By William Bailey
It was a happy homecoming for Augusta Eve on Saturday at the Canadian Wrestling Championships.
Sporting the same red and yellow colours as when she won an OFSAA high school provincial title for the Hillcrest Hawks 10 years ago this month, the Calgary Dinos wrestler returned to the podium in the senior women’s 50-kilogram division at TD Place.
Eve lost her first match 10-0 to eventual silver medallist Katie Dutchak of Saskatoon, but then won her next three matches to claim the bronze medal.
Eve, a 2019 University of Ottawa chemical engineering grad who now works for TC Energy in Calgary, beat Team Xtreme’s Arely Torales 14-4 and then pinned Brock’s Samantha Romero to earn her shot at a medal against Montreal’s Jade Dufour.
Dufour beat Eve by technical superiority 10-0 when they met last December for the final spot in the Canadian Olympic team trials tournament, but this time Eve came out on top by pinfall in the third-place match.
“It’s great,” Eve said of getting to compete in Ottawa. “I really enjoyed taking part in these championships, especially since they are back here where I grew up.”
The nationals took place just down the road from her high school and where she practiced with the National Capital Wrestling Club.
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“This is where it all began for me, where I developed the passion for wrestling,” reflected the Team Canada 2014 World Junior Championships competitor. “For it to be on this stage is quite remarkable.”
Jessica Hong of the Carleton Wrestling Club also competed in the 50 kg event, losing both her matches. NCWC’s Gen Morrison, who was the winner of the Canadian team trials in the women’s 50 kg division, did not enter the nationals while she prepares for her final Olympic qualification opportunity May 9-12 in Turkey. London-Western’s Madi Parks took gold in the division.
Ottawa native Torin MacFadyen of London-Western was the most successful local wrestler in senior men’s events. He won two matches and lost two to finish fourth in the 57 kg competition.
NCWC had two wrestlers entered in the senior men’s 79 kg weight category, though only David Charbonneau wound up competing. Charbonneau often matches up with fellow NCWC athlete Samey Al Beajan for a little internal competition.
“It’s a pretty interesting situation,” Charbonneau indicated. “We are both very competitive individuals and don’t like losing. Sometimes we will face each other, but I think that competition is needed.
“It allows us to push each other to our limits, but we also want to see each other do well too.”
Charbonneau lost both of his matches, as did former NCWC wrestler Devan Larkin of Edmonton in the senior men’s 70 kg event.
The 2024 Canadian Wrestling Championships will conclude Sunday with the men’s greco-roman competition. Charbonneau and MacFadyen are both entered, as is MacFadyen’s brother Adam in the 67 kg division.
