Day 1 U20 Worlds Live Updates: Men's Freestyle

Activity clock expires, giving Elahi a point for inactivity. 1-0. Elahi now warned for passivity with 43 seconds left in the period. Elahi gets hip to hip with Duke on the edge, but Duke limp-arms out and gets behind and scores the takedown on the edge with 20 to go in the period to take a 2-1 lead. Duke leads 2-1 at the break.

Elahi gets hip to hip again, this time he gets the stepout to tie the score 2-2, but Duke holds criteria with 2:15 left.

Action goes out of bounds again as this time Duke runs and underhook to the edge and they get hip-to-hip again, but no points either way. Referee stops the action with 20 to go. Still tied. Duke leads on criteria. Elahi thought he was leading and screams out in joy, but he quickly realizes he was losing on criteria. P.J. Duke will wrestle for gold for Team USA with a 2-2 criteria win!

P.J. Duke, Justin Rademacher and Cole Mirasola all reached the semifinals as Team USA went 8-1 in the first session of men's freestyle at the U20 World Championships. Duke had two wins by technical superiority and a fall to advance where he will face Iran's Ebrahim Elahi Chouran in the 70kg semifinal. Elahi was the 2025 U20 Asian champion and a 2022 U17 world champion.

Rademacher will face Georgia's Konstantine Petriashvili, the younger brother of World and Olympic champion Geno Petriashvili, in the semifinals at 97kg. Petraishvili was a U17 world champion last year. Rademacher's pace has been solid, wearing down both of his opponents in the first session.

Mirasola went 2-0 at 125kg and will face Kazakhstan's Yedige Kassimbek in the semifinals. Kassimbeck was a U17 world silver medalist each of the last two years.

Ladarion Lockett has to await the semifinal at 74kg to see if he has the chance to wrestle back for bronze. Lockett fell in the second round to UWW's Ismael Khaniev. Khaniev will face Japan's Kanata Yamaguchi in the semifinals.

For a full breakdown of each match in the first session, see below.

Early heavy hands and the referee warns both wrestlers about the clubs to the back of the head. Mirasola finishes a driving takedown for two 35 seconds into the first period to take a 2-0 lead. The pair are mostly trading collar ties with Mirasola reaching a few times but not pulling the trigger. Gagloev hasn't made any attempts, but Mirasola attacks in short time to get the stepout and take a 3-0 lead into the break.

Gagloev's best attempt thus far is countering a single leg from Mirasola. The two can't improve and we get a fresh start 40 seconds into the second period. This one's been more of a chess match mixed with some headslaps. Neither wrestler has been hit for passivity. Mirasola circles the last 10 seconds and comes away with a 3-0 win to reach the semifinals in the last bout of the session.

Duke strikes first with a two-point takedown in the first 30 seconds of the bout. He goes up 4-0 with a second takedown with a minute 1:45 left in the period. Nakaev gets two to cut the lead in half, then Duke gets two more and Nakaev with a reversal with 50 left to go in the first. Duke leads 6-3. Duke with another takedown, pressuring forward and wearing down Nakaev. Duke leads 8-3 at the break.

A pair of counter takedowns in the first minute of the second period give Duke a 12-3 lead, Duke drives forward and gets a gutwrench on the edge for two more to make it 14-3, but Nakaev will challenge. Nakaev's head may have been out of the zone before the exposure. Call overturned. Action was out of bounds, so we'll come back to the center with it 12-3 in favor of Duke. Nakaev gets after it off the whistle and drives Duke out for one point, but Duke finally finishes things off with a 14-4 tech with the final takedown to end it with 1:43 left in the bout. Duke into tonight's semifinals!

Karavanos strikes first with a stepout 20 seconds into the bout to take an early 1-0 lead. Rademacher changes levels and blasts through Karavanos for the takedown out of bounds with 1:30 left in the first period to make it 3-1. A go-behind for Rademacher extends the lead to 5-1 with 15 left in the first period and that's how we sit heading to the break.

Two more for Rademacher 30 seconds in to the second period to go up 7-1. Karavanos slow to get back to the center as Rademacher's pace is pretty sound. Rademacher tacks on another go-behind with 33 seconds left to go up 9-1. That's how it stays as 9-1 is the final! Rademacher into the semifinals!

Sanchez in on a double leg, but Duke fights it off, counters for the two point takedown and gets a pair of gutwrenches to take an early 6-0 lead 30 seconds into the bout. On the restart, Sanchez tries to get creative and Duke stuffs it, pancaking Sanchez to his back and getting the fall just 43 seconds into the match. Duke moves into the quarterfinals.

Duke will face Abdoullah Nakaev of France in the quarterfinals. Nakaev teched Texas high schooler Tristan Forsman 10-0. Forsman is representing Costa Rica.

Benekli strikes first, converting a high crotch for two after a long scramble. 2-0 the lead for the Turk with 45 seconds gone by in the first period. Rademacher connects on a single leg and doubles off to drive Benekli out of bounds in danger for FOUR! Rademacher gets a stepout on the same attack after a restart. Rademacher leads 5-2 with 1:30 left in the first period. Big flurry as Rademacher tries to go big, but Benekli tries to counter on the edge. Referees can't agree, mat chairman calls a conference to talk about it. Benekli gets the two after the conference and Rademacher leads 5-4 with 45 seconds left in the first. Rademacher goes low ankle this time and sits the corner, but instead of two points on the takedown, the refs go two blue for the counter exposure and Rademacher comes out on top with the one-point reversal. Score is tied 6-6 at the break. Rademacher holds criteria with the four-point action.

