Hunter Lee didn’t come back to Flin Flon with a medal, but he did arrive home hungry to improve on his result.
The teen wrestler took part in the United World Wrestling Cadet World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia on Sept. 17. He competed in the 85-kg freestyle class.
Lee’s first match was against Nail Seyyar of Turkey. While Lee put in a solid effort, Seyyar came out on top by an 11-0 score, winning on technical superiority. Seyyar would end up finishing second overall in the championship.
“It didn’t go as good as I wanted it to,” said Lee, now back in Flin Flon after a marathon trek home from Georgia.
“The first match I wasn’t upset about. I wrestled a really good guy. He made it to the finals.”
The loss put Lee in the consolation bracket, where he faced Armenian competitor Mher Merkosyan. After one minute and 51 seconds, Merkosyan came out on top. He wound up finishing fourth in the class.
Lee qualified for the tournament by earning a bronze medal in the United World Wrestling Pan-American Championship, held earlier this year in Peru.
While in Georgia, Lee spent most of his time either wrestling or watching the competition.
“We went sightseeing one day and the rest of the time watching the wrestling,” he said. “They had some touristy areas, but it’s pretty small.”
Lee also brought some items from home. Away from the mat, he posed for photos with a Flin Flon Bomber jersey and a Flin Flon flag, signed by local residents who have sponsored him.
Lee had brought the flag with him to previous tournaments, including the Pan-American championship and training camps in Japan and Colorado.
Lee plans to take a short break before beginning training for next year.
“I’ll probably only take like a week off, and then I’ll be back to doing light technique a couple times a week,” said Lee. “I probably will start wrestling hard again in a month.”
The competition was Lee’s final major international meet in the cadet category. He will soon turn 18 and move up to the junior category, where he will wrestle against other 18-to-21 year-olds.
While some may find the move intimidating, Lee is taking it in stride.
“The guy I beat for my spot on Team Canada this year, he competed in juniors this year at nationals and he won it all, even though he was a year younger than everyone else,” he said.
“If he won junior nationals, and I beat him, I should still be near the top.”
