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Tianna Kennett: Gold Medal Grappler

Tianna Kennett recently grappled her way to gold at the Canadian Junior and Senior Wrestling Championships in St. Catherines, Ontario.
Tianna Kennett

            Tianna Kennett recently grappled her way to gold at the Canadian Junior and Senior Wrestling Championships in St. Catherines, Ontario. Her trip to the top of the podium earned the Manor native and University of Calgary nursing student a second year on Team Canada's wrestling roster and a chance to compete (in her 59 kg weight class) for her country in June at the Pan-American United World Wrestling Championships in Lima, Peru and at the Junior World Championships in Finland in August.

            “This year was a lot different than last year,” says the Manor native, who now studies and trains at the University of Calgary, as a member of the school's Dinos Women's wrestling team. “I was competing aganst an entirely different group of people and I had no idea who I was wrestling against or what the outcome would be.”

            Kennett overcame a knee injury (ACL-anterior cruciate ligament) and although she made it to Nationals, the athlete says the experience was a sobering one.

            “Basically, I thought I was bulletproof in a sense,” she says. “Everyone gets bumps and bruises when they're wrestling, but mentally, it was really tough.”

            “It happened right before I was to compete as part of Team Canada in Azerbaijan,” says Kennett. “The coaches made their decision and the trip was cancelled two days before I was supposed to leave. Then, I was off the mats for three months.”

            “I got injured - the ACL in my left knee – in November, 2016. It ruptured and although it hurts a lot in the beginning, later, not so much. I went into the doctor feeling great, but there was a lot of swelling.”

            “After seeing two doctors, I was looking at surgery,” she says. “All of a sudden, physically, I can't do something I've done for six years. It was hard to stay off that one. I walked with a brace for quite a while.”

            “The whole process really added to my nerves,” adds Kennett. I'd never been injured in my career before. I've done rehab and I'm still doing it.”

            “But it was hard to get cleared for some competitions and it was tough mentally not to compete on that Senior Team Canada trip to Azerbaijan.”

            “A lot of competitions running up to Nationals in St. Catherines were just a few weeks apart. And although I knew I'd probably be cleared to compete in St. Catherines, as an athlete, it's always a question of: 'Is it safe (to compete)?'”

            “So the second time at Nationals was really different than the first time,” says Kennett.

            “When I made it to Nationals last year, I didn't expect it at all,” she explains. “This time, returning and defending, I had kind of a personal expectation, because of the injury.”

            “Not many people knew about (the injury), so for me, the entire experience was kind of a triumph and really exciting in that way.”

            Although her gold medal now means Kennett will represent Canada in Peru and Finland this summer, she is no stranger to international competition, which poses unique challenges for competitors.

            She has already wrestled in Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany and Italy and says: “This summer, I'll be competing in Lima, Peru and Finland. In Finland, we'll be dealing with disrupted sleep patterns and stuff. We don't fly to those destinations a lot of days in advance, so we do deal with jet lag. In a place like Lima, it will be a question of dealing with how hot it is. When I've competed in Pan-Ams previously, the venues in really hot places weren't air-conditioned, so there were some things I had to change in my warm-up.”

            “Competing against international athletes, you'll find they have different styles and a lot of that is a case of what different countries do and how their coaches train their athletes.”

            When asked how she juggles her nursing studies at the University of Calgary with her wrestling career, Kennett says: “Women's wrestling's not for everyone, but I found my fit. I'm really passionate about both nursing and wrestling. I'm stubborn, so I make it work.”

            “It's all I've ever done and I think I'll just keep wrestling until I don't want to do it anymore.”