Burnaby's 2013 high school male athlete of the year is known for his deceptive quickness. But no one expected the sleight of hand Amar Dhesi showed at the U.S. freestyle national championships in Las Vegas earlier this year.
Dhesi, a three-time Canadian national champion and former Pan Am championship bronze medallist, did what few Canadian wrestlers have done before him, and likely, even fewer will have the opportunity of matching - win a U.S. national title belt.
Wrestling under the banner of the Northwest Regional Training Centre in Eugene, Oregon, Dhesi shocked the American heavyweight community last April by easily defeating Adam Coon, the top NCAA Division I recruit in the championship final.
Only after Dhesi had accepted the championship plaque, did officials at the nationals begin to realize they had let a Canadian walk away from the competition with the spoils.
"It was a big moment for me down in Vegas. I wrestled in the (high school) provincial tournament on Wednesday, and (the U.S. championships) were on Friday," Dhesi said. "I had five matches ... I faced some good wrestlers. ... It was one of my best accomplishments yet. But I'm just starting."
Dhesi was entered into the nationals by his incoming Oregon State University wrestling coach who wanted to test his blue-chip scholarship recruit against the best south of the border.
Dhesi did not disappoint, downing Coon, a former under-17 world champion, 4-1, 4-0 in the national final - a feat Burnaby Central wrestling coach Gianni Buono described as "through the roof."
It took Dhesi two long years of tracking his opponent before the pair met eye-to-eye on the wrestling mat.
"Last year, at the western regionals, Coon did not appear, but I knew I'd find him," said Dhesi. "I prepared for the nationals hard. I knew I'd find him. I was happy to have the opportunity to wrestle."
Dhesi was also lucky to have had that chance at all. Recent years had changed the eligibility rules for the U.S. championships, now allowing only U.S.-born wrestlers to take part in the event.
However, even at past U.S. opens, only a handful of Canadian wrestlers have matched Dhesi's accomplishment.
In 1988, Simon Fraser University transfer and Olympic silver medallist Jeff Thue won the heavyweight title.
Current SFU wrestling coach Justin Abdou also won the 82-kilogram division in his first year of university after placing runner-up the year before as a high school grad.
"At that age, it's the biggest tournament you can win in North America. For a high school senior to win it, it's a pretty big deal," said Abdou.
"For his size, it's his speed and flexibility. He's big and strong and flexible, ... He can execute moves that other wrestlers can't. ... I'd say he's one of the top 18-year-olds in North America. Right now, he looks definitely like a blue-chipper. He's going to a top-notch program, and effectively he's got what it takes."
With London Olympian Arjan Bhullar in semi-retirement, the only wrestler seemingly standing in his way is Abbotsford heavy Sunny Dhinsa.
"Those two will be battling it out for a world and Olympic spot for the next eight years," Abdou added.
Prior to that, Dhesi will be honing his technique in the collegiate folkstyle method and looking for a rematch with Coon.
"He's going to Michigan and I'm going to Oregon State. We'll meet in the future. I'm looking forward to it," said Dhesi.
Being named the high school athlete of the year was a different accomplishment, Dhesi added.
"I'm honoured that the Burnaby NOW chose me. There are lots of good athletes in Burnaby, and lots of other sports."
But none with the tremendous up-side that Dhesi brings to the table.
Still the likeable Dhesi plays down the accolade.
"I've just started my career," he said. "None of my goals have been accomplished - youth world championships, Olympic championships - I'm just starting."
His best memory to date still remains his first B.C. championship, when, as a Grade 9 novice, he beat all the top seeded wrestlers for the title.
His father captured the moment in a photograph, showing a 14-year-old Dhesi waving his upraised arms in victory.
"It is kind of a silly picture, but it is my memory of me winning. It was a pretty big moment - my most memorable, especially with me coming in as an underdog."
It's very unlikely, Dhesi will stay an underdog for much longer.
