Iwaasas Golden in Canadian Junior National Racquetball Championships
Valleyfield, Quebec - Coby Iwaasa made racquetball history by winning his 4th consecutive U18 Junior Singles title over Nicholas Bousquet from Quebec 15-9, 15-8. The previous U18 record holder was Simon Roy of Quebec who won this title 3 times (1986-1988) and held the record for 29 years until today.
The U18 finals match between Iwaasa and Bousquet was a showdown of east vs west and a rivalry between the two of them that has endured for more than 8 years. The beginning points of the match saw extended rallies and unbelievable shots from both players. Although the points were close at the beginning of both games, Iwaasa showed why he is the number one junior player of Canada. Iwaasa's tenacity, consistency, and superior skills prevailed over Bousquet's energy and shot selection. Getting into the U18 finals, Iwaasa took out Tanner Prentice from Saskatchewan, Mathew Swaine from Ontario, and Michael Melynchuk from Manitoba.
Iwaasa won his second gold in the U18 Doubles Division by teaming up with his fellow opponent, Nicholas Bousquet. They met up in the finals against the Ontario team of Mathew Swaine and Chandon Yu who pushed them into a tie breaker. Iwaasa and Bousquet woud turnup their game and win 15-4, 14-16, 11-5
Racquetball Canada also awarded Iwaasa with the prestigious 2015 Sherman Greenfield award for the male athlete who best exemplifies personal excellence and sportsmanship both on and off the court. This is Iwaasa's final tournament as a junior and in his junior career he has won an impressive 11 gold medals: 9 gold in singles and 2 gold in doubles. Iwaasa is scheduled to compete at the Canadian Nationals in Burnaby, B.C. on May 17-23 for his final qualification to be part of the 2015 Pan Am Games racquetball team.
Alexis Iwaasa, Coby Iwaasa's cousin, won the U16 Girls Singles title by defeating Annie Fisher of Ontario, 15-6, 15-5 in the finals. In round robin play, Alexis took out Marjolaine Parent from Quebec, and Alexandra Murray from Manitoba. Alexis's power was a major factor in her wins against her opponents. She was undefeated in the entire tournament. Alexis would team up with Mckenzie Brayley of Calgary to win a silver medal in the U16-U18 girls doubles. In the finals, they were bested by the number one seed, Michelle Morissette of Quebec and Danielle Drury of Saskatchewan, 15-2, 15-5
Other Team Alberta Results:
McKenzie Brayley won Bronze in U18 Singles.
Naman Gauri won 4th in U12 Singles and 4th in U14 Doubles.
Devon Halko won U18 Runner up in Singles Consolation and 4th in U18 Doubles.
Next year, the Canadian Junior Nationals will be in Kelowna, B.C