By Sarah Tone, Communications Coordinator
The Aldrar family came to Canada in 2016 as Syrian refugees, but they have been fast creating a Canadian wrestling tradition.
Ebraheim Aldrar, 17, won a bronze medal for Team Manitoba on Thursday in the 56-kilogram weight class at the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games. His older brother, Khaled, won silver in the 52-kilogram weight class for Manitoba at the 2017 Games.
“I feel great with it and I love it (the bronze),” said the native of Damascus who now lives in Winnipeg. “I wish to win gold, but it went the other way. It’s all good.”
Aldrar wrestles out of the Schewa Wrestling Club, coached by his father, Mohammad, a former competitive wrestler in Syria, and Kris Stasiak.
He came into the competition as a strong medal contender, having won the U19 Canadian wrestling championships in the 55-kg weight class. He was visibly upset when he lost his semi-final on points to Ben Reid of Alberta. Reid went on to win silver and Ontario’s Treye Trotman won gold.
His dad followed him out of the gym to console him: “Just give him a few words,” said Mohammad. “Nothing will change the decision that was made. Just work on future tournaments and keep practicing. Next time, we’ll work harder.”
So he returned to the mat later that afternoon and scored a victory by fall over Thomas Lipton of New Brunswick for the bronze.
Aldrar says that being in a wrestling family – wrestling with his brother, talking wrestling around the dinner table – has definitely helped him succeed.
And he adds that Canada is his home now. The winters may be cold, but it’s more peaceful here: “It’s so great. I’ve got a lot of friends now.”
His plan is to finish high school and attend university somewhere in Canada where he can continue as a varsity wrestler, and then, hopefully, compete for the country.
“I want to be first at the world championships and win Olympic gold,” he said. “I want to raise the flag of Canada.”
*shared from the original story written by Carol Phillips with the 2022 Canada Summer Games
