Chanmit Phulka returned home from Romania after winning the Resita International Wrestling Championship with a gold medal around his neck and got right to work.

He didn't sit on his laurels and develop a giant ego.

He put his gold medal and trophy in a safe place, where he was still able to look upon it and reflect - and then helped his dad with the chores.

But not just any typical household chores.

The Phulka family runs a successful farm in Abbotsford, and Chanmit has grown to love the daily grind of working on the land, watching and helping things grow.

"I grew up as a little kid and my dad would always take me to the farm when I was younger," said the 19-year-old Phulka, who trains at the Miri Piri Wrestling Club in Abbotsford.

"I grew a love for working in the dirt, working with trees, working with plants.

"So when it came time to choose for university and the choice of getting a scholarship and going to SFU, I chose to go to [Kwantlen Polytechnic University] and pursue something I had an interest in."

Phulka is currently studying horticulture at Kwantlen.

For now though, he's concentrating most of his efforts - while still working on the farm - on the upcoming Junior World Championships, which run July 25 to July 31 in Bucharest, Romania.

He has quite the swagger after winning gold earlier this month at the Resita competition.

"I feel more confident then I did before," he said.

"I know the countries that were there . . . if I go up against one of those countries, I'll have the confidence, so it will give me a bit of an edge."

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