Sometimes you have to switch your style up, even when you are dominating the competition. Carson Lee’s versatility was on full display last weekend at the 2019 U17/U19 Men’s Canadian Wrestling Championships in Fredericton, NB.
The 17-year-old from Flin Flon finished first in the under-19 80-kilogram weight category for both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling and was named wrestler of the tournament, a mere two weeks after winning gold at the Canadian juniors.
Lee normally competes in freestyle wrestling, but that didn’t stop him from dominating in the less-common Greco-Roman competition. The main difference between the two styles is that in Greco-Roman, a wrestler cannot grab an opponent’s legs.
Lee said he had to adjust for nationals after his successful performance at juniors.
“I changed my mindset a little. When I was at juniors, I was kind of thinking I got to win, I should win this, this is my big chance to win this,” Lee told Wrestling Canada Lutte after his big win.
“At this one, I tried to just focus on the small things, getting my attacks off, and wrestling the way I like to wrestle. It really showed.”
The awards kept coming for Lee, as he was also awarded the 2018 Cadet Male Wrestler of the Year Award. At the end of the weekend, Lee walked away from nationals with two first-place finishes, and two more awards to add to his trophy case.
While still living in Flin Flon and studying at Hapnot Collegiate, Lee wrestles for the Saskatoon Junior Huskies who performed well over the weekend, but were edged out of first place by a single point by Team Impact from Whitby, Ont.
Lee is set to represent Canada in May, when he will travel to Romania for an international competition.
