Wrestlers make their mark in Tsuut’ina Nation

For Tritton Performance wrestlers Grayden and Claire Diome, the 2025 Canadian Wrestling Championships in Tsuut’ina Nation in Alberta were an event to remember, as they both won medals at the biggest wrestling competition in Canada.

Grayden won two gold medals - one for 39-42 KG U17 freestyle and one for 39-42 KG U17 Greco-Roman - while Claire won silver in the 49 KG women’s Greco-Roman.

“Obviously, I am happy with the team’s performance. I have a saying I always like to use: ‘If you’re on the podium it’s a great day, if you wrestle for a medal it’s a good day, and if you win the tournament it’s a perfect day,’” said Nick Tritton, owner of Tritton Performance and the siblings’ stepfather.

Overall, Tritton Performance won seven medals, three of them gold. They placed 14th overall out of 107 participating clubs and were the highest ranked Quebec-based club.

Tritton said that seeing the team improve between last year and this year has been something special to watch.

“This is really where you can see the growth and development of a wrestler. Last year we had the same team, and our performances this year are phenomenal compared to last year,” said Tritton.

That includes Grayden, who became the first national champion for Tritton Performance and achieved the same feat his cousin, Jonathan Rice, achieved 26 years earlier.

“Grayden has matured as an athlete both physically and mentally over the last year and has really developed into a technically sound player. Last year, he finished with a bronze in U15 and this year moved up an age division and walked through the competition going 7-0 on the weekend,” said Tritton.

“With Grayden being my stepson, I see him every day. I see the struggles, the doubts, the growth of his mindset and the ability to keep coming back after bad practices or tournaments. So, I think his determination is 100 percent his best quality.”

The joint Kanien’kehá:ka Tehontatie:nas Mohawk Wrestling Club (MWC)/Howard S. Billings team was also at the Canadian Wrestling Championships, with three wrestlers making it in the top six for team points and one wrestler, Mya Campbel, winning a bronze medal in the 90 KG U17 women’s division.

“Although we did well, we hoped for better as we had some injuries, so wrestlers were pulled from competition,” said Peter Montour, head coach of the joint team.

“As coaches, we take things in perspective. Three of our place finishers were the wrestlers who got injured.  So, the fact that they continued to place in the top six was a success.”

Montour explained that the team at Tsuut’ina Nation was quite inexperienced, with more than half of their wrestlers being in their rookie year of competition.

“Even our experienced wrestlers, most have only been in the sport for three years,” said Montour.

As such, gaining experience was the name of the game, taking in what it means to wrestle on a bigger, national stage.

“For the first-year wrestlers, we wanted to focus on learning, there were no expectations. For some of these wrestlers, scoring their first points or even winning a match at the nationals was a big deal. They now know what they’re getting into if they make the Canada Games team,” said Montour.

The focus for the wrestlers on the team will now shift, depending on their age group. The Bantam-aged wrestlers will prepare for the Canada East tournament in Renfrew, Ontario, on Mother’s Day weekend before the Junior Nationals at the end of May.

Wrestlers eligible for the Canada Games will have their trials in June.

The full results from the Canadian Wrestling Championships are available on Wrestling Canada’s website.

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