By Richard Immel
USA Wrestling

ZAGREB, Croatia – There’s a new sheriff at 86 kg, and his name is Zahid Valencia.

The 28-year-old California native capped his incredible run to World supremacy with a decisive, 12-0, technical fall over Japan’s Hayato Ishiguro. Replicating his performance from yesterday, Valencia was aggressive from the jump, converting takedown after takedown, five in fact, throughout the gold medal match.

The win on Sunday night at Arena Zagreb cemented one of the best U.S. performances we’ve ever seen at a World Championships. Valencia shut out all five of his international opponents, put up 49 total match points, and ended four matches early by technical fall. The only match to go to a decision came in the semifinals, 7-0, against two-time World champion Kamran Ghasempour of Iran. He proved to the world, no one is on his level.

Valencia’s gold is the first U.S. medal of the 2025 World Championships. He was the only member of men’s freestyle group one to find a place on the medal stand.

It was a tough result for 18-year-old Jax Forrest in the 61 kg bronze medal bout. A wild, back-and-forth affair against Kazakhstan’s Assylzhan Yessengeldi saw multiple challenges, a bevy of points, and last second antics, culminating with a 10-8 Yessengeldi win.

While disheartening in the moment, Forrest proved he could hang with the best in the world this week in Zagreb. He collected impressive three preliminary wins and pushed 2020 Olympic champion, and now three-time World champion, Zavur Uguev of UWW to the brink in the semifinals. The young, U.S. talent returns home with an admirable fifth-place finish as he enters his senior year of high school at Bishop McCort.

Missing out on medal match opportunities in men’s freestyle group one were reigning U20 World champion PJ Duke at 70 kg and 2023 U23 World champion Wyatt Hendrickson at 125 kg. Duke went 1-1 and fell in the quarters to returning World champion Nurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan. He earned a 11th place finish, notably coming in one spot shy of scoring team points. Hendrickson dropped his opener to UWW athlete Abdulla Kurbanov and also finished outside the top ten.

After four weight classes, the U.S. has amassed 35 team points to sit in fourth place overall. Iran holds the top spot with 60 points, followed by Azerbaijan with 58 points and Japan with 45 points.

For a complete match-by-match breakdown of the evening session for Team USA in Zagreb, browse our day two match notes.

Earlier in the day, American’s Levi Haines and Trent Hidlay pushed through to the World finals at 79 kg and 92 kg, David Carr was pulled into the repechage at 74 kg, and Spencer Lee missed out on the repechage at 57 kg. Notably, all four made the quarterfinal round.

The tournament resumes at 10:30 a.m. local time on Monday with men’s freestyle group two (57-74-79-92 kg) repechage, men’s freestyle group three (65-97 kg) preliminary rounds and women’s freestyle group one (55-59 kg) preliminary rounds. Real Woods, Kyle Snyder, Cristelle Rodriguez and Jacarra Winchester take the mats for the first time tomorrow morning for Team USA. Zagreb, Croatia, is in the GMT +2 time zone, which is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. 

The Senior World Championships are streaming live on FloWrestling.com to the U.S. market. Brackets and updated results are available on UWW Arena.

USA Wrestling will provide regular updates on TheMat.com and its social media platforms throughout the event.

2025 Senior World Championships 

At Zagreb, Croatia, September 13 

Quick Links 

• Event Hub

• Live Stream

• Brackets and Results
  

Men’s Freestyle Results 

Team Rankings (After Four Weights) 

1. Iran, 60

2. Azerbaijan, 58

3. Japan, 45

4. United States, 35

5. Kazakhstan, 34

6. Kyrgyzstan, 21

7. Mongolia, 20

8. Bahrain, 15

9. Poland, 15

10. Hungary, 14

Final Results (Group One) 

61 kg 

Gold – Zavur Uguev (UWW)

Silver – Ahmad Mohammadnezhadjavan (Iran)

Bronze – Assylzhan Yessengeldi (Kazakhstan)

Bronze – Nuraddin Novruzov (Azerbaijan)

5th – Jax Forrest (United States)

5th – Kum Hyok Kim (North Korea)

7th – Kamil Kerymov (Ukraine)

8th – Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)

9th – Dzmitry Shamela (UWW)

10th – Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania)

Gold – Zavur Uguev (UWW) dec. Ahmad Mohammadnezhadjavan (Iran), 11-2

Bronze – Assylzhan Yessengeldi (Kazakhstan) dec. Jax Forrest (United States), 10-8

Bronze – Nuraddin Novruzov (Azerbaijan) fall Kum Hyok Kim (North Korea), 2:18

70 kg 

Gold – Yoshinosuke Aoyagi (Japan)

