Windsor teen takes title and earns gold medal in wrestling at Canada Games
Nineteen-year-old Sophia Bechard is basking in her gold medal victory following a wrestling match at the Canada Summer Games in Niagara Falls.
"I was so relieved because I wanted this for so long,” said Bechard from her home, following her title win on Thursday.
“I set this goal for three or four years and to know that I achieved it was amazing."
The Holy Names graduate won the female 56 Kilogram Weight Class title for the province of Quebec, not Ontario, after moving to Montreal to attend Concordia University last year.
“I trained at L’essor Wrestling Club, and a lot of the alumni from L’essor went to Montreal to pursue post-secondary academics and athletics, and I thought it would be a great place for me as well.
Bechard said she was mentally ready for the competition, and she added it showed her where she is on the national level.
“It is going to help further my training, and further my preparation for nationals next year to hopefully I can represent Canada at the international level,” she said.
Still, Bechard said the training she received in Windsor has been the foundation for her success.
Five years ago when Bechard started high school, she said she wanted to enter a competition which was male dominant to prove to herself she could handle the challenge.
“At Holy Names I joined the team and I was the only female there, and practiced at L’essor a couple of times a week because they had a female dominant team, and I joined the team by grade 11,” she said.
Berchard pointed out there were four or five girls who started with her but later it was just her.
She hopes her story will help inspire other young women to take on challenges.
“It takes a lot of determination and courage, but once you set your mind on something, you can do it,” Berchard said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.