Black, Sancho pulled into Greco-Roman repechage at World Championships
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Max Black in action at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.
ZAGREB, Croatia – The U.S. received welcome news during the evening Greco-Roman session at Arena Zagreb—Max Black and Alejandro Sancho were pulled into repechage and have a chance to wrestle back for bronze at the 2025 World Championships.
Both men faced eventual finalists in the opening round, which served as a tough, but fortunate draw for the American duo. Black dropped a 7-1 decision to two-time World bronze medalist and 2024 Olympian Aidos Sultangali of Kazakhstan. Sancho went 4-0 against 2023 World champion and 2024 World runner-up Ibrahim Ghanem of France. With Sultangali and Ghanem cementing finals appearances, Black and Sancho received new life.
First time World Team member Michial Foy put on a nice showing with a 1-1 record at 97 kg that included a 4-0 win over 2024 Olympian Mindaugas Venckaitis of Lithuania. Foy did not receive the same fortunate bounce for repechage. His run in Croatia ended when Georgia’s Giorgi Melia, who defeated Foy in the second round, fell in the quarterfinals.
Earlier in the day, Greco-Roman group one athlete Kamal Bey got his repechage chance, and came up just of the 77 kg bronze medal match. He went 1-1 during the Friday repechage with an 11-2 win over 2017 World silver medalist Mateusz Bernatek of Poland and a 4-2 loss to 2024 World bronze medalist Ahmet Yilmaz of Türkiye.
Final weight class placements were logged post-medal matches for Greco-Roman group one. Team USA scored top ten finishes from Jayden Raney, who was seventh at 55 kg, and Bey, who was 10th at 77 kg.
For a complete match-by-match breakdown of Friday’s action for Team USA in Zagreb, browse our day seven match notes.
The tournament resumes at 10:30 a.m. local time on Friday with the Greco-Roman group two (60-72-97 kg) repechage and Greco-Roman group three (63-67-87 kg) preliminary rounds. Alston Nutter, Ellis Coleman and Payton Jacobson take the mats for the first time tomorrow morning for Team USA. Zagreb, Croatia, is in the GMT +2 time zone, which is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.
The Senior World Championships are streaming live on FloWrestling.com to the U.S. market. Brackets and updated results are available on UWW Arena.
USA Wrestling will provide regular updates on TheMat.com and its social media platforms throughout the event.
1. Iran, 80
2. Georgia, 45
3. Japan, 35
4. Hungary, 35
T5. Armenia, 25
T5. Turkiye, 25
7. China, 25
8. Croatia, 23
9. Azerbaijan, 21
10. Ukraine, 18
Gold – Vakhtang Lolua (Georgia)
Silver – Payam Ahmadi Balootaki (Iran)
Bronze – Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Huoying Shi (China)
5th – Ulan Muratbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
5th – Muhammet Cakir (Türkiye)
7th – Jayden Raney (United States)
8th – Denis Mihai (Romania)
9th – Ikhtiyor Botirov (Uzbekistan)
10th – Artiom Deleanu (Moldova)
Gold – Vakhtang Lolua (Georgia) dec. Payam Ahmadi Balootaki (Iran), 9-7
Bronze – Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) tech. fall Ulan Muratbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan), 9-0
Bronze – Huoying Shi (China) dec. Muhammet Cakir (Türkiye), 5-1
Gold – Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia)
Silver – Nao Kusaka (Japan)
Bronze – Robert Fritsch (Hungary)
