Zahid Valencia

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

Years on Team USA: 8 (2018-26)

Residence: Stillwater, Okla.

Hometown: Bellflower, Calif.

Regional Training Center: Cowboy RTC

Club: Titan Mercury WC

Personal Coach: David Taylor

College: Arizona State

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

Born: May 11, 1997 in Bellflower, Calif.

Height: 6-1

Senior World Teams

2023 Senior World Championships (Bronze at 92 kg)

Age-Group World Teams 

2017 U20 Worlds (Silver at 84 kg), 2016 U20 Worlds (7th at 84 kg), 2015 U20 Worlds (10th at 84 kg) 

Career Highlights 

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

Career Biography

2025: 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… Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix (Russia) bronze medalist… 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) gold medalist…Third at U.S. Olympic Team Trials…

2019: U.S. Open 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… U20 Nationals champion…

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

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

2014: Third in U20 Nationals in Greco-Roman…

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…2015 ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year…

Age-Group: 2014 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion… 2013 USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman… 2013 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion… 2012 USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle…

Personal: Brother Anthony also competed for Arizona State…