4-year-old wrestler adopts adorable strategy that includes running around mat in circles to avoid opponent

Instagram/momthingx3

The most adorable sports highlight of 2017 comes to us from a children’s wrestling match in Pennsylvania, where 4-year-old Isaiah Lineberry decided that rather than actually wrestling his opponent he would instead run around the mat in circles.

Why did Isaiah Lineberry run around the mat in circles?

“I asked him afterwards, ‘So why did you run?'” Isaiah’s mother, Alexis Salyers, told ABC News. “And he said, ‘I don’t know, Mommy, but it was silly.'”

There’s not much more to say, other than Isaiah is correct that it is very silly.

Here, then, for your viewing pleasure, is the video (captured by Isaiah’s grandmother and posted to Instagram by his mother):

According to Isaiah’s mom, this happened during his first-ever wrestling tournament. She speculates that the older girl intimidated him.

She also wondered if the crowd’s enjoyment of his bold running strategy wound up encouraging him.

“He knows what to do,” Salyers said. “He just let loose and the entire crowd started busting out laughing.”