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Otto Black earns second bronze medal for U.S. Greco-Roman team at U23 World Championships

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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling

Otto Black celebrates his repechage win that secured a bronze medal at the 2025 U23 World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Otto Black celebrates his repechage win that secured a bronze medal at the 2025 U23 World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia.

NOVI SAD, Serbia – Team USA picked up its second Greco-Roman bronze medal of the 2025 U23 World Championships from Otto Black at 67 kg on Wednesday evening at SPENS in downtown Novi Sad.

 

After a fiery repechage bout that saw Black take an 8-6 win over U23 Asian champion Bagdat Sabaz of Kazakhstan on Wednesday morning, Black advanced to the bronze medal bout where he received a forfeit due to injury from Hungary’s Attila Jozsa. It is Black’s second career age-group World medal. He was runner-up at the 2024 U20 Worlds.

 

Black joined teammate Payton Jacobson (87 kg) as bronze medalists thus far for Team USA. Entering Novi Sad, the U.S. had only ever won a single medal at the U23 Worlds dating back to its inception in 2017—Beka Melelashvili’s silver medal from last year. The team has doubled that mark so far with bronze medal opportunities from Melelashvili (82 kg) and Max Black (60 kg), Otto’s brother, tomorrow.

 

The tournament continues at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday with the Greco-Roman group three (60-82 kg) and women’s freestyle group one (50-72-76 kg) repechage, plus the women’s freestyle group two (55-57-65-68 kg) prelims. Americans Cristelle Rodriguez, Cecilia Williams, Isabella Mir, and Brooklyn Hays step on the mats for the first time tomorrow. Novi Sad, Serbia, is located six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

 

The U23 World Championships are streaming live on FloWrestling.com to the U.S. market. Brackets and updated results can be found on UWW Arena.

2025 U23 World Championships 

At Novi Sad, Serbia, October 22 

 

 

Greco-Roman Results 

Team Ranking | Post-Group Two 

1. Iran, 108

2. Azerbaijan, 81

3. Ukraine, 76

4. Georgia, 71

5. Armenia, 56

6. Uzbekistan, 53

7. Kazakhstan, 53

8. Egypt, 40

9. Hungary, 40

10. Moldova, 39

 

Final Results | Group Two 
55 kg 

Gold – Elmir Aliyev (Azerbaijan)

Silver – Alibek Amirov (UWW)

Bronze – Khojiakbar Kuchkarov (Uzbekistan)

Bronze – Vishvajit More (India)

5th – Armin Shamsipourhaji (Iran)

5th – Yerassyl Mamyrbekov (Kazakhstan)

7th – Taiga Onishi (Japan)

8th – Dieymer Rosal Amundaray (Venezuela)

9th – Nurbolot Berdikulov (Kyrgyzstan)

10th – Yehuda Yosef (Israel)

 

Gold – Elmir Aliyev (Azerbaijan) dec. Alibek Amirov (UWW), 3-2

Bronze – Khojiakbar Kuchkarov (Uzbekistan) tech. fall Armin Shamsipourhaji (Iran), 8-0

Bronze – Vishvajit More (India) dec. Yerassyl Mamyrbekov (Kazakhstan), 5-4

 

67 kg 

Gold – Mohamed Abdelrehim (Egypt)

Silver – Anri Khozrevanidze (Georgia)

Bronze – Ahmadreza Mohsen Nezhad (Iran)

Bronze – Otto Black (United States)

5th – Hleb Makaranka (UWW)

5th – Attila Jozsa (Hungary)

7th – Ruben Miranyan (Armenia)

8th – Oybek Sharibjonov (Uzbekistan)

9th – Bagdat Sabaz (Kazakhstan)

10th – Faraim Mustafayev (Azerbaijan)

 

Gold – Mohamed Abdelrehim (Egypt) dec. Anri Khozrevanidze (Georgia), 3-0

Bronze – Ahmadreza Mohsen Nezhad (Iran) dec. Hleb Makaranka (UWW), 7-1

Bronze – Otto Black (United States) forfeit Attila Jozsa (Hungary)

 

72 kg 

Gold – Iman Mohammadi (Iran)

Silver – Abror Atabaev (Uzbekistan)

Bronze – Ruslan Nurullayev (Azerbaijan)

Bronze – Merey Maulitkanov (Kazakhstan)

5th – Gaspar Terteryan (Armenia)

5th – Danil Grigorev (UWW)

7th – Eren Ulku (Turkiye)

8th – Nika Broladze (Georgia)

9th – Vasile Zabica (Moldova)

10th – Yryskeldi Khamzaev (Kyrgyzstan)

 

Gold – Iman Mohammadi (Iran) dec. Abror Atabaev (Uzbekistan), 5-1

Bronze – Ruslan Nurullayev (Azerbaijan) dec. Gaspar Terteryan (Armenia), 3-1

Bronze – Merey Maulitkanov (Kazakhstan) tech. fall Danil Grigorev (UWW), 10-0

 

97 kg 

Gold – Yehor Yakushenko (Ukraine)

Silver – Iussuf Matsiyev (Kazakhstan)

Bronze – Richard Karelson (Estonia)

Bronze – Maksim Averin (UWW)

5th – Abubakar Khaslakhanau (UWW)

5th – Arshak Geghamyan (Armenia)

7th – Darius Kiefer (Germany)

8th – Muhittin Helvaci (Turkiye)

9th – Aapo Viitala (Finland)

10th – Kyo Kitawaki (Japan)

 

Gold – Yehor Yakushenko (Ukraine) dec. Iussuf Matsiyev (Kazakhstan), 6-1

Bronze – Richard Karelson (Estonia) dec. Abubakar Khaslakhanau (UWW), 7-7

Bronze – Maksim Averin (UWW) dec. Arshak Geghamyan (Armenia), 1-1

U.S. Results 

Greco-Roman | Group Two 
55 kg – Kenneth Crosby (Colorado Springs, Colo./NMU National Training Center), 18th place 

LOSS Vishvajit More (India), tech. fall, 9-1

 

67 kg – Otto Black (Marquette, Mich./NMU National Training Center/New York AC), bronze medal 

WIN Adomas Grigaliunas (Lithuania), 7-3

WIN Yanis Guendez Nifri (France), fall, 5:51

LOSS Mohamed Abdelrehim (Egypt), 1-1

WIN Bagdat Sabaz (Kazakhstan), 7-6

WIN Attila Jozsa (Hungary), forfeit

 

72 kg – Aliaksandr Kikiniou (Escondido, Calif./Poway), 23rd place 

LOSS Danil Grigorev (UWW), 3-0

 

97 kg – Max Ramberg (Baldwin, Wis./Viking RTC), 18t place 

LOSS Kyo Kitawaki (Japan), tech. fall, 12-1