Draws Announced for 2026 Flatz Open in Austria
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by David Gerhart, USA Wrestling
WOLFURT, Austria – Four Americans from USA Wrestling’s Elite Accelerator Program (EAP) learned their draws for the 2026 Flatz Open at Hofsteigsporthalle Wolfurt. The quartet takes part in the U20 competition on Saturday.
2025 Bill Farrell Memorial International silver medalist Ben Smith highlights the American side in the 79 kg division. Smith received a first round bye in the bracket and will face either three-time age-group World participant Antoni Majchrzak of Poland or Germany’s Magnus Hötzel.
Also competing at 79 kg is Kendall Drake. Drake begins his tournament against Slavomir Prilepok of Slovakia.
Reese Spiro joined Smith at the Bill Farrell Memorial International this past year and placed fifth. Spiro will be in group A of the 86 kg round robin. In the group, Spiro takes on Nick Scherrer of Switzerland and Luis Baumgartner of Austria. Scherrer has competed at three age-group World Championships in his career.
Lucas Kaufman rounds out Team USA in Austria at 57 kg. Kaufman opens action in group A of the division against Great Britain’s Danoush Jowkar, who has appeared at three age-group World Championships. Kaufman then takes on 2025 U17 Worlds qualifier Pavlo Ilnytskyi of Poland. The final match of the round robin for the Newton, Kan., product comes against Germany’s Alexander Schweng.
Each of the four Americans competed earlier this year at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France.
The EAP was designed to develop young athletes with Olympic potential at the USOPTC in Colorado Springs, Colo. This has included wrestlers who are still in high school or are high school graduates who choose to train in the international styles before going to college.
EAP athletes on the men’s freestyle side are coached by two-time World champion and Olympic bronze medalist J’den Cox, who is the U.S. national men’s freestyle developmental coach.
Competition on Saturday begins at 10:30 a.m. local time / 4:30 a.m. (ET).
Brackets are available at urcw.at.
10:30 a.m. – Preliminaries through finals
*All times reference local time in Wolfurt, Austria, which is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.
VS Danoush Jowkar (Great Britain)
VS Pavlo Ilnytskyi (Poland)
VS Alexander Schweng (Germany)
VS Slavomir Prilepok (Slovakia)
VS Antoni Majchrzak (Poland) or Magnus Hötzel (Germany)
VS Nick Scherrer (Switzerland)
VS Luis Baumgartner (Austria)
