Confident Ashton Sahli Strikes Gold in Marwayne, Alberta

AIRDRIE, Alta. – Ashton Sahli was flawless in Marwayne, Alberta, going a perfect 2-for-2 at the 14th edition of the spring event.

Inside the Marwayne Arena, Sahli rode Foley Bucking Bulls' Lil Nasty for 86.6 points. The score set the 25-year-old up with an early pick in the second round, where he selected reigning PBR Canada Stock Contractor of the Year Jim Thompson's World Wide.

The matchup couldn't have played out much better for the Red Deer native. Sahli stayed aboard again, adding 87.2 points to his total to lock in the event win.

Three-time PBR Canada Champion Aaron Roy finished second overall, while Coy Robbins covered two bulls en route to a third-place finish.

Sahli arrived in Marwayne with confidence after a strong second-place finish at the 2025 edition of the event, and he admitted the goal was clear before the weekend even began.

"Cauy Schmidt won the buckle last year. When I picked Garrett Green up I said, 'I gotta get the buckle this year,'" Sahli explained. "I went there and I thought it's just easy when you're just having fun and travelling with all your good buddies. It's that time of year, we're going to start getting busy and the vibes were high.

"I had two good bulls and everything worked out in my favour."

Last season, Sahli hovered near the cutline for the 2025 PBR Canada National Finals, but he found a way to deliver down the stretch and punch his ticket in the final weeks of the campaign. It was a timely reminder that in bull riding, the season is long — and the biggest results often come from staying ready, even when it's not going your way.

After battling injuries for much of 2025, Sahli says health remains the foundation for everything he wants to accomplish this year.

"I know last year I battled some injuries most of the season and wasn't really feeling myself for most of it," Sahli said.

"I got it turned around at the last part of the season going into the Finals. It's just one of them deals — you can't get down on yourself, and you've got to trust the process and keep your head down, but your chin up at the same time," he added.

"I spent most of the winter working and getting healthy and getting feeling back good, and I think it's proved itself early this season. I’m going to stay healthy and stay consistent and just ride bulls."

Marwayne offered a strong snapshot of where the tour is at in early spring. Five riders finished the day a perfect 2-for-2, and the event riding percentage landed just under 50% — a sign, Sahli says, that the pen of bulls was good and the riders showed up ready.

"It's that beginning time of the year, everyone's coming out of the winter hungry and ready to get rolling," Sahli said. "Everybody brought their A-game. The boys all showed up and we showed out."

As with every rider on the PBR Canada trail, the long-term target is Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta come November for the National Finals. With the PBR Canada Champion earning a $100,000 bonus each season, the standings race is never far from anyone's mind, and Sahli believes his experience is helping him approach 2026 with a clearer plan.

"Just being on their back when that horn blows every chance they run one under me," Sahli said. "I've been going enough now. When I first came around, I was just getting comfortable. You're in there and you're around all the guys you've been looking up to.

"I have been to enough of them and I'm kind of one of the guys in the locker room. I wouldn't say I'm a veteran, kind of middle of the pack. Just excited, and I know I can do it and I know I can be at number one. It is just about finding the consistency to stay there all year round.”