Day 6 Live Updates: Greco-Roman & Women's Freestyle
by Jason Bryant, Special to TheMat.com
Audrey Jimenez assured herself of a fifth age-group world medal with a semifinal win on Thursday night at the U20 World Championships in Samokov, Bulgaria.
SAMOKOV, Bulgaria - The sixth day of competition gets underway at Arena Samokov in Samokov, Bulgaria with four more Greco-Roman weights. We'll see action at 55kg, 67kg, 72kg and 97kg. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. local time (3 a.m. Eastern) with Friday's semifinal round starting at 5 p.m. and medal matches for the final three women's weights - 50kg, 53kg and 72kg - at 6 p.m.
All four Americans were defeated prior to the semifinals, so their fates were in the hands of the opponents who defeated them. Otto Black was eliminated when Japan's Takuku Suzuki was defeated by U20 world champion Ezru Zakriev in the Round of 16. Soren Herzog is eliminated at 97kg after Vendel Vitai was defeated by Germany's Darius Kiefer 10-0. Joel Adams awaits a semifinal result from his Greek opponent to know if he'll be competing in the repechage on Saturday.
The women's medal matches feature Audrey Jimenez wrestling for gold at 50kg and Abbi Cooper wrestling for bronze at 53kg. Jasmine Robinson has injury defaulted to fifth place and will not wrestle in her bronze medal match at 72kg.
Session Two Match Notes #
WFS 50kg Gold - Rinka Ogawa (Japan) dec. Audrey Jimenez (United States) 9-3 #
Sweep single 30 seconds in for Jimenez, she comes out the back door and gains control 45 seconds in for a 2-0 lead. Ogawa now with a sweep and Jimenez showing great flexibility, but Ogawa gets the takedown and turn and has Jimenez in trouble. Ogawa holding Jimenez on her back, while Jimenez bridging off her head. Jimenez finally bellies out with five seconds left and escapes the period only trailing 4-2.
A lot of motion and hand fighting in the first minute of the second period, but no attacks until Jimenez gets an angle late, but gets held up. Restart with 1:40 left. Ogawa drops to a single, but Jimenez grabs the far ankle and tries to extend Ogawa, but Ogawa turns into Jimenez and gets a two-point exposure with 45 seconds left, 6-2 lead for Ogawa. Jimenez rolls Ogawa through on a scramble and gets two points, but the chair and judge go two for Ogawa and one for Jimenez as she came out on top of the position. U.S. will challenge as time expires. Scoreboard reads 8-3 Ogawa. U.S. loses the challenge and the bout 9-3. Jimenez will finish with a U20 world silver.
WFS 53kg Bronze - Kseniya Kostsenich (UWW) dec. Abbi Cooper (United States) 11-10. #
Cooper tries an arm spin on the edge, but misses and stays standing, but she converts a four-pointer with just over 1:30 left in the first period to take a 4-0 lead. Another takedown makes it 6-0. Cooper counters an inside trip attempt by throwing Kostsenich to her back for four, but gives up two in the process, so it’s 10-2 Cooper at the break.
Cooper tried the arm spin again, but got a little loose with it and misses. Slip throw, back to standing. Kostsenich gets behind and backarches for four points to cut the lead to 10-6 Cooper with 1:13 left. Kostsenich gets a stepout with 40 seconds left to make it 10-7 and then Cooper gets a little too high on a head tie and gets tossed for four. Kostsenich leads 11-10 with 30 left. Cooper back to the arm spin and slips, but can’t get anything in the last 10 seconds and Kostsenich rallies for an 11-10 victory. Cooper will finish fifth.
WFS 72kg Bronze - Kaaiyrkul Sharshebaeva (Kyrgyzstan) inj. def. Jasmine Robinson (United States) #
Match was not contested. Sharshebaeva will finish with the bronze.
Session One Match Notes #
GR 97 kg R16 – Vendel Vitai (Hungary) dec. Soren Herzog (United States) 2-1 #
Passivity, point and position, 1-0 lead for Vitai as Herzog is hit for passivity with 1:40 left in the first. Vitai lifts Herzog to the edge, tries to throw it through, but only gets 1 on the stepout, 2-0 lead with just over a minute to go in the first period. Vitai leads 2-0 at the break. Passivity on Vitai, point for Herzog, we’re in par terre with Herzog on top. Herzog can’t score in par terre and we come back to our feet. Vitai prevails 2-1. Herzog will also now play the waiting game.
