Graber, Fernandez earn bronze, U.S. women finish fourth at U20 World Championships
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Caley Graber (USA) hand raise after winning a bronze medal at the 2026 U20 World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Team USA wrapped up the women’s freestyle portion of the 2026 U20 World Championships by adding bronze medals from Caley Graber and Taina Fernandez, plus a fifth-place finish from Karlee Brooks, to its total on Friday evening.
Graber impressed in the 59 kg bronze medal match, securing a second-period pin via arm bar against U20 Asian silver medalist Gundegmaa Enkhbaatar of Mongolia. Graber posted a 3-1 record, including two pins, in her first age-group World Championships appearance. Her only loss was a 2-2 criteria defeat to eventual champion Sae Noguchi of Japan.
The 17-year-old Fernandez added a fourth age-group World medal to her growing resume with a controlled 4-0 win over U20 European bronze medalist Evangeliia Berezhnova of Russia in the 68 kg bronze medal match. Fernandez is a three-time U17 World champion, including a gold medal win at this year’s U17 Worlds held three weeks ago in Baku, Azerbaijan.
It was a tough result for Brooks in the 57 kg bronze medal match. The two-time age-group World Team member was pinned in the first period by U20 Asian champion Xinyu Wang of China. It is the second time Brooks has finished fifth at an age-group World Championships (2023 U17 Worlds).
The U.S. women finished in fourth place overall as a team with one champion, three bronze medalists and 118 points. Japan took the team title with 167 points. India wound up in second place with 133 points, one point ahead of third-place China. Team USA was the only country to have a top-10 finisher in each weight class.
Read More: U20 World Championships Day Six Match Notes
The action continues from A4 Studio at 10 a.m. local time on Saturday with the men’s freestyle group two (57-65-79-92 kg) repechage, plus the men’s freestyle group three (70-74-97-125 kg) qualification rounds. Bratislava, Slovakia, is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.
Fans can watch the U20 World Championships live or on-demand at FloWrestling.org. Brackets and live results are available through UWW Arena.
USA Wrestling will provide continued updates from the U20 World Championships on TheMat.com and its social media platforms.
1. Japan, 167
2. India, 133
3. China, 132
4. United States, 118
5. Russia, 107
6. Ukraine, 55
7. Azerbaijan, 50
8. Uzbekistan, 50
9. Türkiye, 46
10. Hungary, 45
Gold – Konami Ono (Japan)
Silver – Hiunai Hurbanova (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Xinyu Wang (China)
Bronze – Tanvi Magdum (India)
5th – Karlee Brooks (United States)
5th – Agnia Krakovska (Canada)
7th – Anna Stratan (Kazakhstan)
8th – Olga Popova (Bulgaria)
9th – Liliana Kapuvari (Hungary)
10th – Dolzhon Tsyngueva (Russia)
Gold – Konami Ono (Japan) tech. fall Hiunai Hurbanova (Azerbaijan), 16-6
Bronze – Xinyu Wang (China) fall Karlee Brooks (United States), 2:55
Bronze – Tanvi Magdum (India) fall Agnia Krakovska (Canada), 3:34
Gold – Sae Noguchi (Japan)
Silver – Ruzanna Mammadova (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Komal (India)
Bronze – Caley Graber (United States)
5th – Eda Balazs (Hungary)
5th – Gundegmaa Enkhbaatar (Mongolia)
7th – Varvara Aliseyenka (Belarus)
8th – Alina Baroeva (Russia)
9th – Jania Nicole Dunigan (Puerto Rico)
10th – Jiayi Huang (China)
Gold – Sae Noguchi (Japan) dec. Ruzanna Mammadova (Azerbaijan), 3-1
Bronze – Komal (India) dec. Eda Balazs (Hungary), 5-2
Bronze – Caley Graber (United States) fall Gundegmaa Enkhbaatar (Mongolia), 4:45
Gold – Chenling Song (China)
Silver – Mansi Lather (India)
Bronze – Taina Fernandez (United States)
Bronze – Oleksandra Rybak (Ukraine)
5th – Evangeliia Berezhnova (Russia)
5th – Uldana Tileukhan (Kazakhstan)
7th – Alexandra Moisei (Moldova)
8th – Elif Kurt (Türkiye)
9th – Mayara Neper Oliveira Santos (Brazil)
10th – Leah Samsonsen (Norway)
Gold – Chenling Song (China) dec. Mansi Lather (India), 2-1
Bronze – Taina Fernandez (United States) dec. Evangeliia Berezhnova (Russia), 4-0
Bronze – Oleksandra Rybak (Ukraine) fall Uldana Tileukhan (Kazakhstan), 1:39
57 kg – Karlee Brooks (Phoenix, Ariz./Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC), 5th place
WIN Julia Gibalska (Poland), tech. fall, 10-0
WIN Yu Hsuan Cheng (Chinese Taipei), tech. fall, 12-2
LOSS Konami Ono (Japan), tech. fall, 10-0
WIN Chahd Jeljeli (Tunisia), 6-4
LOSS Xinyu Wang (China), fall, 2:55
WIN Jiayi Huang (China), 9-8
WIN Alina Baroeva (Russia), fall, 0:26
LOSS Sae Noguchi (Japan), 2-2
WIN Gundegmaa Enkhbaatar (Mongolia), fall, 4:45
LOSS Mansi Lather (India), 10-2
WIN Leah Samsonsen (Norway), tech. fall, 11-0
WIN Evangeliia Berezhnova (Russia), 4-0