Bronze – Ahmet Yilmaz (Türkiye)
5th – Demeu Zhadrayev (Kazakhstan)
5th – Alireza Abdevali (Iran)
7th – Ihor Bychkov (Ukraine)
8th – Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan)
9th – Antonio Kamenjasevic (Croatia)
10th – Kamal Bey (United States)
Gold – Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia) tech. fall Nao Kusaka (Japan), 10-1
Bronze – Robert Fritsch (Hungary) dec. Demeu Zhadrayev (Kazakhstan), 6-5
Bronze – Ahmet Yilmaz (Türkiye) dec. Alireza Abdevali (Iran), 6-3
Gold – Gholamreza Farokhisenjani (Iran)
Silver – Gela Bolkvadze (Georgia)
Bronze – Karlo Kodric (Croatia)
Bronze – Taizo Yoshida (Japan)
5th – Ramon Betschart (Switzerland)
5th – Adlet Tiuliubaev (UWW)
7th – Jalgasbay Berdimuratov (Uzbekistan)
8th – Bekzat Orunkul Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
9th – Mihail Bradu (Moldova)
10th – Almir Tolebayev (Kazakhstan)
Gold – Gholamreza Farokhisenjani (Iran) dec. Gela Bolkvadze (Georgia), 4-0
Bronze – Karlo Kodric (Croatia) dec. Ramon Betschart (Switzerland), 5-0
Bronze – Taizo Yoshida (Japan) dec. Adlet Tiuliubaev (UWW), 3-3
Gold – Amin Mirzazadeh (Iran)
Silver – Darius Vitek (Hungary)
Bronze – Elias Kuosmanen (Finland)
Bronze – Pavel Hlinchuk (UWW)
5th – Wenhao Jiang (China)
5th – Mykola Kuchmii (Ukraine)
7th – Seungchan Lee (Korea)
8th – Jello Krahmer (Germany)
9th – Marko Koscevic (Croatia)
10th – Sergei Semenov (UWW)
Gold – Amin Mirzazadeh (Iran) dec. Darius Vitek (Hungary), 7-2
Bronze – Elias Kuosmanen (Finland) dec. Wenhao Jiang (China), 3-3
Bronze – Pavel Hlinchuk (UWW) tech. fall Mykola Kuchmii (Ukraine), 9-1
60 kg – Aidos Sultangali (Kazakhstan) vs. Alisher Ganiev (Uzbekistan)
72 kg – Ulvu Ganizade (Azerbaijan) vs. Ibrahim Ghanem (France)
97 kg – Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran) vs. Artur Sargsian (UWW)
Aidos Sultangali (Kazakhstan) tech. fall Amiran Shavadze (Georgia), 10-2
Alisher Ganiev (Uzbekistan) dec. Georgij Tibilov (Serbia), 5-5
Ulvu Ganizade (Azerbaijan) dec. Abdullo Aliev (Uzbekistan), 5-0
Ibrahim Ghanem (France) fall Merey Maulitkanov (Kazakhstan), 5:49
Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran) dec. Kiryl Maskevich (UWW), 3-1
Artur Sargsian (UWW) dec. Murad Ahmadiyev (Azerbaijan), 1-1
55 kg – Jayden Raney (Sturgis, Ky./Union County/New York AC), 7th Place
WIN Koriun Sahradian (Ukraine), 2-1
WIN Sajjad Ali Albidhan (Iraq), fall, 4:23
LOSS Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan), 5-1
77 kg – Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP), 10th Place
LOSS Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia), 2-1
WIN Mateusz Bernatek (Poland), tech. fall, 11-2
LOSS Ahmet Yilmaz (Türkiye), 4-2
82 kg – Beka Melelashvili (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), 19th Place
LOSS Shahin Badaghimofrad (Qatar), 6-4
130 kg – Cohlton Schultz (Tempe, Ariz./Atreus WC), 16th Place
LOSS Sergei Semenov (UWW), 5-2
LOSS Aidos Sultangali (Kazakhstan), 7-1
VS Melkamu Fetene (Israel)
LOSS Ibrahim Ghanem (France), 4-0
VS Gor Khachatryan (Armenia)
WIN Mindaugas Venckaitis (Lithuania), 4-0
LOSS Giorgi Melia (Georgia), tech. fall, 9-0
Blades advances to bronze match, Raney surged to quarters at 2025 World Championships
Greco-Roman brackets released for 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia
Olympians Coleman, Sancho, Bey, Jacobson lead U.S. Greco-Roman Team to 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia
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