Cassioppi earns spot in U23 World Championships finals after impressive semifinals win, Cannon pulled into tomorrow’s repechage

Photo of Tony Cassioppi by Tony Rotundo
BELGRADE, Serbia – Tony Cassioppi will wrestle for gold tomorrow at 125 kg in the 2021 U23 World Championships after defeating Russia’s Saipudin Magomedov in Saturday’s semifinal round.
Cassioppi, a two-time freestyle Pan-American champion and current Iowa Hawkeye, cruised through his semifinal matchup, an impressive 5-0 performance that officially punched his ticket to tomorrow’s finals. Magomedov, a 2019 Junior European champion, could not get anything going against Cassioppi, who controlled the entire match and locked things up with a late go-behind score.
In tomorrow’s finals, Cassioppi will wrestle Greece’s Azamat Khosonov, who pinned Iran’s Seyedmehdi Hashemijouybari in his semifinal bout. Khosonov competed at the 2021 Senior World Championships in Oslo, where he finished 17th.
Cassioppi will look to become Team USA’s second U23 World champion this year. In women’s freestyle, Emily Shilson took home gold for the United States at 50 kg.
At 61 kg, Chris Cannon was officially pulled into tomorrow’s repechage when Russia’s Artur Chebodaev, who defeated Cannon in the quarterfinals, won in the semis and advanced to tomorrow’s finals. In tomorrow’s repechage match, Cannon will face the winner of Endrio Avdyli (Albania) and Nino Leutert (Switzerland).
Nino Bonaccorsi (92 kg) was eliminated when Turkey’s Erhan Yaylaci lost in the semifinals to Russia’s Azamat Zakuev. Bonaccorsi, a University of Pittsburgh standout, competed on his first U.S. age-group World team this weekend.
Tomorrow’s repechage round begins at 4:00 p.m. local time in Serbia. Please note that this is a new time. And, due to daylight savings time in the U.S., there will now be a six-hour time difference between Serbian local time and U.S. eastern time. Thus, the repechage round will begin at 10:00 a.m. eastern time.
The medal match round tomorrow begins at 6:00 p.m. local time in Belgrade, 12:00 p.m. eastern time.
All matches can be watched live on FloWrestling.
U23 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Belgrade, Serbia, November 6


Men’s freestyle Group Two finals pairings
61 kg
Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) vs. Artur Chebodaev (Russia)
74 kg
Chermen Valiev (Russia) vs. Mohmmadsadegh Firouzpourbandpei (Iran)
86 kg
Mukhammed Aliiev (Ukraine) vs. Sajjad Gholami (Iran)
92 kg
Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) vs. Azamat Zakuev (Russia)
125 kg
Anthony Cassioppi (USA) vs. Azamat Khosonov (Greece)
Men’s freestyle Group Two semifinal results
61 kg
Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) dec. Assyl Aitakyn (Kazakhstan), 5-0
Artur Chebodaev (Russia) dec. Narankhuu Narmandakh (Mongolia), 5-3
74 kg
Chermen Valiev (Russia) dec. Temuri Beruashvili (Georgia), 6-0
Mohmmadsadegh Firouzpourbandpei (Iran) dec. Hrayr Alikhanyan (Armenia), 4-2
86 kg
Mukhammed Aliiev (Ukraine) dec. Zagid Karimov (Russia), 6-5
Sajjad Gholami (Iran) dec. Ivars Samusonoks (Latvia), 9-0
92 kg
Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) tech Amirhossein Firouzpourbandpei (Iran), 10-7
Azamat Zakuev (Russia) dec. Erhan Yaylaci (Turkey), 9-1
125 kg
Anthony Cassioppi (USA) dec. Saipudin Magomedov (Russia), 5-0
Azamat Khosonov (Greece) fall Seyedmehdi Hashemijouybari (Iran), 1:00
U.S. men’s freestyle Group Two results
61 kg: Chris Cannon (Oceanport, N.J./Wildcat WC)
WIN Suraj Kokate (India), 10-0
WIN Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan), 9-5
LOSS Artur Chebodaev (Russia), 7-0
Repechage match vs. winner of Endrio Avdyli (Albania) vs. Nino Leutert (Switzerland)

74 kg: Peyton Robb (Owatonna, Minn./Nebraska Wrestling Training Center)
WIN Hassan Alharthi (Saudi Arabia), 10-0
LOSS Vasile Diacon (MDA), 6-4
86 kg: Myles Wilson (Junction, Colo./Hawkeye WC)
WIN Cezary Sadowski (Poland), 7-0
LOSS Mher Markosyan (Armenia), 7-4
92 kg: Nino Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park, Pa./Pittsburgh WC)
LOSS Erhan Yaylaci (Turkey), 12-6
125 kg: Anthony Cassioppi (Roscoe, Ill./Hawkeye WC)
WIN Martin Simonyan (Armenia), fall 5:55
WIN Paris Karepri (Albania), 7-0
WIN Saipudin Magomedov (Russia), 5-0
Finals vs. Azamat Khosonov (Greece)