Teenage wrestling star goes viral for posing and smirking while choking out opponent

Makynlee Cova's leg cradle during a wrestling match in California in December 2024. Photo by Instagram/@makynleecova

The video, which Cova posted on Instagram earlier this month, received over 380,000 likes and millions of views. Many pointed out that this is not the first time Cova did that in a wrestling match, Daily Mail reported.

The viewers also had mixed reactions to the video, as one side thought she was "cool" while others deemed her action "unsportsmanlike".

"Maybe Cova is unsportsmanlike, but that photo is cool," one user commented on Reddit.

"I think that was disrespectful to her opponent," another user replied, while one defended Cova: "Calm down everyone, she is only in high school."

Another account wrote that they had experienced a similar situation as Cova and their coach forced them to apologize to the opponent after the match.

Cova's move is called the leg cradle, with one leg clamping around her opponent's neck, while the other is clamped around the armpit. If the opponent cannot escape, they will have to accept defeat.

Cova, who appears to be in high school, has won 47 matches in her career against opponents of the same age, in addition to 20 losses, according to TrackWrestling. Of her victories, 33 matches ended by using leg cradle. Cova often shares videos of her matches on social media, with many moments of her posing with her chin on her hand and a smirk.

She became the U14 California state freestyle champion last June.