottawa was fifth in the men's 84-kilogram class.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2007
Winners of the 2008 Olympic Greco Trials
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Ontario Senior Championships
By Clint Kingsbury
Ben Sayah was 5th - won 3 lost 2 - But he defeated 2007 Junior National Champion (CJ Hudson from Brock – well done).
Mathieu DesChatelets was injured prior and lost a close match to Mike Francis (former Senior National champion) Won 2 lost 2, missed out on top 6.
Both Ben and Mathieu are first year Juniors – so pretty good showing!!!!
The competition was extremely tough as there is carding for Provinces now - so that calibre was amazing.
Renfrew Wrestling Championships November 24th 2007
By Joe Goodyear
Male open division
CLUB
| Placing
| Points
| NCWC
| 1st
| 27
| Arnprior
| 2nd
| 24
| Smiths Falls
| 3rd
| 18
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NCWC Male Open Wrestlers were completely dominant. Ilya, Michio, Johnathan, and Mariano combined for a total of 21wins 0 losses and did not lose a single round and perhaps a total of 4 points all day.
NCWC Individual Results
Wrestler
| Class
| Freestyle
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Greco (combined open & cadet)
| Ilya Abelev
| 64 kg Open
| 4-0 Gold
| 3-0 Gold
| Emily Bekolay
| 47.5 Open
| 0-3 Silver
| 0-2 Silver
| Michio Clark
| 47.5 Open
| 3-0 Gold
| N/A
| Tomio Clark
| 38 kg Cadet
| 0-2
| 0-2
| John Goodyear
| 77kg Open
| 2-0 Gold
| 2-0 Gold
| Jason Papailiadis
| 54 Kg Cadet
| 1-1
| 1-1
| Mariano Santo
| 69 Kg Open
| 4-0 Gold
| 3-0 Gold
| Sarah Stringer
| 61 KG Open
| 3-0 Gold
| 2-0 Gold
| Greg Stringer
| 38 Kg Cadet
| 1-1 Silver
| 1-1 Silver
| Micheal Tremblay
| 64 Kg Cadet
| 3-0 Gold
| 1-1 Silver
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Exhibition
Comments:
- Emily is a novice high school wrestler and fought well. Her losses were to a very good and experienced wrestler in her final high school year ( two time OFSSA Podium ).
- Tomio and Greg had a closely fought 3 round barn-burner against each other in freestyle.
- Jason withdrew due to injury
- Mike was very strong performer and fought and won two rounds of gold medal match with torn lower leg muscle. Subsequently forfeited Greco Gold to Ilya
Quebec Open, Montreal -- November 24th 2007
By Dean Stinson O’Gorman
Quebec Open at Riverdale HS, Montreal - over 200 wrestlers including Matmen from Toronto (27 kids), top clubs from Quebec such as Patriotes, CLIC, Kahnasatake, Riverdale, several Montreal HS clubs associated with MWC (Gia Sissouri was there), Kemptville (Nigel Sayah won gold), Renfrew's younger kids, two provincial teams with good wrestlers from New Brunswick and PEI, probably other clubs as well
NCWC
Nils Lapointe-Rohde, Cadet/Juvenile 63kg, 1-2 (fought three tough kids, did some things really well, huge weight class of 13).
Chelsea Spartans WC (only Conor SO and Eamonn SO were not first-year wrestlers)
Conor SO, Bantam 65 kg (his weight 62), 2-1 Silver (lost to a big kid from Matmen, but could have beaten him), 4 in weight class)
Conor McIntyre, Kids 54 kg, 1-0 Gold (2 in weight class, also fought an exhibition against a 4th-year wrestler from Renfrew and did well)
And we had three kids in the same weight class at Kids 40 kg (plus a kid from Riverdale for a total of four) :
Matthew Tattersall, 3-0 Gold
Eamonn SO, 2-1 Silver
Xavier Ouellet, 1-2 Bronze
Great matches at this weight class - the kid from Riverdale was also a good looking new wrestler, I think he won 1 round from each of my kids from the Spartans, but all wrestled really tough and well.
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