TORONTO – Wrapped in a Canadian flag, Genevieve Morrison took a victory lap around the Mississauga Sports Centre.
“It’s that sports moment that you always see in movies and you dream of experiencing,” said the 26-year-old Quebec native.
Morrison won gold Thursday night in the women’s 48-kg wrestling freestyle final at the Pan Am Games. It’s Canada first gold in wrestling at the Games.
Morrison credited the hometown crowd for helping her through the final seconds.
Morrison beat Peru’s Thalia Mallqui 5-4. But the final result wasn’t immediately clear. The Peru coach challenged the decision twice, eventually getting a yellow card for his protest.
“I knew he was kind of throwing it out of desperation,” said Morrison. “There really wasn’t anything to argue. I was pretty confident, but you just never know. Until the ref raises your hand, it’s not over.”
Born in Shawville, Que., Morrison now lives in Calgary, training at the Dinos Wrestling Club. She’s a two-time gold medallist at the FISU World University Championships (2010 and 2012) and a three-time gold medallist at the Nordhagen Classics (2012, 2013, 2015).
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