Photo courtesy of USA Wrestling
ISTANBUL, Turkey - In a remarkable turn of events, Jordyn Raney has secured a spot in the gold-medal finals at the 2023 U17 World Championships in Greco-Roman wrestling. Raney's victory in the semifinals was nothing short of extraordinary, as he overcame the challenge posed by Mohammadreza Gholamreza Gholami of Iran, the silver medalist at the 2021 U17 World Championships. The match was a rollercoaster of emotions, with Raney initially taking the lead with a score of 1-0 in the first period. However, Gholami fought back fiercely, executing a powerful throw that earned him four points and put him in the lead with a score of 5-1. Undeterred, Raney displayed incredible resilience and determination. He retaliated with a four-point throw of his own, only to be reversed for two points when he attempted a head pinch turn. Nevertheless, Raney refused to back down and managed to secure two more points, bringing the scoreboard to 9-7 in his favor. However, upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the score was actually tied at 7-7, with Raney winning based on criteria. Gholami challenged the decision, but his appeal was ultimately denied, granting Raney a hard-fought 8-7 victory.
Raney's next opponent in the gold-medal finals will be Suraj, the reigning U17 World champion from India, who also clinched a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Championships. This is a monumental moment for Raney, a rising star hailing from Kentucky, as it marks his debut on the international stage.
Meanwhile, two other U.S. wrestlers have been given a second chance in the repechage round, scheduled for Tuesday morning. This round will provide them with an opportunity to fight their way back into contention for a bronze medal in the evening.
At 65 kg, Billy Greenwood has been granted a spot in the repechage after his initial defeat in the opening round. His opponent, Yusif Ahmadli of Azerbaijan, advanced to the semifinals with a technical fall victory. Greenwood's first repechage match will see him face off against Athanasios Efthymiadis of Greece, the 2021 Balkans silver medalist. Should Greenwood emerge victorious, he will then have to win another repechage match against Octavian Cernetchi of Moldova in order to secure a place in the bronze-medal match against Islombek Karimjonov of Uzbekistan.
Similarly, Nicholas Sahakian, competing in the 110 kg category, has also been granted a chance at redemption in the repechage round. Sahakian's defeat in the quarterfinals came at the hands of Ronak of India, who subsequently won his semifinal bout. Sahakian's repechage match will be against Tomas Rusi of Finland, who finished fifth in the 2023 European U17 Championships. If Sahakian emerges victorious, he will then face Eldar Emirov, an Individual Neutral Athlete, in the bronze-medal round.
Unfortunately, two U.S. wrestlers were eliminated from the competition after the athletes who defeated them in the first round were themselves defeated in the semifinals. Ezekiel Witt, competing in the 48 kg category, was knocked out following Edgar Petrosyan's loss in the semifinals. Similarly, Adam Waters, who displayed great promise with two wins in the 80 kg category, was unable to proceed to the repechage round as Eleftherios Pappas of Greece lost in the semifinals.
As for the remaining U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers, their competition will commence on Tuesday. Henry Aslikyan will compete in the 45 kg category, Hudson Loges in the 51 kg category, Sam Herring in the 60 kg category, Arvin Khosravy in the 71 kg category, and Aiden Cooley in the 92 kg category. Notably, Aslikyan achieved a fifth-place finish at the 2022 U17 World Championships.
The first session of their matches will begin at 11:00 a.m. local time, which is seven hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern time zone.
A live stream is available exclusively for the U.S. audience on FloWrestling.com. Additionally, brackets and real-time results can be accessed through Flo Arena.
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