It's been a banner run for sibling high school wrestlers Aaharen and Adsaya Piranavan.
While the Team Impact wrestling club members in Pickering, Ont., are more driven by personal growth, enjoyment and camaraderie over results, both have produced some terrific results.
The run began at the 2024 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) Wrestling Championships in Hamilton from March 5-6, where, competing for Pickering's St. Mary Catholic Secondary School, Aaharen steamrolled through the tournament bracket en route to gold, while his sister Adsaya secured the silver medal in her competition.
Just over a week later, both earned top podium placements at the 2024 Canadian Wrestling Cadet Championships in Ottawa, which led to invitations to compete for Canada at the U17 Pan-American Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from June 27 to 29.
Adsaya drew a stiff quarter-final test from American Jaclyn Bouzakis. The 2023 World U17 Championships bronze medalist prevailed over the Canadian and advanced to a Pan-Am win. Her brother made it all the way to the podium, taking a bronze medal in a setting markedly different than Ontario.
“What stuck out to me was adjusting to the environment,” said Aaharen. “Usually, at a tournament, I do not eat that much and drink a normal amount of water. In this environment, I had to eat and drink more to give my body what it needed. I didn’t do as well this time as I could have.”
“It was a fun and challenging experience,” said Adsaya. “I learned I could actually compete against these world-ranked people. I need to train a bit more, work a little harder and have more of that mental game to help me get to their level.”
Despite personal reservations, Aaharen’s performance merited him an opportunity to compete at the 2024 U17 World Wrestling Championships in Amman, Jordan, Aug. 19-25. He turned down the invite because he would prefer to focus on his Pan-Am experience and use it as motivation to develop into a more formidable contestant for next year’s Worlds.
Each time the siblings step onto the mat at a competition, God is on their minds.
“I pray before my matches to thank God for the opportunity and that I will not get hurt,” said the 15-year-old Aaharen, who competes in the 51 kg Cadet (U17) freestyle wrestling category.
As for his 17-year-old elder sister Adsaya, who contends in the 46 kg Cadet women’s class, she prays “that it is going to be a good day.”
“I try not to worry about my match,” said Adsaya. “I just try to keep in mind whether I am having fun at the end of the day or just doing it for the win.”
Fred Ortencio, a coach with Team Impact and the St. Mary school team, lauded the Piranavans for their debut at a continental competition.
“Aaharen and Adsaya did really well,” said Ortencio. “They're very prepared. We had a good training camp coming in. The environment, the experience, being in the Dominican, and the heat, I think, played a big part in their performance. As a club and at St. Mary's, we are excited about their future. We’re looking at big things for both of them internationally.”
Both feel and appreciate that their school community is cheering for them as they chase their dreams.
“I appreciate even people outside of our wrestling team at school motivating us and congratulating us,” said Adsaya. “Some people I’ve (never met) know us just because of what is heard on the school announcements or what they've seen online.”
Aaharen added that he is pretty happy that people know about the wrestling team,” and “hopefully, we'll get even more students to come into wrestling practices and tryouts.”
Anyone viewing the practices could bear witness to the brother and sister, who enjoy a fun and friendly rivalry, keeping each other accountable.
“Between me and my brother, we start bickering with each other at times to get us back into our discipline of practising and training harder,” said Adsaya.
Aaharen, Adsaya and their teammates will spend the fall getting in fighting form for the Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School Open Tournament, which is scheduled for December. Ortencio said the competition indicates how each athlete will likely perform at the marquee 2025 wrestling meets.