Mesenbrink stuns World champ Aoyagi to make U23 World finals; Barr, Gonzalez, Janiak to repechage
Share:
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Mitchell Mesenbrink defeats Yoshinosuke Aoyagi of Japan in the 74 kg semifinals at the 2025 U23 World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia
NOVI SAD, Serbia – Wisconsin native Mitchell Mesenbrink continued his hot streak on Friday evening at the U23 World championships with a memorable last-second win over Senior World champion Yoshinosuke Aoyagi of Japan to book a spot in the 74 kg men’s freestyle final.
In the first match of the evening session at SPENS in downtown Novi Sad, Mesenbrink performed with his hallmark offensive aggression, eventually seeing Aoyagi fold. Aoyagi held a 2-0 lead before Mesenbrink was able to convert on a pair of takedowns in the final minute of the first period. Midway through the second frame Aoyagi landed a high-c, quad pod finish to take the 4-4 criteria lead with 1:19 to go. A bevvy of Mesenbrink attacks in the final stanza landed with 0:01 on the clock. One failed challenge from Japan later and Mesenbrink walked off the mat with a 7-4 win.
Mesenbrink will appear in his third age-group World final tomorrow night, this time against surprise finalist Muhammed Ozmus of Turkiye, who’s only international medal of note is a bronze from the 2023 U20 European championships. Mesenbrink is now a four-time age-group World medalist as he hunts for gold medal No. 2 in Serbia.
Three Americans were granted new life following the semifinal round, getting pulled into tomorrow’s repechage—Brianna Gonzalez at 53 kg and Alexis Janiak at 59 kg in women’s freestyle, plus Josh Barr at 92 kg in men’s freestyle. All three need one win tomorrow morning to qualify for the bronze medal round.
Missing out on the repechage was Senior World Team member and 2022 U20 World bronze medalist Adaugo Nwachukwu at 62 kg in women’s freestyle. Venezuela’s Astrid Montero Chirinos, who defeated Nwachukwu 7-5 in the quarters, dropped her semifinal, ending Nwachukwu’s run in Novi Sad.
The U.S. did not qualify an athlete for the Friday night medal rounds in women’s freestyle group two.
The tournament continues for Team USA at 10 a.m. local time on Saturday with the women’s freestyle group three (53-59-62 kg) and men’s freestyle group one (74-92 kg) repechage, plus the men’s freestyle group two (57-70-79-125 kg) prelims. Americans Luke Lilledahl, PJ Duke, Levi Haines and Daniel Herrera 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.
1. Turkiye, 88
2. United States, 77
3. India, 75
4. Ukraine, 58
5. China, 57
6. Kyrgyzstan, 50
7. Japan, 42
8. Germany, 37
9. Hungary, 30
10. Kazakhstan, 25
Gold – Shugyla Omirbek (Kazakhstan)
Silver – Tuba Demir (Türkiye)
Bronze – Amory Andrich (Germany)
Bronze – Nishu (India)
5th – Mihaela Samoil (Moldova)
5th – Albina Rillia (Ukraine)
7th – Alexandra Voiculescu (Romania)
8th – Cristelle Rodriguez (United States)
9th – Patrycja Strzelczyk (Poland)
10th – Kira Solobchuk (UWW)
Gold – Shugyla Omirbek (Kazakhstan) dec. Tuba Demir (Türkiye), 12-8
Bronze – Amory Andrich (Germany) dec. Mihaela Samoil (Moldova), 10-5
Bronze – Nishu (India) dec. Albina Rillia (Ukraine), 3-1
Gold – Akari Fujinami (Japan)
Silver – Aryna Dzemchanka Martynava (UWW)
Bronze – Neha Sharma (India)
Bronze – Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia (Cuba)
