Fix bags bronze to end U.S. run at 2016 Junior World Championships in France

2016 Junior World bronze medalist in men's freestyle Daton Fix (USA). Photo: Justin Hoch, JHoch.com.

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MACON, France – First-year Junior Daton Fix sent the U.S. home from the 2016 Junior World Championships in style on Sunday, picking up a bronze in men’s freestyle at 55 kg/121 lbs.

Standing opposite the electric American youngster was two-time Cadet World champion Andriy Yatsenko of Ukraine. Yatsenko has medaled at four Senior-level tournaments in 2016, including a finals appearance at the European Championships.

Fix came out firing from the first whistle against the well-versed Ukrainian, scoring two electrifying takedowns to take a 4-0 lead. Yatsenko struck on a low-level single to cut the lead in half, but that’s as close as the Ukrainian would get. Fix rode his offense to three second period takedowns and a 10-3 win.

“Coming back like that, it shows something,” Fix said moments after securing the bronze. “It gives me a lot of confidence, just those last three matches, especially that last match because that guy, he’s a good wrestler. He actually won my weight in 2014 when I was there, so that means I’m improving every year. That’s just what I have to keep doing.”

Americans Zahid Valencia and Alec Pantaleo added to the team score with top-10 finishes. In his second trip to the Junior World Championships, Valencia rode two technical fall victories to a seventh place finish at 84 kg/185 lbs. Going 1-1 on the day at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Pantaleo catapulted to 10th place overall in large part to winning his first match by fall.

2014 Cadet World silver medalist Jordan Wood wound up one placement shy of scoring team points, sitting in 11th overall at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.

“Well any time at a World Championships, the last match you wrestle you can end with a win, you know, end with a medal, that’s a positive thing,” said U.S. freestyle coach Brandon Slay. “This age group needs to realize, I know it’s tough for them, some of these guys didn’t accomplish their dreams, but they have to keep the perspective of hey, this is a journey towards being a Senior World champion. This is a journey towards being an Olympic champion.”

Winning gold medals on the final day of wrestling in France were Afgan Khashalov of Azerbaijan at 55 kg, Enes Uslu of Turkey at 66 kg, Arsen-Ali Musalaliev of Russia at 84 kg and Kazbek Khubulov of Russia at 120 kg.

Russia earned 66 team points with two champions, two runners-up and three bronze medalists to finish well ahead of second place Azerbaijan in the team race. Turkey, Iran and the United States round out the top five Junior men’s freestyle teams for 2016.

“I believe as we analyze each and every one of these weights we really could have been one of the top three teams in the world here, but some little mistakes cost us. Hopefully these guys take these lessons home with them, with their coaches, and they continue to progress,” said Slay.

Across all three international styles contested at the Junior Worlds this week the U.S. won an impressive eight medals, and went a perfect 8-0 in medal matches. Greco-Roman opened the week with bronze medals from Taylor LaMont and G’Angelo Hancock. The women’s freestyle squad picked up bronze’s from Kayla Miracle, Alexis Porter and Maya Nelson. On the men’s freestyle side Spencer Lee and Mark Hall struck gold in addition to Fix’s bronze.

All matches from the 2016 Junior World Championships will be archived on Flowrestling.org. For complete brackets and match-by-match results visit unitedworldwrestling.org.

2016 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Aug. 30 – Sept. 4 in Macon, France

Team Standings
1. Russia 66
2. Azerbaijan 47
3. Turkey 43
4. Iran 37
5. United States 36
6. Georgia 29
7. Japan 24
8. Uzbekistan 20
9. India 19
10. Kazakhstan 18

Final Results
55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold – Afgan Khashalov (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Khasanhuesin Badrudinov (Russia)
Bronze – Daton Fix (United States)
Bronze – Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan)
5th – Andriy Yatsenko (Ukraine)
5th – Takumi Tashiro (Japan)
7th – Mikyay Naim (Bulgaria)
8th – Daniel Popov (Israel)
9th – Zhainak Turgunbaev (Kyrgyzstan)
10th – Darthe Capellan (Canada)

