Ethan Almeida completed seven collision repair modules over four days at the 2026 WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, finishing the competition 45 minutes ahead of the allotted time.
The Canadian Autobody Repair competitor put his technical skills to the test across a range of collision repair procedures, including measuring, structural repair, panel replacement, plastic repair, aluminum dent repair and panel alignment.
Bill Speed, who supported Almeida through the competition, praised his effort throughout the event.
“Ethan did a wonderful job at World Skills,” said Speed. “We were disappointed in the results but, his effort was tremendous.”
Four of the seven modules were timed. Competitors were required to measure a damaged vehicle using a Car-O-Tronic measuring system, then build and install three EVO fixturing units, along with a pull tower and chain in the correct position to repair the damage.
The second module involved two different types of plastic bumper repair. Another focused on aluminum dent repair using the Car-O-Liner aluminum dent repair station.
A separate module required competitors to realign four doors, a hood and front fenders.
The main repair modules involved changing a quarter panel and replacing the A-pillar and shock tower. A final steel dent repair module required competitors to use both paintless dent repair (PDR) and standard dent repair techniques.
The seven modules tested Almeida across a broad range of collision repair skills while requiring him to work within the competition’s time and technical requirements.
Almeida finished 15th among 19 competitors in Autobody Repair with a score of 672. Jiao Jiao of China won gold with a score of 759, followed by Sho Yoshida of Japan with silver at 732 and Gilles Glauser of Switzerland with bronze at 725.
Almeida entered the international competition after winning national gold in Autobody Repair at the 2025 Skills Canada National Competition. His selection to WorldSkills Team Canada 2026 followed years of competition and preparation. Skills/Compétences Canada lists Excellence Auto Collision among his partners.
His path to WorldSkills has also been featured in BodyWorx Professional, where Almeida previously appeared as a cover star.
The WorldSkills experience adds an international competition to Almeida’s collision repair career, giving the Canadian technician an opportunity to compete against skilled Autobody Repair competitors from around the world.