5th – Roza Szenttamasi (Hungary)
5th – Emine Cakmak (Türkiye)
7th – Bertha Rojas Chavez (Mexico)
8th – Oleksandra Khomenets (Ukraine)
9th – Nethmi Poruthotage (Sri Lanka)
10th – Anastasia Kozlova (UWW)
Gold – Akari Fujinami (Japan) tech. fall Aryna Dzemchanka Martynava (UWW), 10-0
Bronze – Neha Sharma (India) dec. Roza Szenttamasi (Hungary), 5-0
Bronze – Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia (Cuba) dec. Emine Cakmak (Türkiye), 6-4
Gold – Elizaveta Petliakova (UWW)
Silver – Yuqi Rao (China)
Bronze – Oleksandra Rybak (Ukraine)
Bronze – Pulkit (India)
5th – Mukhayyo Narzilloeva (Uzbekistan)
5th – Eniko Elekes (Hungary)
7th – Beyza Akkus (Turkiye)
8th – Isabella Mir (United States)
9th – Davaajargal Altansukh (Mongolia)
10th – Vanja Gersak Perez (Germany)
Gold – Elizaveta Petliakova (UWW) fall Yuqi Rao (China), 1:03
Bronze – Oleksandra Rybak (Ukraine) tech. fall Mukhayyo Narzilloeva (Uzbekistan), 10-0
Bronze – Pulkit (India) dec. Eniko Elekes (Hungary), 8-4
Gold – Nesrin Bas (Türkiye)
Silver – Alina Shevchenko (UWW)
Bronze – Srishti (India)
Bronze – Gulnura Tashtanbekova (Kyrgyzstan)
5th – Karolina Pok (Hungary)
5th – Gerda Barth (Germany)
7th – Manola Skobelska (Ukraine)
8th – Viktoryia Radzkova (UWW)
9th – Laura Godino (Italy)
10th – Debanhi Tapia Garcia (Mexico)
Gold – Nesrin Bas (Türkiye) tech. fall Alina Shevchenko (UWW), 10-0
Bronze – Srishti (India) dec. Karolina Pok (Hungary), 6-1
Bronze – Gulnura Tashtanbekova (Kyrgyzstan) dec. Gerda Barth (Germany), 4-2
53 kg – Haruna Morikawa (Japan) vs. Hansika Lamba (India)
59 kg – Ruka Natami (Japan) vs. Sarika (India)
62 kg – Iryna Bondar (Ukraine) vs. Sakura Motoki (Japan)
Haruna Morikawa (Japan) dec. Christianah Ogunsanya (Nigeria), 5-2
Hansika Lamba (India) tech. fall Carla Jaume Soler (Spain), 11-0
Ruka Natami (Japan) dec. Hiunai Hurbanova (Azerbaijan), 3-1
Sarika (India) dec. Olha Padoshyk (Poland), 12-6
Iryna Bondar (Ukraine) dec. Astrid Montero Chirinos (Venezuela), 8-5
Sakura Motoki (Japan) fall Immacolata Danise (Italy), 0:49
74 kg – Muhammed Ozmus (Turkiye) vs. Mitchell Mesenbrink (United States)
92 kg – Mukhamed Khaniev (UWW) vs. Mohammadmobin Azimi (Iran)
Muhammed Ozmus (Turkiye) dec. Magomed Khaniev (Azerbaijan), 7-3
Mitchell Mesenbrink (United States) dec. Yoshinosuke Aoyagi (Japan), 7-4
Mukhamed Khaniev (UWW) tech. fall Ion Demian (Moldova), 12-1
Mohammadmobin Azimi (Iran) tech. fall Ivan Chornohuz (Ukraine), 12-1
WIN Gultakin Shirinova (Azerbaijan), fall, 1:31
LOSS Amory Andrich (Germany), fall, 2:22
LOSS Anastasia Kozlova (UWW), 2-1
WIN Cara Du Plessis (South Africa), fall, 0:35
LOSS Elizaveta Petliakova (UWW), 7-1
LOSS Eniko Elekes (Hungary), 8-0
LOSS Viktoryia Radzkova (UWW), fall, 5:41
WIN Vestina Daniseviciute (Lithuania), fall, 3:41
LOSS Haruna Morikawa (Japan), 6-0
VS Nataliia Klivchutska (Ukraine)
LOSS Sarika (India), 4-2
VS Othelie Hoeie (Norway)
WIN Ekaterina Koshkina (UWW), fall, 4:54
LOSS Astrid Montero Chirinos (Venezuela), 7-5
WIN Aliaksandr Hulnik (UWW), fall, 2:10
WIN Parvinder (India), tech. fall, 10-0
WIN Omar Mourad (Egypt), tech. fall, 12-2
WIN Yoshinosuke Aoyagi (Japan), 7-4
VS Muhammed Ozmus (Turkiye)
WIN Alperen Tokgoz (Turkiye), tech. fall, 11-1
LOSS Mohammadmobin Azimi (Iran), tech. fall, 13-3
VS Sherzod Poyonov (Uzbekistan) or Sadig Mustafazade (Azerbaijan)
