Years After Being Threatened to Be ‘Kidnapped’, Fearful Immigrant Defies Odds, Rises as Wrestling World Champion

A seven-year-old girl from Mexico moved to a new country with her family after receiving kidnapping threats from the cartel. Her father made the family exit the national border under the guise of a visit to Disneyland. The young girl and her sisters initially experienced problems adjusting to a new land and a new foreign language. However, little did the wrestling champion know that she had literally come to Disneyland.

Ana Paula Godinez Gonzalez bagged the Pan American Wrestling Championship this year, under the Canadian flag. The young wrestler initially started her journey just to play, learn English, and make friends. The Canadian wrestling sensation recently spoke to Olympics.com and narrated her story of becoming the U23 World Wrestling Champion.

From escaping the cartel to wrestling opponents head-on

Ana Godinez experienced a rough start while starting her life in Canada. However, she quickly picked up the pace and also picked up sports. While the fearful immigrant family escaped with their lives, the Godinez sisters later learned to fight and have become international fighters. Ana Godinez now faces her opponents head-on and always strives to take the gold. Godinez now boasts two Pan American Championship gold medals and a silver medal from the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In fact, she also became the 62kg U23 World Champion in 2021 and also won a bronze in 2022.

Speaking about wrestling under the Canadian flag, the U23 World Champion said, “We learned about the sport in Canada and trained in Canada so it felt right.” Godinez gained Canadian citizenship in 2019 and happily competes for her adoptive nation. “I still couldn’t believe I was there for Canada. In Mexico, we would talk about Canada like it was another planet, on a super high level. So the fact that I was representing Canada felt like such a huge privilege, and still does,” Said Godinez. While Godinez now enjoys traveling to various parts of the world for competition, she recalled how her first international travel made all the difference.

Dealing with a foreign tongue and initial loneliness

While the language barrier hindered the Godinez girls from making friends, it forced their father to continuously change jobs. The girls dawned on the realization that they would have to earn everything and nothing would be handed to them. The Godinez sisters started looking forward to going to school and learning to make friends. In fact, the sisters picked up sports to develop themselves and bond with the Canadian students. 

ALSO READ – “Cause That’s What Wrestlers Do”: Olympic Wrestling Champion Concludes Belgrade World Championship With a Strong Message

The Godinez sisters became excellent sportswomen as a result. While Ana and her sister Karla wrestle under the maple leaf flag, Lupita, the eldest, fights in the UFC. The World Champion, however, didn’t start her journey with wrestling, but rugby. In fact, she just picked up wrestling to sharpen her rugby skills. Godinez said, “I thought wrestling would be the perfect sport to help with my tackling technique, but then I totally fell in love with wrestling and that was that.” The wrestling world has witnessed the stellar rise of Godinez and her unlimited tenacity. After her interview with Olympics.com, the wrestling champion will now look forward to competing at the Olympics as well. 

WATCH STORY – Most Decorated Olympic Athlete Who Broke Usain Bolt’s Record Goes Down Memory Lane of Her Glorious Career