U.S. Comes up Short on the First 2 Days of Greco at 2026 Senior Worlds

2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships
Astana, Kazakhstan, October 24 – November 1

Team USA Fails to qualify for any medals from groups one and two in Greco-Roman wrestling at the UWW Senior World Championship.

Gold Medal Match Pairings
Greco-Roman | Group One
55 kg – Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) vs. Payam Ahmadi Balootaki (Iran)
60 kg – Ali Ahmadi Vafa (Iran) vs. Koto Gomi (Japan)
77 kg – Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) vs. Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova)
82 kg – Gholamreza Farokhisenjani (Iran) vs. Yuksel Saricicek (Türkiye)

Semifinal Results
Greco-Roman | Group One
55 kg
Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) dec. Vakhtang Lolua (Georgia), 5-1
Payam Ahmadi Balootaki (Iran) dec. Iskhar Kurbayev (Kazakhstan), 7-1

60 kg
Ali Ahmadi Vafa (Iran) dec. Alisher Ganiev (Uzbekistan), 8-3
Koto Gomi (Japan) dec. Aidos Sultangali (Kazakhstan), 5-1

77 kg
Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) dec. Ali Oskou (Iran), 2-0
Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova) fall Stoyan Kubatov (Bulgaria), 1:06

82 kg
Gholamreza Farokhisenjani (Iran) dec. Gamzat Gadzhiev (Russia), 3-3
Yuksel Saricicek (Türkiye) dec. Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan), 6-0

Medal Match Pairings
Greco-Roman | Group One
55 kg
Gold – Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) vs. Payam Ahmadi Balootaki (Iran)
Bronze – Vakhtang Lolua (Georgia) vs. Davaabandi Munkh Erdene (Mongolia)
Bronze – Iskhar Kurbayev (Kazakhstan) vs. Lalit (India)

60 kg
Gold – Ali Ahmadi Vafa (Iran) vs. Koto Gomi (Japan)
Bronze – Alisher Ganiev (Uzbekistan) vs. Abdolmohammad Papi (Uzbekistan)
Bronze – Aidos Sultangali (Kazakhstan) vs. Liguo Cao (China)

77 kg
Gold – Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) vs. Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova)
Bronze – Ali Oskou (Iran) vs. Doniyorkhon Nakibov (Uzbekistan)
Bronze – Stoyan Kubatov (Bulgaria) vs. Shuai Mamedau (Belarus)

82 kg
Gold – Gholamreza Farokhisenjani (Iran) vs. Yuksel Saricicek (Türkiye)
Bronze – Gamzat Gadzhiev (Russia) vs. Mihail Bradu (Moldova)
Bronze – Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) vs. Halishan Bahejiang (China)

Semifinal Pairings
Greco-Roman | Group Two
72 kg
Krisztian Vancza (Hungary) vs. Iuri Lomadze (Georgia)
Seyed Sohrabi (Iran) vs. Mingiian Goriaev (Russia)

97 kg
Kiril Milov (Bulgaria) vs. Kiryl Maskevich (Belarus)
Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran) vs. Artur Sargsian (Russia)

130 kg
Darius Vitek (Hungary) vs. Pavel Hlinchuk (Belarus)
Fardin Hedayati (Iran) vs. Elias Kuosmanen (Finland)

U.S. Greco-Roman Results
Group One
55 kg – Max Nowry (Washington, Ill./Illinois RTC/New York AC), eliminated
WIN Nazarmamad Rakhmonbekov (Tajikistan), tech. fall, 11-2

LOSS Payam Ahmadi Balootaki (Iran), tech. fall, 10-1

LOSS Lalit (India), 7-0

60 kg – Dalton Roberts (Fountain, Colo./Army WCAP), eliminated
LOSS Razvan Arnaut (Romania), tech. fall, 9-0

77 kg – Joel Adams (Omaha, Neb./Beaver Dam Wrestling RTC), eliminated
LOSS Stoyan Kubatov (Bulgaria), 3-1

82 kg – Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP), eliminated
LOSS Halishan Bahejiang (China), 4-2

Group Two
72 kg – Benji Peak (Colorado Springs, Colo./Position Wrestling/New York AC), eliminated
WIN Aliaksandr Liavonchyk (Belarus), 4-1
LOSS Mingiian Goriaev (Russia), 5-4

97 kg – Timothy Young (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP), eliminated
LOSS Matej Mandic (Croatia), 4-3

130 kg – Cohlton Schultz (Tempe, Ariz./Southwest WC/New York AC), eliminated
LOSS Abdellatif Mohamed (Egypt), 1-1