The USask Student who competed in the World Championship for arm wrestling.

Peyton Pickering, a 19-year-old arm wrestler from rural Saskatchewan and a University of Saskatchewan student won a silver medal in the women’s youth 70-kilogram category at the World Arm Wrestling Championship in Moldova. She was the only Canadian who podiumed in the junior and youth categories during her first-ever world championship. Reflecting on her experience, she says it was one of her favourite memories in arm wrestling. “I was just playing with the goal of winning one match and ended up getting silver,” she says. 

Pickering has only been arm wrestling for two years, having started on May 27, 2022, but she has participated in numerous competitions and won multiple medals since then. At her first national competition in 2023, she earned a gold medal and a silver medal in the youth 60kg+ category, and two bronze medals in the women’s open 80kg+ category. During her second appearance at nationals, she won another gold medal and silver in the Senior Women’s 80kg category. Considering she has only been arm wrestling for a short while, these are huge accomplishments and make her someone to watch out for in future competitions.

Her arm wrestling journey began when her dad introduced her to a group called The Bridge City Pullers in Saskatoon, run by Curtis Klashinsky, who she refers to as “coach”. Pickering says she fell in love with the sport and the environment it provided instantly. She says her training with the Bridge City Pullers Club involves meeting every Tuesday and Friday for a few hours of practice, mostly focused on active arm wrestling or “table time.” During this time they work on developing their skills and tactics, practicing with one another to prepare for competitions. In addition, she receives private training from Frazer Benoit, who runs Frazer’s Next Level Training. She says that the combination of these two training opportunities have helped her multitudes. With the waves she’s making in the sport, it’s clear that her hard work is paying off.

Pickering says that her favourite thing about the sport is the community that it provides. She credits her passion for the sport to the people around her and all of the support and encouragement they show her. “I love competing, I love arm wrestling, but without the people around me I would not have stuck to it nearly as much”, she says. She feels that the tight-knit nature of the community, helps everyone flourish and thrive to the best of their abilities. 

In the past, arm wrestling was a male-dominated sport. Women initially faced resistance when they sought to compete as well. Eventually, they were allowed to compete, and a community of female arm wrestlers was formed. While arm wrestling is still a male dominated sport, more women, like Pickering, are competing these days. She is a role model for countless women from Saskatchewan and all across Canada who are getting into the sport and hope to win gold in world championships just like her someday. Pickering shows young girls and women who want to get into arm wrestling, or other sports, that with dedication and perseverance, they can achieve anything they put their mind to. This is extremely important because most of the branding and imagery surrounding arm wrestling have often been centered on large, burly men. Having someone to look up to in the media who shares their gender and interests plays a huge role in a young girl’s belief in her potential.

Peyton Pickering’s passion doesn’t just lie in her arm wrestling career. She’s a dual major in anthropology and biology at the University of Saskatchewan and has a strong connection to science. She loves travelling, which she says she gets to do a lot more thanks to arm wrestling and the various competitions she attends which she is grateful for. Pickering also enjoys reading and collecting books, mainly classical literature. Outside of arm wrestling, she is active in the drama and acting community on campus, having been in a play called Brainstorm in the drama department this February. 

With such a strong start in arm wrestling, it’s clear that Peyton Pickering is an exceptionally talented individual. Despite only being in the sport for two years, she has already made a name for herself, even representing Canada at the World Championship. Peyton Pickering has managed to hit this huge milestone in such a short amount of time, and it’s exciting to imagine what she will accomplish in the upcoming years. She is truly a role model for women in sports and it’ll be exciting to see what she does in the world of arm wrestling next.