Twardziks golden moment

PRINCE ALBERT - PRINCE ALBERT - Stuart Twardzik went, he fought, he conquered.

In October, the 17-year-old pugilist travelled to Pune, India to compete in the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, and walked away with a gold medal in the middleweight division.

However, it wasn't easy.

"The competition over there was tough," he told the Daily Herald. "There were a lot of good fighters."

The first such fighter was New Zealand' Tyson Whalley, who Twardzik pounded from post to pillar before the referee halted the bout with a minute left in the fourth round.

Next up, Twardzik was in against a rough-and-tumble Welsh fighter named Keiron Harding.

"I was tired that day," remembered Twardzik. "The fight was at 7 p.m. and I hadn't rested in the middle of the day. Its was so hot there, it just kind of took away my energy."

But that didn't stop the pugilist from Debden, who overcame a height and reach disadvantage to eke out a narrow 8-7 decision.

Two fights down - and one to go - Twardzik entered the championship bout against hometown hopeful Satinder Satinder in a calm and focused state of mind.

Satinder, on the other hand, wasn't so stoic.

"He must have been nervous fighting for a gold medal at home," mused Twardzik. "He was a good fighter, but he was a little bit hesitant."

In the end, Twardzik's calm demeanour and cool attention to defence won the day.
In fact, he fought so well he shutout Salinder 5-0 to earn the gold medal.

After returning home to Saskatchewan, Twardzik told the Daily Herald that it was a moment of his life he'll never forget.

"I can't even tell you how I was feeling," recalled the young pugilist. "I was just so amazed and shocked."