The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s wrestler Grace Bannerman earned her first medal at the Canadian Intercollegiate Sport (CIS) championship this past Friday. Bannerman won the bronze medal in the women’s 82kg category at the tournament in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She finished second in her pool earning a spot in the bronze-medal match, which she then defeated Regina’s Emily Forester to claim the third spot on the podium.
Bannerman is certainly not new to the sport. She has been wrestling for six years and has enjoyed her most successful season thus far. Last semester, she placed first overall in the women’s 82kg division in November at the McMaster Invitational. On February 1, she won fourth place at the Western Open in London, Ontario, and also earned the silver medal at the OUA Championships in early February.
With regards to preparation for these past tournaments, Bannerman said that, “I just plan to train hard and tweak my game as best I can so that I can go into every match prepared for a tough fight. I’ve found that you can never make any assumptions.”
She expresses great passion for the sport, noting: “Wrestling is a crazy thing. I never thought it would become so integral to what I do and who I am. Wrestling asks more of you, mentally and physically, than almost anything else in life. You are continually reminded that you can be better, and it makes you want to be better.”
Bannerman, as well as other team members, are grateful for the opportunities provided to them as a part of this dynamic team. They hope to see more students at U of T take an interest in the sport in coming years.
According to Bannerman, “Any athlete is capable of anything on any given day. And the beauty and the hell of wrestling is the pin — you can dominate someone for five of six minutes but if they pin you, you lose.”
In her rookie season, Bannerman placed sixth overall at the CIS Championship in the 72kg event.