Rademacher attacks low, doubles off and gets the two point takedown to extend the lead to 8-6. He drops down to cross up the ankles and gets an exposure to make it 10-6 with 2:25 left in the bout. Rademacher gets in deep on a shot, but Benekli rolls it through with a crotchlift for two. Rademacher comes out on top for one point and it's 11-8 with 1:53 left. Rademacher snatches up a low ankle again, this time lifting it. Benekli tries to backflip out, but Rademacher stays with it and covers for the takedown and a 13-8 lead with 1:14 left. Rademacher doubles Benekli to his back for four points and Benekli gives up and Rademacher tightens up for the FALL with 10 seconds left in the bout!

Aksoy stands several inches taller than Mirasola. Heavy on the handfight in the early going. Mirasola drops to a low ankle and gets two and QUICKLY gets to an ankle lace and rolls Aksoy over and over and over again for a 10-0 tech in 42 seconds!

Lockett starts with some quick fakes, but Khaniev takes a front headlock and drives him out of bounds for a 1-point step out 25 seconds into the match. Lockett warned for passivity at 1:04 into the bout. The two trade shots but miss. Lockett hit again for passivity with 1:24 left in the first. He's on the clock. Lockett snatches a single leg and drives Khaniev out of bounds for the stepout just before the activity period expires and holds a 1-1 lead on criteria with 30 seconds left in the first period. Action goes out of bounds just before the period expires, but Khaniev was grounded. 1-1 at the break with Lockett holding criteria as he scored the last point. Lockett appears to get a point as Khaniev hits the go-behind, but Lockett stayed in a quad pod, but Khaniev ran behind on the edge. Referee and judge confirmed one point, but Khaniev challenges the call. After review, the call is overturned Khaniev gets the stepout point to go up 2-1 with 2:25 left. Action goes out of bounds with 1:28 left, but Lockett was grounded. No points. Lockett hit for a caution and 1 for a pop to Khaniev. 3-1 lead for Khaniev with :59 left in the bout. Khaniev goes up 4-1 with a stepout with 24 seconds left. U.S. will challenge. Call stands, Khaniev with a point for the lost challenge and now leads 5-1 with 24 seconds left. Lockett gets a stepout with 13 seconds left to cut it to 5-2 but can't mount any late offense and that's how it ends. Lockett will now await how Khaniev does the rest of the day to see if he gets pulled back into the repechage.

Khaniev will face Germany's Manuel Wagin in the quarterfinals. Wagin beat Khaniev 6-1 in the semifinals at the U20 European championships back in June.

Passivity warning on Uslu 40 seconds into the bout. Duke strikes first, driving Uslu out of bouts for the one point stepout. On the restart, Duke scores a takedown and then hits a series of ankle laces, keeping position into the center of the mat and quickly racking up an 11-0 technical superiority.

Lockett hits a duck under for the first two point takedown 40 seconds into the first period. After a restart, he quickly gets another two points on a single leg attack to build a 4-0 lead 1:15 into the bout. Short offense go-behind for two more to build a 6-0 lead with 50 seconds left to go in the first period and he carries that into the break. Referee warns Munkhbat about hands to the face at the start of the period. Munkhbat in on a single, but Lockett ties up the ankles and draws a fresh start with 2:25 left. Lockett adds two more with a takedown and ends the match with a two-point exposure to take the 10-0 win via technical superiority.

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WIN Umut Uslu (Turkiye), tech. fall 11-0

WIN Gabriel Alejandro Sanchez Zepeda (Mexico), fall, 0:43.

WIN Abdoullah Nakaev (France), tech fall, 14-4

WIN Ebrahim Elahi Chouran (Iran), dec. 2-2, criteria

vs. Aleksandr Gaidarli (Moldova)

WIN Tolui Munkhbat (Mongolia), tech. fall 10-0

LOSS Ismael Khaniev (UWW), dec. 5-2

vs. Vatan Annaorazov (Turkmenistan)

WIN Ibrahim Benekli (Turkiye) fall, 5:50.

WIN Nikolaos Karavanos (Greece) dec., 9-1

vs. Konstantine Petriashvili (Georgia)

WIN Sertac Aksoy (Turkiye), tech fall, 10-0.

WIN Inal Gagloev (UWW), dec. 3-0

vs. Yedige Kassimbek (Kazakhstan)

10 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (MFS 70-74-97-125 kg)

5:15 p.m. – Opening Ceremony

6 p.m. – Semifinals (MFS 70-74-97-125 kg)

10 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (MFS 57-65-79-92 kg), Repechage (MFS 70-74-97-125 kg)

5 p.m. – Semifinals (MFS 57-65-79-92 kg)

6 p.m. – Medal Matches (MFS 70-74-97-125 kg)

10 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (MFS 61-86 kg), Repechage (MFS 57-65-79-92 kg)

4:45 p.m. – Semifinals (MFS 61-86 kg)

6 p.m. – Medal Matches (MFS 57-65-79-92 kg)

10 a.m. – Repechage (MFS 61-86 kg)

6 p.m. – Medal Matches (MFS 61-86 kg)

*Listed times reflect local time in Samokov, Bulgaria, which is seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time