Nothing could wipe the smile off Olds' Danielle Lappage's face after the local wrestler won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.She described what it was like to stand on the podium, O Canada playing, with thousands of Canadians watching.“I couldn't stop smiling that my cheeks started quivering because I was smiling so big but it's kind of surreal,” Lappage said. “It's kind of like being in a dream, I guess, because everybody's there watching you when your flag's going up and it's an honour to be able to wrestle, let alone wrestle on such a big stage and represent Canada. It was just surreal.”On July 31, Lappage defeated Geetika Jakhar of India 7-0 to win gold in the 63-kilogram weight class.In the semifinal, she beat Cloe Spiteri of England 11-0 and before that, Blessings Oborududu of Nigeria 6-3 in the quarter-finals.During competition, Lappage said her aim was to stay composed and simply to put in her best performance.“I just wanted to wrestle well and keep up the pace the whole time, keep calm and not be scared out there,” she said.Earlier this month, Lappage won gold for Canada at the World University Championships in Pecs, Hungary, and said she's pleased to see all her preparation bear fruit.“I'm really happy that all the hard work is finally showing (in) my results,” she said. “It's been a long time coming so I'm glad I finally got the chance to prove myself.”Lappage, who started wrestling at 12 years old at Ecole Deer Meadow School in Olds, was part of a decorated Canadian national wrestling team that finished with seven gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, the most in the tournament.The team also finished tied for second place with 12 total medals.Lappage's matches were on the last day of the tournament but she said her teammates stuck around to cheer her on.The camaraderie of her team made basking in victory all the more sweet.“And just sharing it with everybody, like the feeling, with your teammates and we all get along so well, which made it that much more exciting, that much better,” she said. “We're all so close and we all get along so well, which is incredible. And they're all just awesome people so I couldn't have asked for better teammates.”During the Games, Lappage said she got to see Prince William and Kate Middleton of the Royal Family in attendance, as well as Prince Harry.Another highlight for her away from the ring was meeting the many athletes from different countries at the athletes' village, she said.In September, Lappage will be going to Uzbekistan for the World Championships. She's not tired of the travel but could do without the grunt work that comes with it.“I love travelling. I hate flying though, so I'm sick of flying and the packing and stuff. But I love actually seeing new countries and that stuff. Obviously it never gets old,” she said.However, she's also finishing her master's degree in criminology at Simon Fraser University and her globetrotting poses a challenge for her studies.“When I'm on trips, I try to just forget that I'm in school but when I get back, then it's a really hard time, trying to juggle everything. I guess there's a double-edged sword,” she [email protected]
