Squamish wrestler takes the silver medal at provincial championships

A local wrestler earned the silver medal in her weight division at the provincial championships.

Near the end of February, Howe Sound Secondary Grade 10 student Mariza Nasu earned the silver medal in the 2024 BC School Sports Wrestling Championships among six competitors in the 43-kilogram division. 

Nasu, who just started wrestling this season, said she had some nerves heading into what she called her first major tournament.

“I felt nervous since I competed against this opponent before, but I studied our last match together, and I was confident with my game plan,” she said in an email to The Squamish Chief.

Her game plan worked as she won her first two matches by 10 points. Nasu said she was very close to earning the gold medal, too.

“I was up 8-0 in the finals with around a minute to go. I made one mistake, and it cost me the gold,” she said.

Still, she said she was proud of her performance.

“Otherwise, I was happy with my performance at my first major tournament. It was a really cool experience.”

She was also proud to be the only Howe Sound representative among a sea of other schools and teams.

“It was cool that I was the only wrestler from Howe Sound, considering other schools brought big teams. I was proud that I represented Howe Sound Secondary and Squamish.”

While her season just ended, she already has her sights on improving next season.

“I think I can get gold at the provincials next year with more training,” she said, adding she wants to make it all the way to nationals.

In the meantime, Nasu said she’ll continue training at a wrestling club in North Vancouver and in Squamish with her dad.