Canada's Carol Huynh poses after she won gold medal in the 48kg women's freestyle wrestling match at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi October 7, 2010.KRISHNENDU HALDER
If there are any questions about how to pronounce the surname of one of Canada's most dominant wrestlers, just say the word "win."
It captures both what she does and who she is -- Carol Huynh, gold medalist from Hazelton, B.C.
The 30-year-old freestyle wrestler from the small town in northwest British Columbia was an important leader in Canada's gold-plated surge at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, Thursday capturing the gold medal in the women's 48-kg class.
It was the first gold ever awarded in Commonwealth women's wrestling and one of three golds won by Canadian women on the mat. There was a splurge of nine Canadian golds and 12 medals to double the country's hardware total in one day.
Other gold winners included wrestlers Justine Bouchard at 63 kg and Ohenewa Akuffo at 72 kg; a pair by Marie-Pier Boudreau-Gagnon and partner Chloe Isaac in synchronized swimming; Games record golds by shot putter Dylan Armstrong, hammer thrower Sultana Frizell and 100-metre freestyle swimmer Brent Hayden; and a world record by Kyle Petty in shot put for athletes with a disability.
It was the fourth big title for Huynh, who has also won gold at the University Games, Pan American Games and Olympics. The Beijing Olympics is where most Canadians became familiar with her story as the smalltown woman in a sport dominated by men, the offspring of boat people who would win Canada's first Olympic gold of 2008.
Thursday she defeated home favourite Nirmala Devi of India 7-3, largely by feel -- she'd lost both her contact lenses during the tough match. "Fortunately, I had good friends to lead me around and show me the podium afterwards," she said.
"The match was exciting, a little closer than I wanted. I was coming from behind after two rounds," said Huynh.
Huynh, whose father is ethnic Chinese and whose mother was born is Vietnam, was the first of her family born in Canada after her parents fled Vietnam with her two older siblings in 1980. She grew up in Hazelton, 290 kilometres east of Prince Rupert, B.C., and at 15 she joined her high school wrestling team. Both of her sisters had wrestled. Upon graduation in 1998 she was recruited by Simon Fraser University where she earned her degree in psychology. In 2005, she married Dan Biggs, a social worker and former wrestler. One of her national-level coaches has been Leigh Vierling, husband of former multiple world champion Christine Nordhagen.
She said she had come through a tough 18 months of injuries and a struggle with motivation after the Olympics before finding the spark to fight in the Commonwealths. She is considering staying active for the next Olympics in London.
"I may celebrate by having an ice cream. Having to make weight in this sport makes food taste better," said Huynh, who won her Olympic gold in the 48 kg class. "There are still three weight classes to go, so after that, maybe we can celebrate at the disco."
She said the match, apart from being a "little fuzzy" because of the loss of her lenses, was not easy. "It was a little nerve-racking, she surprised me, I have wrestled her before, but she came out strong, guns blazing" said Huynh. "I said to myself, wait a minute, this is mine. I was confident but this was a wakeup call."
Now with four major championships, Huynh will take time deciding on her wrestling future. Qualification for London begins in a few weeks, but there are also injuries to consider, and the motivational question of whether she can accomplish more or just repeat what she's already done.
"For the moment I want to keep with it and be competitive. Don't get me wrong, I'm still looking toward the next Olympics, I just haven't made that final decision."
A hard act to follow, the next Canadian woman to wrestle in a gold medal final was Justine Bouchard in the 63 kg division. The Canadian wrestled Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria -- a team coached by Canadian Olympic hero and Nigerian native Daniel Igali.
The Nigerian won the first round with one point. In round two, Bouchard scored the first point. The Nigerian was rough, often grabbing at Bouchard's head. Bouchard grabbed Oborududu's legs with a grasp and turned her and gained another two points. They entered the third round tied but Bouchard countered every advance and held on to win gold.
Bouchard and thought if the win was a step toward "a possible future Olympic Team."
Akuffo came up last of the Canadians against Annabel Laure Ali of Cameroon. The first round was rough, when the Cameroon wrestler went for the attack and grasp; Akuffo dropped and rolled back to win the round. In round two, Ali attacked and came close to pinning Akuffo but the Canadian fought back and Ali was not successful. The match went to the clinch with both wrestlers evenly matched with no points awarded. A draw was then necessary to determine the advantage. Akuffo received the advantage and immediately drove the Cameroon wrestler out of the ring, winning the match and another gold.
"I was not letting up, these are the only Games I haven't been to, I was not letting go," said Akuffo "In the end you want to do the best for yourself and for your country."