Gold – Afgan Khashalov (Azerbaijan) dec. Khasanhuesin Badrudinov (Russia), 12-5
Bronze – Daton Fix (United States) dec. Andriy Yatsenko (Ukraine), 10-3
Bronze – Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) dec. Takumi Tashiro (Japan), 10-8

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Gold – Enes Uslu (Turkey)
Silver – Akhmed Usmanov (Russia)
Bronze – Yuhi Fujinami (Japan)
Bronze – Orkhan Abasov (Azerbaijan)
5th – Vikas (India)
5th – Valentin Sanfratello (France)
7th – Ilyas Zhumay (Kazakhstan)
8th – Maxim Sacultan (Moldova)
9th – Dzhemal Ali (Bulgaria)
10th – Alec Pantaleo (United States)

Gold – Enes Uslu (Turkey) dec. Akhmed Usmanov (Russia), 7-5
Bronze – Yuhi Fujinami (Japan) fall Vikas (India)
Bronze – Orkhan Abasov (Azerbaijan) dec. Valentin Sanfratello (France), 8-4

84 kg/185 lbs.
Gold – Arsen-Ali Musalaliev (Russia)
Silver – Osman Gocen (Turkey)
Bronze – Gadzhimurad Magomedsaidov (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Dzianis Khramiankou (Belarus)
5th – Krzysztof Sadowik (Poland)
5th – Majid Muratov (Uzbekistan)
7th – Zahid Valencia (United States)
8th – Meki Simonia (Georgia)
9th – Almas Zhunis (Kazakhstan)
10th – Meruzhan Nikoyan (Argentina)

Gold – Arsen-Ali Musalaliev (Russia) tech. fall Osman Gocen (Turkey), 13-2
Bronze – Gadzhimurad Magomedsaidov (Azerbaijan) dec. Krzysztof Sadowik (Poland), 5-0
Bronze – Dzianis Khramiankou (Belarus) dec. Majid Muratov (Uzbekistan), 6-2

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Gold – Kazbek Khubulov (Russia)
Silver – Umar Israilov (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Amir Amiri (Iran)
Bronze – Huseyin Civelek (Turkey)
5th – Kamil Kosciolek (Poland)
5th – Mihaly Nagy (Hungary)
7th – Zuriko Urtashvili (Georgia)
8th – Abhijeet Katake (India)
9th – Zhassulan Yermenbet (Kazakhstan)
10th – Khaled Abdalla (Egypt)

Gold – Kazbek Khubulov (Russia) fall Umar Israilov (Azerbaijan), 4:21
Bronze – Amir Amiri (Iran) dec. Kamil Kosciolek (Poland), 7-2
Bronze – Huseyin Civelek (Turkey) dec. Mihaly Nagy (Hungary), 4-0

U.S. men’s freestyle results
55 kg/121 lbs. – Daton Fix, Sand Springs, Okla. (Team BIG), Bronze
LOSS Khasankhusein Badrudinov (Russia), 9-6
WIN Darthe Capellan (Canada), 10-0
WIN Mikyay Naim (Bulgaria), 10-0
WIN Andriy Yatsenko (Ukraine), 10-3

66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Alec Pantaleo, Canton, Mich. (Michigan RTC), 10th
WIN Giorgi Sulava (Georgia), Fall 1:03
LOSS Vikas (India), 12-1

84 kg/185 lbs. – Zahid Valencia, Pico Rivera, Calif. (Sunkist Kids), 7th
WIN Mark Markarian (Ukraine), 11-1
WIN Meki Simonia (Georgia), 13-2
LOSS Gadzhimurad Magomedsaidov (Azerbaijan), 5-4

120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Jordan Wood, Gilbertsville, Pa. (Lehigh Valley WC), 11th
LOSS Kamil Kosciolek (Poland), 6-2