Richard rules OUAs again
Richard DesChatelets Jr. finished his Ontario University Athletics’ wrestling career in the same way he started it.
The 23-year-old Niagara Falls native won the 90-kilogram OUA title Saturday at Brock University making it a perfect 4-4 for the former junior national champion. In the final, he defeated Guelph’s Simon Chaves 10-0 by technical superiority in the first round.
DesChatelets was denied a chance at five OUA golds by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As of right now, I don’t plan on coming back to school next year. I am supposed to graduate at the end of the month and I think that is going to be it for me.”
But that won’t be the end of his wrestling career.
“I am planning to continue training and prepare for the Commonwealth Games in the summer. Trials are a month from now and then I will keep having smaller goals in mind as I head to the next Olympics. That’s the goal.”
DesChatelets described his fourth OUA gold as amazing.
“I love that it was in front of our home crowd. Hearing everyone is so exciting and the adrenaline is unbelievable. I am glad that I was able to conclude it at Brock where I started.”
He was disappointed that he didn’t get another crack at the USPORTS championships.
“I came second at it three times, two times not in my weight class, and today wasn’t my class either.”
The third-place finisher at the last Olympic trials competed at 90 kilograms Saturday instead of his usual 100-kilogram division at university and 97 kilograms at the national level.
“The team needed me to go there so I went there,” he said.
Getting down to 90-kilograms wasn’t easy.
“I have had to diet for a full month so that meant no Chips Ahoy! or chips and a lot less carbs. There was also a lot of cardio as well.”
DesChatelets wrestled up twice at the university level.
He will miss the university wrestling experience but most of all he will miss his teammates.
“We are together all the time. We wake up early, we come to Brock, we go to class and we come back. Those will be my greatest memories; all the little things were amazing.
“Wow. I can’t believe it is concluding.”
