U.S. Greco-Roman draws set at U20 World Championships
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
The 10 U.S. Greco-Roman athletes have received their draws for the 2023 U20 World Championships, as announced by United World Wrestling on Thursday in Amman, Jordan.
Returning U.S. World Team members Aden Attao and Max Black have both drawn opponents from Japan to start their long-awaited returns to this event. Attao, a U20 World bronze medalist, stands opposite Ayumu Iwasawa at 130 kg. Black will open against Koto Gomi at 60 kg. Gomi defeated Black, 9-0, in the repechage on his way to a fifth place at last year’s U20 Worlds.
U17 World champion Joel Adams will start his day at 67 kg against Artur Jeremejev of Estonia, who finished in seventh place at the 2021 U17 World Championships—a solid draw on paper to springboard the dangerous American as he shoots for another gold medal.
Now a two-time age-group U.S. World Team member, Braden Stauffenberg has drawn local favorite Omar Al Daraghmeh of Jordan in his opener at 72 kg. No doubt the arena will be cheering loud against the American throughout the contest, meaning poise will be key for success.
U20 Pan-American champions Landon Drury 63 kg), Derek Matthews (77 kg) and Michael Altomer (82 kg), along with silver medalist Sawyer Bartelt (97 kg), all received byes to the round-of-16 and await early match results to determine their opponents. All four are bound to have tough tests to start the day.
Fellow U20 Pan-American champion Wyatt Voelker has drawn Yhlas Abdurazakov of Turkmenistan at 87 kg. Abdurazakov was fifth in this year’s U23 Asian Championships.
Minnesota product Zachary Silvis is paired against Individual Neutral Athlete Dzianis Vitaroi, who formerly competed under the Belarussian banner.
Greco-Roman is the third and final style to hit the mats at Princess Sumaya Lounge in Amman’s Sports City. Athletes in the first five Greco-Roman weight classes (55-63-77-87-130 kg) begin their tournaments on Aug. 18, with the second wave of weights (60-67-72-82-97 kg) kicking off on Aug. 18. Each bracket will be contested over a two-day stretch, running through semifinals on day one, followed by repechage and medal matches on day two.
The U20 World Championships are being streamed on FloWrestling.com to the U.S. market. Brackets and updated results will be provided by United World Wrestling on uww.org and the UWW mobile app.
Those seeking to follow along in real time can reference the event schedule below. Amman, Jordan, is in the GMT +3 time zone, which is seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. USA Wrestling will provide regular updates on TheMat.com and its social media platforms throughout the event.
2023 U20 World Championships
At Amman, Jordan, August 14-20
Quick Links
· U20 World Championships Special Section
· Live stream on FloWrestling.com
· U.S. Greco-Roman athlete bios
Greco-Roman Event Schedule
Friday, August 18
10 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (GR 55-63-77-87-130 kg)
4:45 p.m. – Semifinals (GR 55-63-77-87-130 kg)
Saturday, August 19
10 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (GR 60-67-72-82-97 kg) and Repechage (GR 55-63-77-87-130 kg)
4:45 p.m. – Semifinals (GR 60-67-72-82-97 kg)
6 p.m. – Medal Matches and Awards (GR 55-63-77-87-130 kg)
Sunday, August 20
4 p.m. – Repechage (GR 60-67-72-82-97 kg)
6 p.m. – Medal Matches and Awards (GR 60-67-72-82-97 kg)
*Listed times reflect local time in Amman, Jordan, which is seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time
U.S. Greco-Roman Draws
55 kg – Zachary Silvis (Cottage Grove, Minnesota/Pinnacle WC)
VS Dzianis Vitaroi (Individual Neutral Athlete)
60 kg – Max Black (Castle Rock, Colorado/ NMU-National Training Center)
VS Koto Gomi (Japan), fifth in 2022 U20 World Championships
63 kg – Landon Drury (Colorado Springs, Colorado/Betterman Elite Wrestling)
VS Suhib Alhasanat (Jordan), fifth in 2022 U20 Asian championships or Rati Khozrevanidze (Georgia), 2021 U17 World bronze medalist
67 kg – Joel Adams (Omaha, Nebraska/The Best Wrestler)
VS Artur Jeremejev (Estonia), seventh in 2021 U17 World Championships
72 kg – Braden Stauffenberg (Plano, Illinois/Michigan WC)
VS Omar Al Daraghmeh (Jordan)
77 kg – Derek Matthews (Burley, Idaho/Northern Colorado WC)
VS Alexandru Solovei (Moldova), 2021 U17 World champion, 2022 U20 World silver medalist, 2023 U20 European champion, or Abdulmasih Abdulmasih (Individual Neutral Athlete)
82 kg – Michael Altomer (Stuyvesant, New York/Curby 3-Style Wrestling)
VS Jesper Haerkaenen (Finland) or Mahmoud Ibrahim (Egypt), 2023 Senior African bronze medalist, 2022 U20 African champion
87 kg – Wyatt Voelker (Manchester, Iowa/Panther Wrestling Club RTC)
VS Yhlas Abdurazakov (Turkmenistan), fifth in 2023 U23 Asian championships
97 kg – Sawyer Bartelt (Coral Gables, Florida/Gladiator Wrestling)
VS Igor Kabadeicev (Lithuania) or Juan Diaz Blanco (Venezuela), 2023 U20 Pan-American champion
130 kg – Aden Attao (Boise, Idaho/Suples WC)
VS Ayumu Iwasawa (Japan)