By Richard Immel
USA Wrestling
PONTEVEDRA, Spain – The U.S. earned three Greco-Roman medals on Tuesday evening at the 2024 U20 World Championships—a pair of runner-up finishes from Isaiah Cortez and Otto Black, plus a bronze medal run by Aden Attao.

After exceptional runs yesterday at Pontevedra Municipal Sports Hall, both Cortez and Black fell short in the gold medal round. Cortez was defeated by 2022 U17 World champion Ali Ahmadi Vafa of Iran, 11-3. Black was downed by U20 European champion Erzu Zakriev, an individual neutral athlete, 8-0.

Cortez found himself down by seven points early in the 55 kg finals after being put down for passivity, surrendering a pair of gut-wrenches, and getting hit with an arm spin takedown on the edge of the mat. He captured some momentum with a neutral exposure sequence at the end of the first period, and pushed the pace hard in the second frame, but was unable to complete the comeback.

In the 63 kg gold medal showdown, Zakriev picked up right where he left off yesterday. He put the pressure on Black, scoring a pair of step outs, mixed with two takedowns and a correct throw attempt from top, to get the win over the talented young American.

Adding a bronze medal to the U.S. haul was 130 kg representative Attao, who won two repechage bouts on Tuesday morning before icing the bronze with a slick pin against individual neutral athlete Aleksandr Melekhov. Attao now holds two U20 World bronze medals in the Greco-Roman style.

It didn’t come easy for Attao in the bronze medal showdown. He trailed 3-0 after the first two minutes of the contest, giving up two step-out points and a passivity call to Melekhov. After nearly countering a Melekhov over/under slip throw attempt to his back, Attao went over/under himself and landed the knockout punch in 3:13, pinning for the win.

Two Americans entered the semifinal session with repechage hopes after dropping a preliminary round match—Cory Land at 60 kg and Arian Khosravy at 82 kg. Unfortunately, neither Land nor Khosravy were pulled back into the tournament. The U.S. will not have a Greco-Roman group two athlete competing tomorrow for a medal.

The U20 World Championships continue tomorrow at 10 a.m. local time with the Greco-Roman group two (60-67-72-82-97 kg) repechage and the qualification rounds for women’s freestyle group one (50-55-59-68-76 kg). Pontevedra, Spain, is located six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

A full set of brackets and match-by-match results is available on UWW Arena. A live broadcast of the event is available for the U.S. market at FloWrestling.com.

Stay tuned to TheMat.com and USA Wrestling’s social media platforms for complete coverage of the U20 World Championships. 

2024 U20 World Championships | Sept. 2, Pontevedra, Spain

Greco-Roman Results

Final Results (Group One)

55 kg

Gold – Ali Ahmadi Vafa (Iran)

Silver – Isaiah Cortez (United States)

Bronze – Alibek Amirov (Individual Neutral Athlete)

Bronze – Aibek Aitbekov (Kazakhstan)

5th – Rahim Hasanov (Azerbaijan)

5th – Maxim Sarmanov (Moldova)

7th – Barsbek Asankozhoev (Kyrgyzstan)

8th – Giorgi Kochalidze (Georgia)

9th – Peter Totok (Hungary)

10th – Anil Mor (India)

Gold – Ali Ahmadi Vafa (Iran) tech. fall Isaiah Cortez (United States), 11-3

Bronze – Alibek Amirov (Individual Neutral Athlete) tech. fall Rahim Hasanov (Azerbaijan), 10-0

Bronze – Aibek Aitbekov (Kazakhstan) tech. fall Maxim Sarmanov (Moldova), 10-1

63 kg

Gold – Erzu Zakriev (Individual Neutral Athlete)

Silver – Otto Black (United States)

Bronze – Yurik Hoveyan (Armenia)

Bronze – Erfan Jarkani (Iran)

5th – Enes Ulku (Turkey)

5th – Anri Khozrevanidze (Georgia)

7th – William Ekerot (Sweden)

8th – Mahammad Shukurzade (Azerbaijan)

9th – Shina Yasumi (Japan)

10th – Emirlan Duishenaliev (Kyrgyzstan)

Gold – Erzu Zakriev (Individual Neutral Athlete) tech. fall Otto Black (United States), 8-0

Bronze – Yurik Hoveyan (Armenia) dec. Enes Ulku (Turkey), 2-1

Bronze – Erfan Jarkani (Iran) dec. Anri Khozrevanidze (Georgia), 6-2

77 kg

Gold – Alireza Abdevali (Iran)

Silver – Magomed Iarbilov (Individual Neutral Athlete)

Bronze – Tornike Mikeladze (Georgia)

Bronze – Levente Levai (Hungary)

5th – Karl Baff (Sweden)

5th – Irfan Mirzoiev (Ukraine)

7th – Alexandru Solovei (Moldova)

8th – Vikke Tarkkio (Finland)

9th – Aydin Rix McElhinney (United States)

10th – Ognjen Jakovljevic (Serbia)

Gold – Alireza Abdevali (Iran) dec. Magomed Iarbilov (Individual Neutral Athlete), 3-1

Bronze – Tornike Mikeladze (Georgia) dec. Karl Baff (Sweden), 5-3

Bronze – Levente Levai (Hungary) dec. Irfan Mirzoiev (Ukraine), 3-2

87 kg

Gold – Asan Zhanyshov (Kyrgyzstan)

Silver – Joju Samadov (Azerbaijan)

