TUCSON, Ariz. — When you're 13-years-old some of the biggest concerns are school, making friends and extra curricular activities. For one Tucson teen, she's focused on the wrestling mat and inspiring the next generation of female wrestlers.
"They didn't really accept me, because I was a girl wrestler it was different for them," wrestler Audrey Jimenez said. "To be able to train in a sport that's not really meant for girls and you can like stand out."
Audrey has never seen her gender as an obstacle when wrestling for the gold.
Audrey Jimenez is not your average 13-year-old girl...
— Veronika Vernachio (@vvernachio) September 4, 2019
She’s been taking down people on the mat for the past two years. Catch the story of this dedicated Tucson wrestler tomorrow morning on @kgun9 pic.twitter.com/5jI5tADQBl
"It's all up to you about how much you want it," Jimenez said.
Jimenez has been training at Sunnyside High school with the boys varsity team since she was 11.
"She said I want to be the best I can be. I want to be better then anybody that has ever come out of here," Michael Bravo, Audrey's coach at Sunnyside, said.
Audrey stuck to her words from day one and started training six days a week, before and after school. Her teammates soon saw her hard work pay off.
"They realized, oh she's actually good, why treat her any different," Jimenez said.
Her coach said she shows up every day and defies the odds.
"She trains like nobody's business. She works harder than anyone else in the room," Bravo said.
Audrey won her first national championship this past summer.
"I get nervous before any tournament, but I also just remind myself to just be confident," Jimenez said. "I've trained hard, trained for that moment then I should do good and just wrestle my best and no matter the outcome I have no regrets."
The 13-year-old may only be in the eighth grade, but from her workouts to her competitions. Her eyes are on one goal: the 2024 Olympics.
KGUN9 will be following her story as she continues to represent Tucson across the world.
