This was the fourth gold medal that 17-year-old wrestler Manjot Sandhu, a grade 11 student of Cloverdale's Lord Tweedsmuir secondary school, bagged this year - but definitely the most prestigious.

Manjot won the gold in the 85 kg. category at the Pan American Cadet Championships held in Panama City from August 15 to 20. He beat Ecuador's Jairo Gonzalez in the final bout and became the first Indo-Canadian to win a gold medal in the championships.

He was also the only wrestler from B.C. to win a gold for Team Canada that won 5 gold medals in the 10 categories for males.

In February, Manjot came first in the 84 kg. Category in the B.C. High School Wrestling Championships.

He followed that up with a gold at the National Juvenile Championships in Toronto in April, and another gold at the Canada Cup in July, also in Toronto, where he competed in the 85 kg. Category, which qualified him for the Pan American Cadet Championships.

Manjot told The VOICE that he was very grateful to his personal coach Garry Garfield and to Khalsa Wrestling Club coach Balbir Singh Dhesi, who's been training him since he started wrestling six years ago.

Manjot is a member of the Khalsa Wrestling Club that is actually located on his family farm in Cloverdale at 50 Avenue and 160 Street.

Manjot's father's elder brother, Makhan Sandhu, is a famous weight lifting coach at Lions Weightlifting Club.