Cambridge Bay wrestler wins 1st ever medal — gold — for Nunavut at Canada Summer Games
'I'm just so happy,' says Eekeeluak Avalak, 18, after gold medal match
Cambridge Bay wrestler Eekeeluak Avalak circled the mat flying his Nunavut flag after becoming the first Nunavut athlete ever to win a medal — a gold — at the Canada Summer Games.
"I'm just so happy," he told reporters in a scrum immediately after the win.
Avalak dedicated his fight to his late brother, Joanasie, whose birthday was five days ago.
"I know you're watching over me and I love you brother," he said.
Avalak, 18, was widely expected to win a medal during the Games underway in Niagara Falls. He won his semifinal match Thursday morning by pinfall.
He went up against Alberta's Fred Calingay Thursday afternoon, ending the match on points, 10-1.
Avalak is now the second Nunavut athlete to win a medal at the Canada Games. The first was Eugene Dedrick, who won bronze in judo at the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse in 2007.
After winning his match, Avalak ran over to hug his coach, Chris Crooks, who brought 40 years of wrestling experience to the western Nunavut community of about 1,700 when he moved there in 2015.
Avalak said he couldn't have won without Crooks and his teammates.
'We are so proud of him'
Avalak's mother, Wendy Kootoo-Wood, has been streaming her son's matches online from her home in B.C. as he competes for Team Nunavut.
"We are so proud of him. It just chokes me up and knowing he's going to make history for Nunavut at the Canada Summer Games here. I'm just so proud of his accomplishments," said Kootoo-Wood.
Kootoo-Wood said seeing her son at this level of competition has her smiling from ear to ear.
"I know his late brother's watching over him and cheering him on. I mean, this is all about his late brother [who] he dedicated these games to."
"It's been a pleasure to watch. Even though it's just on live stream, I mean, it made me choke up. My heart's been racing and I'm just so proud of his accomplishments," his mother said.
Kootoo-Ward said her son has travelled before with wrestling and is a "hundred per cent dedicated" and a "natural at it."
"Wrestling saved his life," said Kootoo-Wood.
"He was going the wrong path, and he found his passion and wrestling saved him. I'm so grateful for his teammates and his coaches' dedication to him and the support they have for him."
Kootoo-Wood said her son wants to become a UFC fighter, or to open up his own gym to help any youth who are troubled and want to change their lives around.
"He wants to give back," she said.
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With files from Mark Hadlari