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Two Richmond boys head to U.S. for wrestling championships

Daya and Mayva Bhullar to compete in the Washington State Novice Wrestling Championships.
daya-and-mayva-bhullar
Daya Bhullar (left) and Mayva Bhullar during wrestling competitions.

Two young Richmond athletes will be heading to Washington for a wrestling championship this weekend.

Nine-year-old Daya Bhullar and seven-year-old Mayva Bhullar are competing in the Washington State Novice Wrestling Championship held at the Sedro-Woolley High School on Feb. 4.

This will be both the boys' second season in the Western Washington Kids Wrestling League, which will see 24 teams of kids ages six to 13 from Washington compete in amateur wrestling.

Last year, both Mayva and Daya took part in their first year of competitive wrestling where Mayva competed in the U8 division while Daya competed in the U10 division.

While the two medalled throughout the wrestling season, they came up short and didn't win any medals in the 2023 Washington State Championship.

This year, they are hoping to change that.

Paul Bhullar, Mayva and Daya's dad, told the Richmond News there are no wrestling tournaments for elementary school students in B.C., so they had to compete in U.S. tournaments.

"They feel physically and mentally strong, ready to give their best performance in the upcoming state championships," said Paul, adding both athletes train six days a week while keeping up with their school work.

"They understand the sacrifice and dedication it takes to win at wrestling as they've seen their uncles Jag and Arjan Bhullar earn their success on the mats."

Daya and Mayva are third-generation wrestlers who come from Bhullar family and train at the Bhullar Wrestling Club.

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