Bronze – Temirlan Turdakyn (Kazakhstan)

Bronze – Achiko Bolkvadze (Georgia)

5th – Ruben Gevorgyan (Armenia)

5th – Patrik Gordan (Romania)

7th – Hamza Sertcanli (Sweden)

8th – Eleftherios Pappas (Greece)

9th – Wojciech Iwanowski (Poland)

10th – Andrija Mihajlovic (Serbia)

Gold – Asan Zhanyshov (Kyrgyzstan) tech. fall Joju Samadov (Azerbaijan), 8-0

Bronze – Temirlan Turdakyn (Kazakhstan) dec. Ruben Gevorgyan (Armenia), 3-1

Bronze – Achiko Bolkvadze (Georgia) tech. fall Patrik Gordan (Romania), 10-0

130 kg

Gold – Laszlo Darabos (Hungary)

Silver – Abolfazl Fathitazangi (Iran)

Bronze – Aden Attao (United States)

Bronze – Samagan Ormonov (Kyrgyzstan

5th – Aleksandr Melekhov (Individual Neutral Athlete)

5th – Aramayis Harutyunyan (Armenia)

7th – Cemal Bakir (Turkey)

8th – Seunggyu Min (Korea)

9th – Alan Dzabiev (Bulgaria)

10th – Artur Boichuk (Ukraine)

Gold – Laszlo Darabos (Hungary) dec. Abolfazl Fathitazangi (Iran), 5-3

Bronze – Aden Attao (United States) fall Aleksandr Melekhov (Individual Neutral Athlete), 2:46

Bronze – Samagan Ormonov (Kyrgyzstan) fall Aramayis Harutyunyan (Armenia), 1:56

Semifinal Results (Group Two)

60 kg

Mohammadmehdi Gholampour (Iran) dec. Papik Dzhavadian (AIN), 9-8

Servet Angi (Turkey) dec. Ongdassyn Khamitov (Kazakhstan), 9-8

67 kg

Yussuf Ashrapov (Kazakhstan) dec. Grair Oganesian (AIN), 7-5

Ahmadreza Mohsen Nezhad (Iran) tech. fall Kojiro Hasegawa (Japan), 10-0

72 kg

Zaur Beslekoev (AIN) dec. Muhammed Gocmen (Turkey), 1-1

Ashot Khachatryan (Armenia) dec. Ruslan Nurullayev (Azerbaijan), 4-1

82 kg

Alperen Berber (Turkey) tech. fall Taizo Yoshida (Japan), 12-0

Islam Yevloyev (Kazakhstan) forfeit Abdurakhman Abdulkadyrov (AIN)

97 kg

Darius Kiefer (Germany) fall Ahmet Eremekter (Turkey), 0:32

Yehor Yakushenko (Ukraine) dec. Anatolii Averin (AIN), 7-4

U.S. Greco-Roman Results

Group One

55 kg – Isaiah Cortez (Los Banos, Calif./Gilroy), silver medal

WIN Anil Mor (India), 9-8

WIN Peter Totok (Hungary), 7-4

WIN Maxim Sarmanov (Moldova), 9-6

WIN Aibek Aitbekov (Kazakhstan), tech. fall, 9-0

LOSS Ali Ahmadi Vafa (Iran), tech. fall, 11-3

63 kg – Otto Black (Parker, Colo./Colorado Top Team WC), silver medal

WIN Dejan Berkec (Serbia), 5-1

WIN Enes Ulku (Turkey), 7-6

WIN Yurik Hoveyan (Armenia), 7-2

LOSS Erzu Zakriev (Individual Neutral Athlete), tech. fall, 8-0

77 kg – Aydin Rix McElhinney (South Berwick, Maine/Northern Colorado WC), 9th place

LOSS Alireza Abdevali (Iran), 7-3

WIN Jixin Yu (China), 8-3

LOSS Karl Baff (Sweden), tech. fall, 9-0

87 kg – Ryder Rogotzke (Lakeland, Minn./Ohio RTC), 22nd place

LOSS Patrik Gordan (Romania), tech. fall, 8-0

130 kg – Aden Attao (Boise, Idaho/Beaver Dam RTC/New York AC), bronze medal

LOSS Laszlo Darabos (Hungary), tech. fall, 9-0

WIN Ethan Vergara (Puerto Rico), tech. fall, 8-0

WIN Cemal Bakir (Turkey), 5-5

WIN Aleksandr Melekhov (Individual Neutral Athlete), fall, 2:46

Group Two

60 kg – Cory Land (Moody, Ala./Ironclad WC), eliminated

WIN Ilias Zairakis (Greece), tech. fall, 8-0

LOSS Papik Dzhavadian (AIN), 6-4

67 kg – Joel Adams (Omaha, Neb./The Best Wrestler), eliminated

LOSS Imed Khudzhadze (Ukraine), 5-2

72 kg – Patrick Brackett (Superior, Colo./Mile High WC), eliminated

LOSS Hubert Sidoruk (Poland), fall, 0:55

82 kg – Arian Khosravy (Woodland Hills, Calif./LAWC/Chaminade), eliminated

WIN Jesper Haerkaenen (Finland), 3-0

LOSS Taizo Yoshida (Japan), 8-1

97 kg – Soren Herzog (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Force RTC), eliminatedLOSS Bekzhan Zhumabekov (Kyrgyzstan), tech. fall, 8-0