Wednesday, September 18, 2013

MacDonald reaches the podium for third time

Congrats to Jessie on her bronze medal performance last night. Some  very exciting matches again yesterday. Jessie managed a big win over Miyahara of Japan and despite being down 6-2 midway through the second round versus Ukraine she scored a winning takedown with 1 second left in the match to steal back what had been a very tough battle with a abrasive opponent. For Jessie it was an emotional victory after the frustration she had experienced through her last two matches. I hope she wakes up this morning and can reflect positively on her competition. As we all know, this sport can be such a mental and physical challenge... While she fell just short of defending her World title, I for one am extremely proud of how far she has come as an athlete, and as a competitor. Another proud accomplishment for our Women's program, and another icon that young Canadian girls can aspire to be like!
Natasha was ultimately frustrated in her opening match by a very solid and controlling Russian opponent. As a first year member of our World team I can tell you she too has had a very solid season this year. She is growing in leaps and bounds. I hope the hard work and experiences this summer will help to continue to push her upwards. All our athletes have worked extremely hard over the last six months!

Jordan Burroughs was the big story of the day, yesterday. After breaking his ankle doing sprints at practice he stepped onto the mats after 26 days of not wrestling, and dominated his weight class. This guy just never ceases to amaze me, his focus, his explosive power... People often call him a freak with his athletic abilities but I can tell you he is so much more than that! He is one of the smartest most disciplined athlètes i have ever watched compete.  Each opponent came out to shut down his offense, and in many cases were successful through the first half of the match, but Burroughs heart amazing focus and tremendous fitness ultimately took over and matches that were close, quickly were not! It was a testament to everything I love about this crazy sport!

Today we have our work cut out for us. Jill Galays has France, Justine Bouchard with Ukraine, and Braxton Papadopoulos has China. I know each of our girls brings to the mat great pride and determination. They are physically strong and technically ready. I am looking forward to some very tough battles on the mat!

The last two nights have been tough sleeping as usual! We are all (athletes, coaches , and staff) extremely proud and excited for this opportunity to challenge ourselves.
Thanks for all the support back home!

Day 2 starts in 4 hours...
Go Canada!!!

Coach V

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