Sunnyside High School wrestler Audrey Jimenez is now a two-time international medalist after bringing home the women's freestyle bronze in last week's Cadet World Championships.
Jimenez's medal also helped Team USA bring home its first-ever team title in the event, which took place in Budapest, Hungary from July 19-25.
Jimenez previously earned a U15 gold medal in the 2019 Pan Am Games in Panama, and was an undefeated state champion earlier this year.
Jimenez, 15, just completed her freshman year at Sunnyside High School, netting a 4.0 GPA. She's been training with the Sunnyside Wrestling Academy for several years.
Jimenez netted three-straight 10-0 technical foul wins early last week, wrestling in the 108-pouns weight class. She beat India's Neha Chougale and then Kazakhstan’s Laura Ganikyzy, a 2019 Cadet World seventh-place finisher. For her third win, she took down Austria's Sarah Lins, before facing two-time Cadet European medalist Svenja Jungo in the semifinals.
Jimenez lost by points in an 8-6 match against Jungo in Wednesday's seminfinals, but came back strong Thursday to beat Romania's Delia Voiculescu with a 10-0 victory by technical foul.
Jimenez's dad and sister were on hand in Budapest Thursday to watch Jimenez's bronze medal match.
Sunnyside Wrestling Academy congratulated Jimenez on social media last week, saying she's "made us all proud."
Before she made the trip to Budapest, Jimenez spent a week in Orlando at the Central Florida Wrestling Academy, training with the other Team USA wrestlers and her Sunnyside coach, Anthony Leon. Leon also traveled with the team to Budapest for the championships.
Jimenez made Sunnyside history in March, becoming the school's first female wrestler to claim a state title. Wrestling in the 113-pound weight class, Jimenez allowed no points in all five of her matches.
Jimenez took to Instagram to celebrate her victory Saturday, saying she was "blessed to be part of an amazing team and an experience filled with many lessons and lots of fun!"
