Zahid Valencia

2025-26 Team USA Ranking: No. 1 at 86 kg/189.5 pounds

Years on Team USA: 7 (2018-19, 2019-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26) 

Residence: Stillwater, Okla.

Regional Training Center: Cowboy RTC 

Club: Titan Mercury WC

Personal Coach: David Taylor, Mark Perry

High School: Bellflower, Calif. (St. John Bosco High School)

Born: May 11, 1997

Senior World Teams 

2025 Senior Worlds (Gold at 86 kg), 2023 Senior Worlds (Bronze at 92 kg)

Age-Group World Teams

2017 U20 Worlds (Silver at 84 kg), 2016 U20 Worlds (Seventh at 84 kg), 2015 U20 Worlds (10th at 84 kg)

Career Highlights 

• 2025 World champion
• World Championships bronze medalist
• Two-time Senior World Team member
• U20 World silver medalist
• Three-time Pan American Championships gold medalist
• Two-time U.S. Open champion
• Two-time NCAA champion for Arizona State

Career Biography

2026: Gold medalist at Pan American Championship in Coralville, Iowa … Bronze medalist at Zagreb Open Ranking Series event … Gold medalist at Dan Kolov – Nikola Petro Tournament in Plovdiv, Bulgaria

2025: Gold medalist at World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia … Pan American Championships gold medalist in Monterrey, Mexico … Dan Kolov—Nikola Petrov (Bulgaria) gold medalist … Zagreb Open (Croatia) gold medalist … Final X champion … U.S. Open champion

2024: Third in U.S. Olympic Team Trials Challenge Tournament … Senior World Team Trials runner-up

2023: World Championships bronze medalist in Belgrade, Serbia … Imre Polyk & Janos Varga Memorial (Hungary) gold medalist … Ibrahim Moustafa International (Egypt) silver medalist … Zagreb Open (Croatia) bronze medalist … Final X champion …World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion … U.S. Open runner-up

2022: Pan American Championships gold medalist in Acapulco, Mexico… Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix (Russia) bronze medalist … World Cup team member … Final X runner-up …World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion

2021: Matteo Pellicone International (Italy) gold medalist … Poland Open gold medalist … Henri Deglane Grand Prix (France) bronze medalist …Third at U.S. Olympic Team Trials

2019: Senior Nationals champion … World Team Trials Challenge Tournament runner-up

2018: Final X runner-up … World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion

2017: U20 World Championships silver medalist in Tampere, Finland … U20 World Team Trials champion … U.S. Open U20 champion

2016: Seventh at U20 World Championships in Macon, France … U20 World Team Trials champion … UWW U20 Nationals champion

2015: Tenth at U20 Worlds in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil … U20 World Team Trials champion … Grand Prix of Spain silver medalist … UWW U20 Nationals champion

College: Two-time NCAA champion for Arizona State (2018, 2019) … Third in 2017… Coached by Zeke Jones … Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in multi/interdisciplinary studies

High School: Three-time CIF (California) state champion (2012, 2014, 2015) …Coached by Omar Delgado at St. John Bosco High School … First-team ASICS All-American

USA Wrestling Age-Group: 2014 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion … Placed third at 2014 Junior Greco-Roman Nationals … 2013 USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman … 2013 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion … 2013 West Junior Freestyle Regional champion … 2012 USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle

Personal: Brother Anthony also competed for Arizona State

Awards: 2015 ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year … 2026 Pan American Championships Golden Boot Award winner for outstanding wrestler of the tournament