Watch Wrestling OTTAWA The 20 athletes, coaches, and support personnel representing Canada at the 2024 U20 Pan-American Championships, which will take place in Lima, Peru, from July 11–13, are proudly announced by Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL).
“A seasoned group of young international wrestlers is being sent by Team Canada to the U20 Pan American Wrestling Championships in Peru.” It is encouraging that so many of our gifted athletes have competed internationally in the past, as this bodes well for this competition. Chris Woodcroft, the WCL High-Performance Director, stated that this competition is an essential stage leading up to the World Championships later this summer.
The team includes athletes with previous podium finishes from the Pan-Am circuit in addition to their international experience. Every member of the team wants to make an impression and guarantee a spot at the U20 World Championships, which will be held in Pontevedra, Spain, from September 2–8.
Jorawar Dhinsa, a Greco-Roman wrestler from Abbotsford, British Columbia, will represent Canada. Dhinsa, who competed at 130 kg, placed fifth in the Pan-American Olympic Qualifiers earlier this year as Canada’s representative. Additionally, he won a silver medal in freestyle at the 2024 U23 Pan-Ams and finished fifth in the 130 kg Senior Pan-Am Championships. He now wants to round out his 2024 accomplishments with a U20 medal.
Nathan Hunyady of Guelph, Ontario, a previous medallist, will compete in the men’s freestyle at 65 kg. Hunyady, the 2023 U20 Pan-Am Championship silver medallist, plans to go for a gold medal in 2024.
Rupinder Johal of Abbotsford is aiming for her second Pan-Am Championship medal in the women’s division. Johal, who competed at 73 kg to win gold in the 2022 U17 Pan-Ams, will now fight at 76 kg in an attempt to win another gold.
U20 Pan-American Championships Team
| Weight Class | Name | Hometown | Club |
| WW 50kg | LO GRECO, Francesca | Niagara Falls, ON | Brock WC |
| WW 53kg | MULLIN, Sierra | Saskatoon, SK | Saskatoon WC |
| WW 55kg | GROF, Madisyn | Maple Ridge, BC | Burnaby Mountain WC |
| WW 57kg | FINDING, Ella | Port Moody, BC | Burnaby Mountain WC |
| WW 59kg | SENKO, Ashton | Maple Ridge, BC | Coast Wrestling Academy |
| WW 65kg | RANDHAWA, Prabhleen | Brampton, ON | Akhara of Champions WC |
| WW 68kg | KEEFE, Vanessa | St. Catherines, ON | Brock WC |
| WW 72kg | BLAIS, Tehani | Hamilton, ON | Hamilton WC |
| WW 76kg | JOHAL, Rupinder | Abbotsford, BC | Burnaby Mountain WC |
| FS 57kg | ROMANO, Matteo | Welland, ON | Brock WC |
| FS 61kg | HELOU, Blayne | Pickering, ON | Hamilton WC |
| FS 65kg | HUNYADY, Nathan | Guelph, ON | Guelph WC |
| FS 70kg | SIDHU, Sehaj | Surrey, BC | Burnaby Mountain WC |
| FS 74kg | KENNEDY, William | South Bend, IN | Brock Jr Badgers WC |
| FS 79kg | NAGRA, Arjun | Surrey, BC | Coast Wrestling Academy |
| FS 86kg | BAL, Rohit | Surrey, BC | Canadian Mal WC |
| FS 92kg | ARSAGOV, Zaurbek | Montreal, QC | Montreal NTC |
| FS 97kg | DHINSA, Tejvir | Abbotsford, BC | Guru Gobind Singh WC |
| FS 125kg | ASEKOMHE, Omogbai | Mississauga, ON | Hamilton WC |
| GR 130kg | DHINSA, Jorawar | Abbotsford, BC | Guru Gobind Singh WC |
The coaching staff and team officials are with the team. The group consists of athletic therapist Victoria Cleary, team captain Tamara Medwidsky, and coaches Frank Mensah, Heather Sweezey, and Gord Peavy. Officials from Canada will be Joe Yee, Roger Pike, Michelle Flinders, and Jason Flinders.
