Hunter Lee added a top-ten finish at a recent international tournament to his already lengthy wrestling resume last week.
Lee was Canada’s entrant in the United World Wrestling (UWW) World Under-23 Wrestling Championships, which took place earlier this month in Belgrade, Serbia. Lee was the sole Canadian taking part in the men’s 86-kilogram freestyle classification, one of 24 wrestlers in the group.
Once Lee got to Serbia, the competition moved ahead fast. In qualifiers, Lee defeated Georgian wrestler Demur Megeneishvili 13-2 to move on to the main bracket. In the round of 16, Lee defeated Ivan Ichizli from Moldova 10-6, advancing to the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinal round brought a matchup with Latvian wrestler Ivars Samusonoks, who defeated Lee 9-2, knocking him out of the tournament. By the time the dust had settled in Belgrade, Lee had finished seventh out of 24 competitors from around the world.
The 22-year-old earned his spot on the U23 team back in September after coming out on top in Wrestling Canada Lutte’s U23 Team Trials event in Saskatoon. Lee also earned a spot on Canada’s national senior team in Wrestling Canada Lutte’s Senior World Team Trials, which took place over the same weekend in Saskatoon.
Lee also finished 10th in the Matteo Pellicone Raking Series earlier this year, a senior event featuring top wrestlers from around the globe. Lee also won his amateur MMA debut earlier this year.
