Katharina Buczek
And when it came time to pick a sport for one little girl named Markee Gomez from Indianola, Iowa, wrestling screamed her name.
Markee began practicing wrestling five years ago and has been competing for four years now. During that time, she has gone on to win the USA Championship three times and the Iowa State Title a whopping four times.
Markee’s mom, Amanda, also began sharing clips of her daughter’s wrestling matches on her TikTok account @ThatMama_Amanda in January of this year. And ever since then, the social media community has loved watching Markee take down both girls and boys on the mat.
The account has gained over one hundred and fifty thousand followers, as well as a collective nine and a half million likes. People around the globe love following along as Markee goes to practice, consistently wins matches, and answers questions about what it’s like being a female wrestler.
According to her, though, she did not go into wrestling to prove anything. Instead, Markee thought it looked like a fun sport and wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps.
Still, whether by accident or not, Markee continues to inspire young girls and adult women alike every time she steps onto the wrestling mat.
The first TikTok that Amanda ever posted of her daughter wrestling even gained over 2.2 million views and racked up over eight hundred and fifty thousand likes. There, viewers watched as Markee flipped and pinned her opponent to amazingly steal the win.
“You go, girl! Make them boys cry!” commented one user.
“This little one is fearless! I love her confidence and stance– wow!” wrote another user.
As for Markee’s advice for other people who are interested in getting started in wrestling, Markee thinks it’s important to just go for it.
“Just try your best. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose,” she said.
