Imagine starting your wrestling career in a country where the sport is virtually unknown. There’s no established wrestling community, and no local competitors to test your skills against. You’re training in isolation, building your foundation from the ground up, all while competing in an environment where you’re often the only wrestler in the room. That was the reality we faced when we first started. But despite the odds, we transformed from underdogs in an unsupported system to competing at the highest level of the most physically demanding sport in the world. It wasn’t an easy path. Every step required us to seek out resources, adapt our training, and create our own blueprint for success—one that not only allowed us to rise to the top but to outwork and outthink athletes from powerhouse countries with deep wrestling traditions. It took grit, innovation, and a relentless belief that we could carve our own path. And we did. Our journey is proof that with the right strategies and mindset, anything is possible.

We are Marcel and Tyrone Sterkenburg: twins competing at the highest levels in wrestling. As kids, our father took us to his boxing training sessions where he pushed himself to the limit every day. He wanted to be stronger, faster and smarter than the training before, even if it's an inch. Rock-solid discipline, that's what we looked up to. Our father introduced us to martial arts, but while boxing is his greatest passion, wrestling turned out to be ours. We see wrestling as a form of art due to the technical throws that are performed in flowing, but at the same time, with pressure and tight movements. At the Junior World Championships we managed to get the first gold and silver medals in the history of our country. We practice, fall, get back up and work our way to the top. At home we learned that by treating people with respect, staying loyal to each other and working hard, anything is possible.