Canada’s Tonya Verbeek wins silver in 55-kg event

London 2012 wrestling: Canada’s Tonya Verbeek wins silver in 55-kg event

LONDON—With so many almosts and near misses, these have been the Crying Games for some Canadian Olympians. Several of our top amateur athletes have made teary-eyed exits to stellar careers.

But don’t seek out Tonya Verbeek if you’re looking for heartbreak or regret.

Verbeek, who will turn 35 next week, ended a brilliant Olympic career with a silver medal in the women’s freestyle wrestling Thursday. While it’s sometimes said you don’t win silver, you lose gold, Verbeek departed playing anything but the part of loser.

“I felt like I wrestled my match out there and was strong. I’m happy to bring home a silver for Canada in women’s wrestling, I really am,” Verbeek said after losing in two rounds to Japanese legend Saori Yoshida in the gold-medal final.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/wrestling/article/1239278--london-2012-wrestling-canadian-tonya-verbeek-advances

Full article at link.

INTENSE! Ouch kept losing to that Japanese wrestler, but nothing to be ashamed of. Great job!

And she’s CANADIAN!!! EH!!! Hopefully she’ll be teaching at Brock, and give Canada a whole bunch of new Olympians to kick everybody’s hind ends. Cheers to Tonya, and much respect.

Woo hoo. Our women are tough from years of wrestling bears. But yes I do hope she teaches!