Silver – Tulga Tumur Ochir (Mongolia)

Bronze – Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan)

Bronze – Nurkozha Kaipanov (Kazakhstan)

5th – Arman Andreasyan (Armenia)

5th – Vasile Diacon (Moldova)

7th – Kanan Heybatov (Azerbaijan)

8th – Austin Gomez (Mexico)

9th – Ismail Musukaev (Hungary)

10th – Saiyn Kazyryk (UWW)

Gold – Yoshinosuke Aoyagi (Japan) dec. Tulga Tumur Ochir (Mongolia), 5-1

Bronze – Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan) dec. Arman Andreasyan (Armenia), 8-2

Bronze – Nurkozha Kaipanov (Kazakhstan) tech. fall Vasile Diacon (Moldova), 13-2

86 kg 

Gold – Zahid Valencia (United States)

Silver – Hayato Ishiguro (Japan)

Bronze – Kamran Ghasempour (Iran)

Bronze – Arsenii Dzhioev (Azerbaijan)

5th – Mukul Dahiya (India)

5th – Rakhim Magamadov (France)

7th – Ivars Samusonok (Latvia)

8th – Mukhammed Aliiev (Ukraine)

9th – Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan)

10th – Ibragim Kadiev (UWW)

Gold – Zahid Valencia (United States) tech. fall Hayato Ishiguro (Japan), 12-0

Bronze – Kamran Ghasempour (Iran) tech. fall Mukul Dahiya (India), 10-0

Bronze – Arsenii Dzhioev (Azerbaijan) dec. Rakhim Magamadov (France), 7-0

125 kg 

Gold – Amir Zare (Iran)

Silver – Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan)

Bronze – Robert Baran (Poland)

Bronze – Shamil A Sharipov (Bahrain)

5th – Vlagyiszlav Bajcajev (Hungary)

5th – Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico)

7th – Mohsen Siyar (Germany)

8th – Solomon Manashvili (Georgia)

9th – Abdulla Kurbanov (UWW)

10th – Alen Khubulov (Bulgaria)

Gold – Amir Zare (Iran) dec. Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan), 5-0

Bronze – Robert Baran (Poland) dec. Vlagyiszlav Bajcajev (Hungary), 5-0

Bronze – Shamil A Sharipov (Bahrain) fall Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico), 4:07

U.S. Men’s Freestyle Results 

Group One 

61 kg – Jax Forrest (Johnstown, Pa./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC), 5th Place

WIN Sangboum Han (Korea), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Takara Suda (Japan), 7-2

WIN Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan), 13-8

LOSS Zavur Uguev (UWW), 10-3

LOSS Assylzhan Yessengeldi (Kazakhstan), 10-8

70 kg – PJ Duke (Slate Hill, N.Y./KD Training Center/Titan Mercury WC), 11th Place

WIN Shuang Chen (China), tech. fall, 11-0

LOSS Nurkozha Kaipanov (Kazakhstan), 11-7

86 kg – Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC), Gold Medal 

WIN Mukul Dahiya (India), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Fateh Benferdjallah (Algeria), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Ivars Samusonok (Latvia), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Kamran Ghasempour (Iran), 7-0

WIN Hayato Ishiguro (Japan), tech. fall, 12-0

125 kg – Wyatt Hendrickson (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/U.S. Air Force WCAP), 17th Place

LOSS Abdulla Kurbanov (UWW), tech. fall, 14-4

Group Two 

57 kg – Spencer Lee (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC), Eliminated 

WIN Yusuf Demir (Turkey), tech. fall, 10-0

LOSS Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia), tech. fall, 14-3

74 kg –David Carr (Ames, Iowa/Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC), Repechage 

WIN Rasul Shapiev (North Macedonia), 9-5

WIN Ramazan Ramazanov (Bulgaria), tech. fall, 10-0

LOSS Chermen Valiev (Albania), 7-5

VS Tugsjargal Erdenebat (Mongolia) or Ibragim Veliev (Belgium)

79 kg –Levi Haines (Arendtsville, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC), Gold Medal Match 

WIN Khidir Kurban A Saipudinov (Bahrain), 5-2

WIN Bumgue Seo (Korea), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Akhmed Usmanov (UWW), 3-2

WIN Suldkhuu Olonbayar (Mongolia), 4-1

VS Georgios Kougioumtsidis (Greece)

92 kg – Trent Hidlay (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC), Gold Medal Match 

WIN Redjep Hajdari (North Macedonia), tech. fall, 11-1

WIN Samuel Scherrer (Switzerland), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Miriani Maisuradze (Georgia), 6-1

WIN Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan), tech. fall, 15-4

VS Amanula Gadzhimagomedov (UWW)