Fausz and Hemida end 2018 U23 World Championships with silver medals

BUCHAREST, Romania – The USA wrapped up the 2018 U23 World Championships on Sunday night in Bucharest, Romania, claiming two more men’s freestyle silver medals from Sean Fausz and Youssif Hemida.

In the 61 kg gold-medal match, U23 World Team alternate Fausz took on 2018 U23 European champion Magomedrasul Idrisov of Russia.

Idrisov, also the 2018 Russia Nationals champion, led 3-0 at the break. In the second period, the Russian picked up three takedowns and a gut wrench to cap off an 11-1 win. Fausz’s point came from a step out in the middle of the second period.

“I’m very excited with what I’ve accomplished,” Fausz said. “It’s a big deal to come here and walk away with a medal. I couldn’t have done this without the Wolfpack Wrestling, Titan Mercury Wrestling Club and USA Wrestling. What they do behind the scenes and in front is a big, big help.”

North Carolina State’s Fausz wraps up his 2018 U23 World Championships with a silver medal just weeks after being asked to step in for the team.

This weekend marks the Wolfpack wrestler’s second age-group World Championships as he also represented at the 2013 Cadet World Championships.

At 125 kg, Youssif Hemida of the University of Maryland battled 2015 Junior World champion Said Gamidov from Russia.

Early in the bout, Hemida had double underhooks on the Russian, but Gamidov went for a throw, putting Hemida on his back and securing the fall in 2:07.

Hemida leaves his first international tournament, a World Championships, with a silver medal around his neck.

“I’m leaving with a bitter taste in my mouth, but that’s going to motivate me,” Hemida said. “It was a teaching moment for me. It was frustrating, but overall, I felt I had a good tournament. I think I could have won it, but he was the better man today.”

Overall, the U.S. men’s freestyle team produced three medals, all silver, for a fifth-place finish with 92 points. Winning the team title was Russia, followed by Georgia, Iran and Japan.

2018 U23 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Bucharest, Romania, Nov. 12-18

Team results
1. Russia – 181
2. Georgia – 108
3. Iran – 105
4. Japan – 93
5. USA – 92 

Finals results

57 kg
GOLD: Toshihiro HASEGAWA (JPN) df. Kumar RAVI (IND), fall
BRONZE: Wanhao ZOU (CHN) df. Jack Michael MUELLER (USA), 11-9
BRONZE: Taras MARKOVYCH (UKR) df. Jahongirmirza TUROBOV (UZB), 11-6 

61 kg
GOLD: Magomedrasul IDRISOV (RUS) df. Sean FAUSZ (USA), 11-1
BRONZE: Minghu LIU (CHN) df. Iman Mokhtar SADEGHIKOUKANDEH (IRI), 3-3
BRONZE: Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU) df. Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ), 10-4

65 kg
GOLD: Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) df. Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE), 5-4
BRONZE: Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) df. Roman ASHARIN (HUN), 7-2
BRONZE: Islam DUDAEV (RUS) df. Morteza Hassanali GHIASI CHEKA (IRI), 6-0

70 kg
GOLD: Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. David BAEV (RUS), 9-1
BRONZE: Enes USLU (TUR) df. Ramazon IBODOV (UZB), 4-2
BRONZE: Jintaro MOTOYAMA (JPN) df. Oleksii BORUTA (UKR), 9-2 

74 kg
GOLD: Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) df. Maxim VASILIOGLO (ROU), fall
BRONZE: Timur BIZHOEV (RUS) df. Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK), 5-2 
BRONZE: Navid ZANGANEH (IRI) df. Andranik GABRIELYAN (ARM), 10-0

79 kg
GOLD: Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO) df. Gadzhi NABIEV (RUS), 3-0
BRONZE: Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM) df. Isa SHAPIEV (UZB), 13-3
BRONZE: Omaraskhab NAZHMUDINOV (ROU) df. Yajuro YAMASAKI (JPN), 9-8

