In Illinois, a high school wrestler was subjected to a sucker punch by his opponent after winning the match.
The young athlete attempted to shake hands with his opponent as a gesture of good sportsmanship, but was sucker-punched in the face and knocked down to the ground.
The incident, which occurred at the “Beat The Streets” tournament at Oak Park River Forest High School, has gone viral on social media, and police are now investigating the matter.
The tournament involved children aged between eight and 18 from the local area.
After the match ended with a score of 14-2, the two competitors were supposed to shake hands. However, the losing wrestler, wearing blue, became emotional and lashed out with a big right-hand punch, striking his opponent in the face and causing him to fall to the ground.
The referee intervened quickly, pulling the aggressor away, while other spectators came to the victim’s aid. The young athlete sustained a nose injury, but it was not too serious, and he has returned to training, according to Justin Pearch, founder of SPAR Academy.
The incident has been widely condemned, and SPAR Academy has stated that such behavior is not tolerated in wrestling and will never be condoned. The video of the incident has been shared on social media, and many have expressed their disapproval of the attacker’s actions.
The police are investigating the incident, and the parents of both minors are reportedly cooperating with the authorities.