Abbotsford wrestler Michaeljeet Grewal can add another accolade to his growing resume.
The Grade 12 W.J. Mouat Secondary student won the high school male athlete of the year at the annual Sport BC athlete of the year awards.
The event occurred in Vancouver on Thursday (March 6) night. Grewal edged out Vernon's Cole Budgen and North Vancouver's Emmet Ward to earn the honour.
Grewal had an excellent year on the mat and kicked off 2024 by dominating at the British Columbia School Sports provincials in February. He won gold in the 90 kilograms senior boys division and helped the Mouat Hawks win the aggregate championship. Grewal's gold medal winning bout was also named the boys division鈥檚 Most Outstanding Match.
He went on to win gold at the 2024 U17 Pan-American Championships in the Dominican Republic in June, which was his second straight gold medal win at the event in the 92 kg division. Grewal then finished fifth at the 2024 U17 World Championships in Jordan in August.
The Sport BC award is for 2024 achievements, but Grewal recently took home a provincial gold again, winning the 110 kg division at the 2025 British Columbia School Sports wrestling championships event last month. He was also named the most outstanding wrestler at that event and helped Mouat win the senior boys team title.
Abbotsford-trained gymnast Zachary Clay took home the Harry Jerome Comeback Award at the event. He was honoured for his perseverance in coming back from a bad landing at a competition in 2015. That fall saw him snap his anterior cruciate ligament and fracture his tibia.
Clay completed two years of physiotherapy and rehabilitation and returned to international competition. In 2017 he won the senior national all-around title and took gold in pommel at the Pan Am championships, capping the comeback year by qualifying for the all-around grand final at the 2017 World Championships in Montreal.
Clay went on to help Canada qualify for the Paris Games thanks to an excellent showing at the 2023 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. The Chilliwack resident competed in all six apparatus events at the world championships and Canada's results allowed the team to advance to the Olympics for the first time since 2008.
At the Paris Games, Clay and his Canadian teammates again made history as the first Canadian men鈥檚 gymnastics team to qualify for the Olympic final.
Richard Ikdeda, Clay's coach and mentor at Twisters Gymnastics, was also nominated in the male coach of the year category but was not chosen as the winner.
For the full list of winners from the event, visit sportbc.com.