GR 72kg R16 – Arionas Kolitsopoulos (Greece) dec. Joel Adams (United States) 4-1 #
Passivity Adams, point Kolitsopoulos, par terre at 1:33 left in the first. Caution and 2 against Adams for a leg foul, 3-0 and back to par terre. Two for Kolitsopoulos on the throw and the U.S. (Red) will challenge, looking for points on the counter exposure. U.S. wins the challenge as there was no lift points, so just the one on the stepout. 4-0 lead for Kolitsopoulos with under a minute to go. 4-0 lead for Greece at the break. Passivity Kolitsopoulos, point for Adams. Now on top in par terre with 2:10 left in the bout. Kolitsopoulos defends on bottom and we’re back to standing with 1:52 left. Kolitsopoulos wins 4-1. Adams will now play the waiting game.
GR 55kg R32 – Nazarii Babinskyi (Ukraine) tech. fall Caleb Noble (United States) 8-0 #
Big arm spin from Babinskyi for four points and a quick gutwrench for two quick turns and Babinskyi ends it with an 8-0 tech in 1:14. Noble will now wait to see how Babinskyi does the rest of the way.
GR 72kg R32 – Joel Adams (United States) tech. fall Rabil Askerov (UWW) 12-4 #
Adams behind early as Askerov gets a two-point takedown and then gets a two-point throw for a 4-0 lead 43 seconds into the bout. Adams with a duck under for a two-point takedown to cut the lead in half, 4-2 with 55 seconds left in the first. Askerov leads 4-2 at the break. Adams locks up a throw and tosses Askerov to his back for four, then straight lifts for a four-point throw. Gut-wrench for two more and it’s over! 12-4 technical superiority win for Joel Adams.
GR 67kg R32 – Takuku Suzuki (Japan) dec. Otto Black 8-4 #
Black with an armdrag, he gets behind Suzuki and finishes the takedown on the edge. 2-0 lead, but Japan (Red) will challenge. Suzuki tried to throw Black through but Black maintained control on top through the sequence, so let’s see how this goes. Review does show Suzuki grab Black’s arm in a defensive manner and try to hook him over, but Black never exposed, so the challenge is lost and Black leads 3-0 with 1:48 left in the first. 3-0 lead for Black at the break. Passivity for Suzuki, point for Black. Black on top in par terre with 2:28 left. Suzuki gets two on a counter exposure, then two more on a gutwrench. Suzuki takes a 6-4 lead, and now 8-4 with a trapped-arm gutwrench. Restart with 1:37 left and Black now trailing 8-4. Black getting more active, trying to create an angle. Referee admonishing Suzuki for interlocking the fingers. Black tries to throw the arm by, but Suzuki maintaining position in the center. 30 to go. Black unable to get a good tie, one last flurry comes up short and Suzuki wins 8-4. Black will now play the waiting game.
2025 U20 World Championships #
At Samokov, Bulgaria, August 17-24 #
Quick Links #
- U.S. Greco-Roman athlete bios
- Event entry list
- Live stream and archived matches
- Brackets and results
- Photo Galleries
- YouTube Interviews
Greco-Roman Group 2 Results #
55 kg – Caleb Noble (Gurnee, Ill./Toss Em Up Wrestling Academy) #
LOSS Nazarii Babinskyi (Ukraine), tech. fall, 8-0
67 kg – Otto Black (Parker, Colo./NMU-National Training Site/New York AC) #
LOSS Takuku Suzuki (Japan), dec. 8-4
72 kg – Joel Adams (Omaha, Neb./Beaver Dam RTC) #
WIN Rabil Askerov (UWW), tech. fall, 12-4
LOSS Arionas Kolitsopoulos (Greece), dec. 4-1
97 kg – Soren Herzog (Inner Grove Heights, Minn./Air Force RTC) #
LOSS Vendel Vitai (Hungary), dec. 2-1