Wrestler Dunia Sibomana Rodriguez Is Dominating the Wrestling Word After Horrific Attack — What Happened?

High school athlete Dunia Sibomana Rodriguez is currently dominating boys' wrestling as a student at New York's Long Beach High School, and his story is tragic yet inspirational. Dunia was just a 6-year-old when a horrifying tragedy occurred in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The tragedy resulted in Dunia coming to the United States and living with his adopted parents, wrestling coach Miguel Rodriguez and his wife, Marissa Carruci. So, what happened to the high school athlete?

Back in 2014, Dunia and his young brother and cousin were playing when they left their village and ended up near Virunga National Park. The three little boys were attacked by a group of chimpanzees — which happens often in the area as people encroach on the primates' living space — and only Dunia survived.

According to Sports Illustrated, Dunia's face was torn apart by the chimpanzees, and he underwent 15 surgeries to reattach his face.

His mother was deceased, and he'd been living on the street after being ostracized by the community. Dunia said in an ESPN documentary that he was "mistreated" after the attack.

"The first time I saw my face, it was shocking," said Dunia, per Sports Illustrated. "I was being called names, I was just being mistreated."

In 2015, Dunia came to the United States to have plastic surgery at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, but he'd left his older brother and father behind and didn't speak English. The athlete was missing his upper and lower lip, part of his cheek, and part of his right ear. He'd also lost his left middle finger.

After staying with several foster families, Dunia learned English and met Long Beach High School assistant wrestling coach Migel Rodriguez.

"I didn’t know what to expect,” said Migel about meeting his son. "He was hyper, but he was cute. He had 56 staples in his face, hundreds of stitches. And not one complaint – never. He never, ever complained about anything.”

Marissa said that she "fell in love" immediately with her son.

"The first time that I saw Dunia, I just instantly fell in love," she recalled. "We didn’t know what the future would hold, but I knew that he was going to be a part of this family."

Dunia began wrestling, and he began going to tournaments.

"I soon became pretty good at the sport," he said. "So we started going to local youth tournaments. And I just started getting better and better."

Dunia won the New York state's 102-pound Division I high school wrestling state championship when he was 14 and in the eighth grade, per Fox5 News.

"I was pretty confident going in," he said. "I'll never forget where I'm from."

"Once he found wrestling, he found his confidence. He started walking differently. He started smiling differently," said his mother.

The athlete is now ranked 13th in the High School On SI 113-pound rankings, and he is called "King Dunia" in wrestling circles.

Dunia plans to attend the University of North Carolina after he graduates, which he called his "dream school" on the website of the New York Plastic Surgical Group.

"I just felt right when I visited the school," he recalled. "The coach was just great, and I felt right at home in North Carolina. It’s where I want to spend the next four or five years of my life. I am blessed to be where I am in my life. I wouldn’t be here without my family and coaches."

His mother says Dunia is a "hero."

"I see him as a hero,” she boasted. "A champion. Someone who came through a lot of adversity. And I see a fighter. I see a survivor. I see a miracle."