By BILL POTRECZ, BP Sports Niagara

March 19, 2026 Volume 7, Issue 14

The third time was a charm for Lily Taras.

The 15-year-old Grade 11 student at Lakeshore Catholic was awarded a gold medal in the girls’ 44-kilogram category at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSSA) wrestling championships last week in Peterborough, after coming up just short over the last two years.

“In Grade 9, I was fifth and fourth in Grade 10, so I was hoping for a third or better this year,” the Fort Erie resident said.

Taras defeated Kendra MacTaggart of Saunders Secondary School in London in the gold medal match.

“Too close,” Taras said of the final. “I almost cried at the very end because I thought she won. But she pushed me out, so it was only one point. The ref originally counted it as two, and if it was two, she would have won. 

“So, yeah, it was very stressful, high emotions.”

A flood of emotions overcame Taras when she was awarded the match.

“I just wanted to hug, jump for joy and hug everyone,” she recalled.

Taras said the stars aligned for her this year.

“I kind of had a feeling that I could get gold, because a few days leading into it, I asked the previous champions, last year’s first, second, and third, and two of them graduated, and one of them couldn’t go because of a medical issue, which is unfortunate. But all three girls who beat me last year were all out. I saw it as a pretty good chance for me to get gold.”

Taras was required to wrestle five times over two days.

“I did about four hours of warming up for those five matches — probably even more than that,” she said. “It was pretty gruelling, but before every single match, because the stress level was so high, I prayed. It really helped calm my nerves,” she said.

She also gave credit to her father, Peter Taras, for his help.

“He helps me a lot. He gives me a pep talk before every single one of my matches.”

As well, she kept a daily journal of her workouts as a point of reference.

Lily Taras was introduced to the sport by her father when she was about 10 years old.

“Originally, I was kind of forced into it, and then I quit four years ago during COVID. I just didn’t like it,” she said. “And then I came in Grade 9 willingly with a new mindset, and I liked it a lot better and (it felt) less forced.”

Taras is a member of the Brock Junior Badgers, where she often trains with the boys due to a lack of other girls her age to work with.

“They help amazingly,” she said. “All my training partners, they all podiumed.”

Taras, whose older brother Daniel Taras won a bronze medal in wrestling for Lakeshore two years ago, isn’t sure of her future plans.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be going to the big leagues or whatever, so I don’t know if I’ll continue after this,” she said. 

When she isn’t training for wrestling, Taras also cross-trains by running half marathons.