It’s a safe bet that Flin Flon wrestler Carson Lee had a better birthday than most teenagers.
One day after his 16th birthday, he was on the mat in Buenos Aires, Argentina, earning a silver medal in last weekend’s United World Wrestling (UWW) Pan-American Cadet Championships.
Wrestling in the 76-kilogram freestyle class, Lee competed in his first major international meet.
He began his run to the podium with a commanding 10-0 victory over Brazilian competitor Jose da Silva Trindade. In the semi-final, he continued with a 10-0 win by technical superiority over Israel Martinez of Argentina.
The gold medal final pitted Lee, the sole Canadian competitor in his division, against American Michael O’Malley. The match started evenly, but O’Malley gained momentum and earned a series of quick points.
Lee lost the final bout 10-0 on technical superiority, but will still be bringing an international medal back to Flin Flon.
After accepting his silver medal, Lee posed not only with a Canadian flag, but also a Flin Flon flag signed by members of the community who donated time and funds for the teen’s training and travel.
Displaying the Flin Flon flag after a match is a tradition for both Lee and his brother, wrestler Hunter Lee, who took home a bronze at last year’s Pan-American Championships.
On the Canadian team bus after last weekend’s meet, team members added a cherry on top of an already memorable afternoon for Carson Lee, singing “Happy Birthday” to him on their way back to their hotel.
His medal helped push Team Canada to a second-place finish in the boys’ medal table. The Canadians also finished the meet third in the girls’ medal count.
The silver medal gives Carson Lee a possible shot at going on to this year’s UWW World Cadet Championships to be held in Athens, Greece from September 4 to 10. It is not yet known if he will join the Canadian team in Greece.
In the meantime, Carson, Hunter and fellow Flin Flon wrestler Keelan Salamondra will compete in this summer’s Canada Games in Winnipeg from August 7 to 9.
