BY RATTAN MALL

SOUTH Asian boys won 7 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze medals in 14 of 17 weight categories at the B.C. Secondary Schools Wrestling Championships.

Also, two South Asian girls won gold medals: Pravi Dhaliwal, of Abbotsford’s W.J. Mouat in the 60 kg weight class, and Livleen Sidhu of Burnaby’s St. Thomas More Collegiate in the 69 kg weight class. (Last year, Pravi Dhaliwal won silver in the 60 kg weight class and Livleen Sidhu won silver in the 64 kg weight class.)

Abbotsford Traditional Secondary School won the boys’ provincial title with 81 points with Abbotsford’s W.J. Mouat coming second with 60 points and Vancouver’s John Oliver taking the third spot with 44 points.

Boys’ results:

GOLD

45 kg: Akash Sund, WJM (W.J. Mouat, Abbotsford)

(Last year, Sund won bronze in the 41 kg weight class)

48 kg: Jagmeet Klair, Abby Trad (Abbotsford Traditional Secondary School)

(Last year, Klair won gold in the 41 kg weight class)

51 kg: Navdeep Toor, Hansen (Rick Hansen, Abbotsford)

(Last year Toor won silver in the 48 kg weight class)

63 kg: Navdeep Dhillon, Abby Trad

70 kg: Harman Basra, Hansen

(Last year Basra won bronze in the 60 kg weight class)

110 kg: Nishan Randhawa, WJM

(Last year Randhawa won gold in the 90 kg weight class)

130 kg: Jim Sidhu, Bby S (Burnaby South, Burnaby)

(Last year Sidhu won bronze in the 110 kg weight class)

SILVER

54 kg: Amar Atwal, Lord Tweed (Lord Tweedsmuir, Surrey)

57 kg: Jaskaran Khela, Abby Trad

70 kg:  Harbans Gill, Sands (Delta)

84 kg: Amtoj Dhaliwal, Abby Trad

110 kg: Jason Bains, Queen Elizabeth (Surrey)

130 kg: Harjeeven Sall, Cowichan (Duncan)

BRONZE:

38 kg: Ravi Manhas ADSS (Alberni District Secondary School)

63 kg: Davinder Gill, WJM

84 kg: Tanjot Khalon, Abby Trad

90 kg: Mickey Khehira, WJM

110 kg: Karam Shergill, Hope SS (Hope)

WELL-KNOWN head coach Sucha Mann of Abbotsford’s Miri Piri Wrestling Club was thrilled that once again wrestlers he had coached won gold medals at a tournament: Jagmit Klair of Abbotsford Traditional Secondary School in the 48 kg weight class, and Navdeep Toor of Abbotsford’s Rick Hansen Secondary School in the 51 kg class.

He told The VOICE that Jagmit was only in Grade 9 and he gained seven kg to compete in the 48 kg weight class. Last year, he had bagged gold in the 41 kg weight class. “He’s still skinny,” Mann said, adding that he was still very strong.

Navdeep, a Grade 10 student, gave an outstanding performance at the championships, not allowing any wrestler to score a single point against him. Mann called him a promising athlete with a good chance to go to the Pan Am tournament.

Mann says both Jagmit and Navdeep are now preparing for the cadet juvenile nationals that take place in the second week of April in New Brunswick.