HIGH ACHIEVERS: Audrey Komon represents Gloucester Gators well with OFSAA wrestling gold medal

By Martin Cleary

Audrey Komon loves her sports at Gloucester High School.

If she’s not practising or playing volleyball, it could be basketball. Then there’s rugby, which she puts at the top of her go-to-sport list.

Then, all of a sudden, there’s a new entry – wrestling. Then, all of a sudden, it’s gone. Then, all of a sudden, it’s back to stay, if only for one year, but in a major way.

Wrestling came into the life of the Grade 12 student-athlete during her 2023-24 academic-athletic season. She spent several months getting familiar with the moves and rules and won the girls’ 95-kilogram division at the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association east conference championships.

But during a subsequent training session, Komon was injured in a practice drill. When she was holding the contact bag, she fell backwards into a wall and suffered a concussion. Her season was over without participating in the NCSSAA city championships and missing an opportunity to qualify for her first-ever OFSAA championship in any sport.

But Komon, who moved to Canada from Cameroon three years ago, is a determined athlete and returned to wrestling this season for her Grade 12 senior year.

“When I start something, I like to finish it properly,” Komon said in a recent telephone interview.

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Komon certainly knows how to get things done properly and put a golden shine on it, too, despite her interesting approach. She admitted her training for this wrestling season wasn’t the best – only five practices before OFSAA – as volleyball sometimes took precedence.

After winning the girls’ 95-kilogram class at the NCSSAA east conference and city championships earlier this season, Komon advanced to what would be a busy two-day OFSAA provincial high school championship in Kitchener.

After a physically tiring first day, where Koman defeated Ella Kraus of Banting by a fall at 1:17, R. Oyebode of Assumption 18-6 and Libby Millar of Jacob Hespeler 12-0, Komon moved into the semifinals to begin her quest for a medal.

“My second match was really tiring. Breathing was an issue. It hurt. But I kept going,” said Komon, who trailed 4-0 from a takedown by Oyebode after the opening 15 seconds.

Komon met a familiar NCSSAA opponent in the semifinals, when she defeated Maria Castillo of Lester B. Pearson 12-0. Castillo finished fifth overall.

In the gold-medal final, Komon pinned Gurjot Sidhu of Streetsville at 2:33 of the second round to put her on the top step of the medal podium.

“It was really stressful,” admitted Komon, who could feel her heart beating stronger with all the excitement. “All the pressure was on me. I warmed up five times before my last match.

“In the first round, I was up 6-0 and it was the only time I looked at the scoreboard. I locked into going for the only way (I know how) to win, a pin. I pinned her in the second round.”

Her gold-medal moment was overwhelming not only for her, but also her coach (Chris Arranz) and teammates like Grade 9 student-athlete Mohammed Almadzai, who placed sixth in the boys’ 38-kilogram class.

“I didn’t expect it. It’s my first OFSAA medal,” Komon said with sheer joy. “It’s a whole different level. It’s a mental game, but I went for a physical game. It’s awesome getting the gold in my last year.

“I wasn’t able to represent my school for rugby. But I wanted to represent my school in some way and I am grateful for this.”

Candace Varden, who also coaches the Gloucester wrestling team, couldn’t attend the OFSAA championships, but followed Komon’s progress online. She even stepped away from coaching a volleyball match (giving her coaching partner full control) and followed Komon’s second match online, while standing in a school hallway.

“It (was) a very exciting two days,” Varden wrote in an email about Komon’s first and final OFSAA wrestling championship. “Audrey is a strong athlete with an all-or-nothing attitude. When she locks in on a goal, she works hard to achieve it.

“At OFSAA, she faced a number of opponents. Match after match you could see it in her eyes that winning was the only option.”

In her three years at Gloucester, Varden has seen Komon play a multitude of sports for the Gators.

“Throughout the wrestling season, she also played volleyball and trained for rugby. Her wrestling training sometimes took a back seat to her volleyball commitments. She has had experience in martial arts and on the mat she is a natural,” Varden explained.

Komon’s experience playing a variety of sports combined with her martial arts training came to a head at the OFSAA wrestling championships and it helped to give her a golden smile and a lifetime of memories.