By: Wilson Wong - Manager, Communications and Sports Information (wilson_wong_5@sfu.ca)
BURNABY, B.C. – Dominique Parrish is a world champion.
The former Simon Fraser wrestler reached the pinnacle of her sport today by winning the title bout of the 53-kilogram weight class at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Representing the United States, Parrish defeated Mongolia's Khulan Batkhuyag by a score of 4-2. She had a 2-0 lead at the break before Batkhuyag tied the match in the second period. Parrish then recorded two points on a takedown to restore her lead, which she protected until time expired.
It caps off an outstanding debut appearance at the senior world meet for Parrish, of Scotts Valley, California, as she went undefeated in a competition where six other wrestlers were seeded above her.
Parrish completed an exceptional university career in 2019. She won two Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association individual titles at 123 pounds during her time with SFU (2018 and 2019). In her senior season (2018-19), Parrish won the Patricia Miranda Medal as the outstanding female collegiate wrestler who embodies the spirit of the sport's pioneers. Parrish was also named the 2019 WCWA Wrestler of the Year, as voted on by the association's coaches, and the co-winner of the 2019 Lorne Davies Female Athlete of the Year at SFU.
Dominique Parrish celebrates after winning the world championship. Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com
SFU wrestling alumni won two of the United States' three medals Wednesday at the World Championships.
Mallory Velte earned bronze in the 65-kg class, defeating Mimi Hristova of Bulgaria, the European champion, 11-2. Velte led 4-0 halfway through the match, and then recorded three takedowns as part of a seven-point second period. Velte entered the event as the No. 8 seed in her division. The wrestler from Sacramento, California, now has two World Championships bronze medals, as she also earned one in 2018.
At SFU, she won three WCWA individual championships and was the 2017 co-recipient of the Lorne Davies Female Athlete of the Year award.
Mallory Velte. Photo by Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com
On Tuesday, alumnus Karla Godinez Gonzalez won Canada's first medal at the World Championships, a bronze in the 55-kg weight class.
Godinez Gonzalez, from Surrey, B.C., posted a 6-2 victory over Moldova's Mariana Dragutan to capture bronze. All the scoring took place in the opening period, with Godinez Gonzalez recording three takedowns.
"I think I was fighting with myself a bit," she remarked in a Wrestling Canada Lutte news release. "I work really hard but when it comes to competitions, I think I fight with my own thoughts. I want to control every little thing, but I have to just let it go because doing that is how I lost my last match (semifinal). So, I decided to just go for it, and the results happened!"
Karla Godinez Gonzalez with her bronze medal. Photo by Wrestling Canada Lutte
Godinez Gonzalez finished her SFU career by winning her second Women's Collegiate Wrestling Coalition title in March. Her first came before the pandemic in 2020. In May, she triumphed at the Pan-American Championships and won silver at the Grand Prix of Spain in July.
"(This year) hasn't sunk in yet. When I think about this I am like 'wow!' Yes, I wanted the gold but winning the bronze just shows that I am growing and that is a huge deal," she said to Wrestling Canada Lutte. "I have only been wrestling for six years, so I have to put triple the time in to catch up to these girls. I am constantly working."
The World Championships will run until Sept. 18.
- with files from USA Wrestling and Wrestling Canada Lutte
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