Linda Morais Crushes Competition At World University Wrestling Championship

Concordia Student-Athlete Grabs Gold Without A Single Mistake

SportsPatrick Mocella — Published November 4, 2016

Wrestlers from Mongolia, Russia and Hungary were all defeated via pinfall by Morais. Even better still, Morais’ opponents didn’t even manage to score a point off her. Essentially, her gold medal came without a single mistake.

“This is definitely the biggest [victory] I’ve ever achieved,” Morais said after arriving back in Montreal. Morais has been competing with Concordia’s wrestling team since 2011. In that time, she’s acquired some great physical skills.

Overcoming Morais’ mental battles was a focus for head coach David Zilberman in her preparation for the tournament.

“A large part of it had to do with how she was thinking and how she was preparing for her matches,” Zilberman said. “We really worked hard on focusing on what she could control and taking each match one point at a time and one takedown at a time.”

“Going in I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was just trying to focus on what I can do and what I can control,” Morais said. “[The coaching staff] taught me to do whatever I can and ignore the things I can’t control.”

Whether or not they dominated or fell a little short at the world championship, Concordia athletes will have another shot at proving their wrestling mettle at the Commonwealth Senior Wrestling Championships on Nov. 5 and 6 in Singapore. In addition to Morais, current Concordia students Jordan Steen and Vincent De Marinis along with alumni Trevor Banks and Veronica Keefe will be competing.