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Statistics

Over 15,000 Canadians are active coaches, athletes and officials in the sport of Olympic wrestling in Canada. This number does not include the many individuals who volunteer their time, or the many parents and spectators who partake in our sport.

Canada took home nine of ten gold medals at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, B.C. The other medal was a silver.

Canada won the most recent Francophone Games in Wrestling. Canada placed a close third behind powers Cuba and the USA in the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

Canada had a silver medal performance by Guivi Sissaouri at 57 KG at the 1995 World Senior Championships and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Guivi wrestles for the Montreal Wrestling Club, and is coached by Victor Zilberman and Rob Moore.

Canada's Women's National Team is ranked eighth in the World and has collected six medals, including three gold medal performance in 1994, 1996 and 1997 by Christine Nordhagen at 68 kilograms. Christine wrestles for Mitch Ostberg at the Dino Wrestling Club in Calgary. In October 2006, the Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées (FILA) inducted its first woman ever into the International Wrestling Hall of Fame. That woman is Canada’s Christine Nordhagen, the six-time world champion. Christine is also married to CAWA's Senior Women's National Head coach Leigh Vierling.

Gia Sissaouri continued his achievements with a 2001 World Senior Championship, defeating his Mongolian opponent with a dynamic overtime throw!

Canada had back to back Gold medal performances by Canadian Daniel Igali, first at the 1999 World Senior championship and followed up with Gold at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Later in 2002 Daniel was the Gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games.

In Women's wrestling, Canada has continued as one of the dominant nations in the world at the Senior level. Canadian women have captured numerous medals at the world championships and a Silver medal earned by Tonya Verbeek (Brock Wrestling Club, St. Catharines, ON) at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece - the first ever Women's Olympic Medal.

As of 2005 - 2007 Canada's National Women's Wrestling Team coached by Leigh Vierling, Todd Hinds and Dave Mair is Ranked 2nd in the World, just behind Japan.

In 2006, Canada's Women had 2 Silver medal performances at the Senior World Championships. Martine DuGrenier captured her 3rd straight Silver, while Lyndsay Belisle captured her first Silver medal at this prestegious event.