The stock of Guelph’s Benny Remillard is quickly rising in the amateur wrestling world.
Just in the last two weeks, the 15-year-old has been crowned a provincial champion, a national champion, and he has eyes on a bigger prize later this year.
Remillard won gold at the Canadian Wrestling Championships in Ottawa this past weekend, competing in the cadet men’s 48kg category.
“It feels good, it’s sunk in a little bit,” he told GuelphToday of his performance in the nation's capital.
The Tri-City Wrestling Club competitor is also coming off an OFSAA championship in Hamilton at the beginning of the month, where the Centennial Grade 10 student won the boys 47.5kg weight class.
Remillard discovered wrestling a couple years ago at the encouragement of teachers and his parents.
He’s been involved in sports all his life. But after competing in other sports like lacrosse, hockey and baseball, there was just something different about wrestling that peaked his interest.
“It’s just so much harder,” he said. “Hard practices. Everything is just a lot harder, a lot more difficult to achieve.”
Remillard welcomed the challenge, and was all in immediately.
His favourite part about everything?
“All the mental growing (I’ve done) in that very short period of time,” Remillard said. “It’s made me feel so much better about myself too.”
The dedication to the craft hasn’t gone unnoticed either.
Tom Cako, one of his coaches, said Remillard shows up to every practice, puts in the work and represents the club well.
“There’s not a better person that I would want representing us,” he said. “He’s polite, respectful, kind, good sportsmanship. He has all the positive things which are the most important, not just the wrestling.”
Remillard sure puts in the time.
Between practices at both Tri-City and Centennial, he’s putting in eight to 10 hours a week on the mat.
“Countless hours of practice,” Remillard said. “Working out at home, getting the big muscles going and hours of hard practices.”
He’s also been able to travel to train too, also competing in tournaments in Alberta along the way to build confidence.
“I want to be a world champion one day, and go to the Olympics,” Remillard added.
He’s one step closer to those goals with this most recent win.
Remillard has qualified for the under-17 Pan-American Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in June.
Cako said the plan is for the club to do some fundraising ahead of time, so Remillard can make the trip over to compete.
Remillard wasn’t the only Guelphite to wrestle home some hardware in Ottawa.
Six members of the Guelph Wrestling Club finished in the top three of their respective divisions.
Nathan Hunyady topped the junior men’s 65kg class, while Ava Hunyady took second in the cadet women’s 53kg.
Also finishing second was Gunnar Sales in the senior men’s 74kg.
The other three finished third among their peers: Baljot Mangat in the senior men’s 79kg, Caius Harbridge in the junior men’s 79kg and Lachlan Peters in the cadet men’s 80kg.
