David Tremblay, a fourth-year athlete from Stoney Point, Ont., earned a berth in the freestyle wrestling competition at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
The 24-year-old Leisure Sciences student won the 55 kg weight class at the 2012 FILA Pan American Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Kissimmee, Fla., yesterday.
In the final, he defeated Brandon Escobar of Honduras 4-0 and 7-0 to win the weight class and earn the spot in the Olympics. Since the top two finishers in the tournament qualify for London, Escobar also advances.
Tremblay had a bye in the opening round and then defeated Yerzon Hernandez of Columbia 6-0, 7-0 in the semifinals.
“I was very excited last night but today I’m a little tired,” said Tremblay when reached in Florida on Monday morning. “I knew since December that this tournament was the first step in qualifying. This is what I’ve been preparing for. The CIS nationals were part of what I used to prepare.”
He won his fourth consecutive gold medal at the university nationals on Feb. 25 in Thunder Bay, Ont. His efforts helped the Concordia men’s team win a second straight national championship.
Tremblay will enjoy a few days off in Florida before returning to Montreal. Then he will sit with Concordia head coach Victor Zilberman and map out a plan to get ready for London. His event is scheduled for Aug. 10.
Martine Dugrenier, a former Stinger wrestler who is now a coach in the program, also earned a place in the London Olympics with a first-place finish in the women’s 63 kg weight class. She defeated Sandra Roa of Columbia and Dailane Gomes of Brazil to reach the final. Cuban wrestler Katerina Vidiaux was scheduled to meet Dugrenier in the final but pulled out due to injury.
This will be Dugrenier’s second Olympic competition. She finished fifth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Dugrenier’s competition is scheduled for Aug. 8.
