USA gets three Youth Olympic Games berths; Hruby earns 75 kg spot; U17 women champs at Saturday’s Carolina Beach Nationals earn 45 kg and 65 kg YOG spots

USA Wrestling has been notified that the United States has received three quota places for the Beach Wrestling competition at the 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) which will be held in Dakar, Senegal, November 7-8, 2026.

The Youth Olympic Games is a major multi-sport youth competition organized by the International Olympic Committee. Wrestling is one of 25 sports on the official program at Youth Olympic Games Dakar. This is only the fourth Youth Olympic Games for Summer Olympic sports, and competing in this event is a major honor for a young athlete.

Beach Wrestling will be the only wrestling discipline being contested at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. There are eight weight classes being contested in Beach Wrestling at the Youth Olympic Games, four in women’s wrestling and four in men’s wrestling. Athletes competing in wrestling at the Youth Olympic Games are in the U17 age group.

The United States has been awarded 2026 YOG allocations in the 45 kg women, 65 kg women and 75 kg women weight classes.

United World Wrestling did not host a qualifying process for Beach Wrestling at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. When informing USA Wrestling of its quota selections, UWW indicated that the United States’ support for Beach Wrestling, as well as participation in the 2025 U17 World Beach Championships and the 2026 U17 Pan American Beach Championships, were taken into consideration during the selection process.

USA Wrestling has notified the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee that it would accept these three berths at the Youth Olympic Games. Based upon the approved 2026 Beach Youth Olympic Games procedures, USA Wrestling is now working to finalize the U.S. team for Dakar.

According to the approved procedures, the first criteria for selection to the U.S. Youth Olympic Games team is “2026 U17 Beach Pan Am Championships – Champion.”  In the three weight classes for which the USA has Youth Olympic Games quota places, the only 2026 U17 Beach Pan American champion was Matilda Hruby of Brighton, Colo., at 75 kg. Hruby has been offered this position on the U.S. YOG team.

In the approved procedures, the second criteria for selection is “2026 Carolina Beach Nationals & World Team Trials – Champion.” Therefore, the U17 champions at 45 kg and 65 kg in the Carolina Beach Nationals in Carolina Beach, N.C., this Saturday, May 9, will be offered a position on the U.S. YOG team.  

There is still time for athletes to register to compete at the Carolina Beach Nationals. U17 women athletes at the 45 kg and 65 kg weight classes are encouraged to enter the Carolina Beach Nationals for a chance to try out for the U.S. Youth Olympic Games team.

Register for the 2026 Carolina Beach Nationals competition

The Carolina Beach Nationals will also be the qualifying event for U.S. age-group World Teams at the U17 and U20 age levels, as well as one of the qualifying events for U.S. teams competing in the Senior Beach World Series. In addition, the Carolina Beach Nationals includes national-level competition in Beach Wrestling in divisions from 8U through Masters.

Carolina Beach Nationals website

The previous Summer Youth Olympic Games were held in Singapore in 2010, Nanjing, China in 2014 and Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2018. In those events, the wrestling styles contested were women’s freestyle, men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman.

In the previous three Summer Youth Olympic Games, there have been 11 athletes from the United States who have competed, with six Team USA athletes claiming medals. Past Youth Olympic Games champions from the United States were Emily Shilson (women’s freestyle 43 kg) and Robert Howard (men’s freestyle 55 kg), both at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

Two past Youth Olympic Games wrestlers from the United States went on later in their careers to win a Senior World medal, 2021 World silver medalist Daton Fix in men’s freestyle and 2021 World bronze medalist Jenna Burkert in women’s freestyle.

2018 women’s freestyle 43 kg gold medal – Emily Shilson

2018 men’s freestyle 55 kg gold medal – Robert Howard

2014 men’s freestyle 46 kg silver medal – Cade Olivas

2014 men’s freestyle 54 kg silver medal – Daton Fix

2014 Greco-Roman 69 kg silver medal – Mason Manville

2010 men’s freestyle 76 kg bronze medal – Jordan Rogers

43 kg women’s freestyle – Emily Shilson, Maple Grove, Minn

49 kg women’s freestyle – Tiare Ikei, Honolulu, Hawaii

55 kg men’s freestyle – Robert Howard, Cranford, N.J.

65 kg men’s freestyle – Carson Manville, Kingston, Pa.

46 kg men’s freestyle – Cade Olivas, Fontana, Calif.

54 kg men’s freestyle – Daton Fix, Sand Springs, Okla.

69 kg Greco-Roman – Mason Manville, Blairstown, N.J

63 kg men’s freestyle – Quinton Murphy, Holley, N.Y.

76 kg men’s freestyle – Jordan Rogers, Spokane, Wash.

85 kg Greco-Roman – Lucas Sheridan, Concord, Calif.

60 kg women’s freestyle – Jenna Burkert, Middle Island, N.Y.