86 kg
GOLD: Kamran Ghorban GHASEMPOUR (IRI) df. Artur NAIFONOV (RUS), 4-1
BRONZE: Murad SULEYMANOV (AZE) df. Alexander MOORE (CAN), 10-0
BRONZE: Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) df. Arif OZEN (TUR), 4-1

92 kg
GOLD: Shamil ZUBAIROV (AZE) df. Aslanbek SOTIEV (RUS), 13-8
BRONZE: Bohdan HRYTSAY (UKR) df. Sargis HOVSEPYAN (ARM), 4-0
BRONZE: Hossein SHAHBAZIGAZVAR (IRI) df. Irakli MTSITURI (GEO), 4-2

97 kg
GOLD: Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) df. Kollin MOORE (USA), 10-0
BRONZE: Igor OVSIANNIKOV (RUS) df. Magamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR), 6-0
BRONZE: Ali Khalil SHABANIBENGAR (IRI) df. Chaoqiang YANG (CHN), 11-0

125 kg
GOLD: Said GAMIDOV (RUS) df. Youssif HEMIDA (USA), fall
BRONZE: Amin TAHERI (IRI) df. Kamil Tomasz KOSCIOLEK (POL), fall
BRONZE: Rolandi ANDRIADZE (GEO) df. Yasuhiro YAMAMOTO (JPN), 4-0

U.S. men’s freestyle draws
57 kg: Jack Mueller (Dallas, Texas/Cavalier WC) - FIFTH
WIN Darthe Capellan (Canada), 13-3
LOSS Toshihiro Hasewaga (Japan), 9-4
WIN Alireza Sarlak (Iran), 16-15
LOSS Wanhao Zhou (China), 11-9

61 kg: Sean Fausz (Alexandria, Ky./Wolfpack WC) – SILVER
WIN Joshua Bodnarchuk (Canada), 12-2
WIN Minghu Liu (China), 9-4
WIN Iman Sadeghikoukandeh (Iran), 2-0
LOSS Magomedrasul Idrisov (Russia), 11-1

65 kg: Colton McCrystal (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa/Nebraska WTC) - SEVENTH
WIN Nurgazy Abdurazakov (Kyrgyzstan), fall 5:09
WIN Haji Ali (Bahrain), 14-4
LOSS Morteza Ghiasi Cheka (Iran), 10-0

70 kg: Hayden Hidlay (Lewistown, Pa./Wolfpack WC) - NINTH
WIN Alexander Chaves (Canada), 10-0
LOSS David Baev (Russia), 6-5
LOSS Aidyn Tazhigali (Kazakhstan), 4-4

74 kg: Alex Smythe (Eden, N.Y./Univ. of Buffalo) – dnp/18th
LOSS Tyler Rowe (Canada), 6-2

79 kg: David McFadden (West Milford, N.J./Southeast RTC) - SEVENTH
WIN Muhammet Kucukyildirim (Turkey), 12-4
WIN Uladzislau Yeliseyeu (Belarus), 10-0
LOSS Isa Shapiev (Uzbekistan), 12-9

86 kg: Myles Martin (Penns Grove, N.J./Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) – dnp/11th
WIN Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan), 9-6
LOSS Gankhuyang Gabaantar (Mongolia), 6-1

92 kg: Christian Brunner (East Dundee, Ill./Boilermaker RTC) – 10th
WIN Zoltan Gergen (Romania), 10-0
LOSS Bogdan Hrytsay (Ukraine), 1:47

97 kg: Kollin Moore (Burbank, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) - SILVER
WIN Igor Ovsiannikov (Russia), 6-5
WIN Nishan Randhawa (Canada), 10-0
WIN Yunus Dede (Turkey), 11-1
WIN Magamed Zakariiev (Ukraine), 10-8
LOSS Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia), 10-0

125 kg: Youssif Hemida (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Terrapin WC) - SILVER
WIN Yasuhiro Yamamoto (Japan), 6-1
WIN Samhan Jabrailov (Moldova), fall 3:24
WIN Rolandi Andriadze (Georgia), 4-2
LOSS Said Gamidov (Russia), fall 2:03