Four U.S. Greco-Roman athletes await repechage opportunity after first session at U17 World Championships in Athens

ATHENS, Greece – The 2025 U17 World Championships began this morning in Athens with the opening session of Greco-Roman wrestling. The qualification rounds featured five weight classes: 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg, and 110 kg.

Five American athletes took the mat for Team USA in session one. Four of the five remain in contention for a bronze medal through repechage, pending the outcomes of this evening’s semifinal round.

At 48 kg, Michael  (MJ) Rundell opened his tournament with a dominant 10-0 victory over Artem Kolos of Ukraine. In the following round, Rundell dropped an 8-0 bout to U17 Asian Champion, Kazakhstan’s Nurdaulet Kumaruly. He awaits potential entry into the repechage bracket should Kumaruly advance to the final.

Alexander Pierce competed at 55 kg and suffered an 8-4 defeat to Kazakhstan’s Nurali Askar in his opening match. He opened the match up with a big four-point headlock but now remains in repechage contention pending semifinal results.

In the 65 kg division, Arseni Kikiniou battled Armenia’s Janes Nazaryan in a tight contest, ultimately falling 4-1. Nazaryan is a U17 European silver medalist and needs to win to pull Kikiniou back into the tournament.

Isai Fernandez had a strong showing at 80 kg, opening with a 10-0 win over Valentin Valentinov of Bulgaria. He was defeated in the next round by Kyrgyzstan’s Nurislam Oskonbaev, 8-0. Fernandez remains eligible for repechage.

Alex Taylor at 110 kg started his tournament with a commanding 10-1 technical fall against Egypt’s Essam Hussein. In the subsequent round, Taylor lost a tightly contested match on criteria, 3-3, to Bulgaria’s Denis Lazarov. Taylor was eliminated from medal contention after Lazarov was defeated in the quarterfinals.

The semifinal round begins this evening at 6:00 p.m. local time, preceded by the opening ceremony at 5:15 p.m. As previously noted, Athens, Greece is located seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

The Greco-Roman portion of the U17 World Championships features 246 athletes representing 44 nations. Tomorrow’s action will include 45 kg – Thales Silva, 51 kg – Carter Shin, 60 kg – Will Detar, 71 kg – Dominic Wilson, and  92 kg – David Calkins Jr. who are set to begin their run at a U17 championship.

Updated brackets and match-by-match results are available on UWW Arena, with live streaming coverage for viewers in the U.S at FloWrestling.com.

U17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Athens, Greece, July 28, 2025

U.S. Greco-Roman Results (Group One)

48 kg – Michael (MJ) Rundell (Oak Park, Ill./The Wrestling Academy), awaiting Repechage

WIN - Artem KOLOS (Ukraine), 10-0

LOSS - Nurdaulet KUMARULY (Kazakhstan), 8-0

55 kg – Alexander Pierce (Iowa City, Iowa/Big Game WC), awaiting Repechage

LOSS - Nurali ASKAR (Kazakhtstan), 8-4

65 kg – Arseni Kikiniou (Escondido, Calif./Poway Wrestling), awaiting Repechage

LOSS - Janes NAZARYAN (Armenia), 4-1

80 kg – Isai Fernandez (Sylmar, Calif./Titan Mercury WC), awaiting Repechage

WIN - Valentin Biserov VALENTINOV (Bulgaria), 10-0

LOSS - Nurislam OSKONBAEV (Kyrgyzstan), 8-0

110 kg – Alex Taylor (Howard, Ohio/Beast Mode Wrestling), eliminated

WIN - Essam Ibrahim Ramadan Anwar HUSSEIN (Egypt), 10-1

LOSS - Denis Svetlozar LAZAROV (Bulgaria), 3-3