Guelph’s mighty mite wrestler Tristan Cako is in the midst of his busiest part of the year competition wise.
He’s just come off a silver-medal finish in the men’s 57 kilogram class, the lightest class, in the U Sports national university wrestling championships at the Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre where he was one of five Gryphon medalists. The other four each won bronze.
“It was a big improvement,” Cako said of his performance. “I was seventh place last year. I had to put on weight, grind and get to another level of wrestling. Every tournament this year, every match it's just been trying to get a little bit better – every day just trying to get a little bit better.”
For Cako, 20, he’s continuing his family’s involvement in wrestling. His father James, who is the principal at Guelph Collegiate and Vocational Institute, a position he held during Tristan’s time there, won the Ontario university title in the 61 kg. category in 2007, his lone season with the Gryphons after transferring from McMaster.
James also won bronze in the Canadian university championships that year.
Tristan’s brother Logan also wrestled until finding that rugby was more his sport. He was a first-year member of the Gryphon men’s rugby squad last fall.
For Tristan, his father’s involvement in the sport fueled his passion for it.
“Growing up watching him wrestle was always inspiring,” Tristan said. “He never forced my brother and I to do it. We just started doing it and loved it. My brother doesn't wrestle now, but we were partners for years, always wrestling with my dad.”
That they were all around the same weight helped, too.
“(They were) great training partners,” Tristan said. “(My dad and I) are in the same weight class. When he was competitive at a national level, he was 67 kilograms.
“My base is completely from him and coach Zoltan (Hunyady). They've been coaching me my whole life.”
For Tristan, his season to date has been a successful one.
“My only loss has been to that athlete from Western (Treye Trotman),” Tristan said. “He's the national champ right now. He's the guy I have to beat right now.
“I lost my semifinal at the Guelph Open. We had a close one, but he caught me in a move. (The U Sports final) was a good comeback with him.”
However, Trotman won that match, too.
“I got caught in the final with a little throw,” Tristan said. “It's something that I've never got caught on before and something I'll work on with coaches.”
That Tristan is in a position to win medals makes him feel as if he’s almost all the way back from injuries suffered wrestling while he was in high school.
“In Grade 11, I broke my leg and wrist,” he said. “I was off for a year then and then COVID hit right after. I was off for about three years not being able to wrestle so my first year back was really last year (his first with the Gryphons). I was smaller and I had to get back into it. Now I'm just trying to catch up with everybody. Small gains, that's why the goal is always to get a little bit better every time.
“I (broke a leg) in the provincial finals – Grade 11 provincial finals. It was super unlucky. Six months before that I broke my wrist at practice. It was back to back – pretty much first tournament back I broke my leg.”
Next up for Tristan is the Canadian wrestling championships (senior, junior and cadet) in Ottawa March 14 to 17.
“That’s a big one,” Tristan said. “I'm probably going to wrestle it in the same weight class and everything. I'm looking for the same type of results as this, but it's a harder tournament. It's open senior level. I'm still 20 and I've still got the U23s coming up, too, in a couple of months. It's also an Olympic year, too. I don't know which guys will be out and all that. I'm looking to get more mat time.”
The national under-23 championships are set to go in Calgary May 25 and 26, making this a busy time for Canadian wrestlers, especially those who also compete for their universities.
“That's what happens in the wrestling season. It's go, go, go,” Tristan said. “You have to be ready. When this time comes, you have to be ready to go.”
However, Tristan is thankful for the chance to wrestle for the Gryphons.
“It's extra tournaments. Being able to wrestle varsity and then also club, you get extra matches,” Tristan said. “That's great. I'm trying to wrestle as much as I can, every tournament I can.”
