Four Golds Each, but Iran Takes the Team Title in Las Vegas
2026 U23 World Championships | Las Vegas, USA | October 16–18, 2026
Four gold medals for Iran. Four for Russia. Yet when the final team points were counted, only one finished on top.
Iran claimed the men's freestyle team championship at the 2026 U23 World Championships in Las Vegas with 180 points, ahead of Russia's 171 and the United States' 104.
The difference was not the number of champions but the consistency of the entire team. Iran reached the podium in nine of the ten weight classes, collecting four gold medals, one silver and four bronze.
Mahdi Yousefi returned to the top of the podium at 79kg, Ahora Khateri survived two demanding final-round battles, and Abolfazl Rahmani finally captured the world title that had repeatedly eluded him.
Russia answered with four champions of its own, while Kazakhstan and the United States took the remaining two gold medals.
Across the ten divisions, there were dramatic comebacks, changes in momentum, defeats for pre-tournament favourites, and several performances that deserved attention beyond the final scores.
57kg — Bazarbayev Ends the Defending Champion's Run
Kazakhstan's Merey Bazarbayev produced one of the competition's most significant performances at 57kg.
His tournament began with a 3–1 victory over American Luke Lilledahl, the defending U23 world champion and one of the leading favourites in Las Vegas. Bazarbayev followed that victory by reaching the final, defeating Japan's Daito Katsume 7–0 in the semifinals.
In the championship match against Türkiye's Bekir Keser, the Kazakh wrestler secured a fall in 2:14, ending the contest well before the final whistle. The result gave Kazakhstan the 57kg world title, while Lilledahl's hopes of defending his championship ended with a fifth-place finish after a 7–2 loss to Katsume in the bronze-medal match.
India's Rohit captured the other bronze, defeating Armenia's Arman Harutyunyan 8–3.
Gold: Merey Bazarbayev (KAZ) defeated Bekir Keser (TUR) by fall, 2:14.
Bronze: Daito Katsume (JPN) and Rohit (IND).
61kg — Davino Delivers the Host Nation's Gold
The United States claimed its freestyle gold medal through Benjamin Davino at 61kg.
Facing Kyrgyzstan's Iukhan Dokturbek Uulu, Davino found himself in a match where neither wrestler could easily establish control. Activity-clock decisions contributed to the scoring as the contest progressed. Davino held a narrow lead before defending a takedown attempt and finishing the match by fall while leading 4–1.
The result gave the host country a world champion in a division that had also included strong performances from Iran and Armenia.
Iran's Ebrahim Khari claimed bronze with a 12–0 technical-superiority victory over Romania's Gabriel Whisenhunt. Armenia's Sargis Begoyan won the other bronze in a high-scoring 14–9 contest against Uzbekistan's Behruzbey Turanmuratov.
Gold: Benjamin Davino (USA) defeated Iukhan Dokturbek Uulu (KGZ) by fall.
Bronze: Ebrahim Khari (IRI) and Sargis Begoyan (ARM).
65kg — Khateri's Road to Gold Was Anything but Easy
Iran's Ahora Khateri had to work for every step toward the 65kg title. His tournament included an extraordinary opening victory over Kazakhstan's Shattyk Alaidar, 15–14, followed by a more comfortable 10–2 quarterfinal win over Uzbekistan's Sanjarbek Rustambekov. But the semifinal against Russia's Eldar Akhmadudinov became the defining moment of his campaign. Trailing 8–2, Khateri fought back to win 9–8 and reach the world final.
Waiting for him was Japan's Kaiji Ogino, who had advanced with a commanding semifinal victory over India's Jaskaran Singh. The final match was another close contest. Khateri held on to win 7–6, securing his first U23 world title.
The division also produced one of the most talked-about quarterfinals of the tournament. Jaskaran eliminated American prospect Bo Bassett 6–3, ending the title ambitions of a wrestler who had attracted considerable attention before the championships. The Indian went on to win bronze, defeating Belarusian Magomedkhan Magamedkhanov 8–5. Akhmadudinov recovered from his semifinal defeat to capture the other bronze medal.
For Khateri, the gold was not built on one overwhelming performance, but on finding ways to win difficult matches under pressure.
Gold: Ahora Khateri (IRI) defeated Kaiji Ogino (JPN), 7–6.
Bronze: Eldar Akhmadudinov (RUS) and Jaskaran Singh (IND).
70kg — Eltemirov Stops Elahi in the Final
Russia's Magomed Eltemirov claimed the 70kg world title with a 5–3 victory over Iran's Ebrahim Elahi.
Elahi had entered the final after a strong campaign that included victories over Abdullah Toprak of Türkiye, Maiis Aliyev of Kazakhstan and Japan's Taiga Ogino. His 4–0 semifinal victory over Ogino also included a disputed scoring sequence that raised an interesting technical question.
In the sequence Elahi used a head-and-arm position while working behind his opponent. The Japanese corner challenged, arguing that the grip constituted an illegal choke. The initial two-point award was overturned after review. The episode illustrated how a position involving both the head and arm can still raise questions about illegal pressure on the neck. Determining legality requires examining the actual control and pressure, not simply identifying whether an arm is included in the hold. Elahi won that semifinal but could not repeat the result against Eltemirov.
The Russian secured a 5–3 victory in the final and added another gold to his country's growing total.
Türkiye's Abdullah Toprak and Moldova's Alexandr Gaidarli completed the podium, both winning their bronze-medal matches by technical superiority.
Gold: Magomed Eltemirov (RUS) defeated Ebrahim Elahi (IRI), 5–3.
Bronze: Abdullah Toprak (TUR) and Alexandr Gaidarli (MDA).
74kg — Baitukaev Turns the Final Around Against James
Russia's Magomed Baitukaev showed why an early lead offers little security against an opponent capable of changing the pace of a match.
American Jayden James began the 74kg final well, moving ahead 3–0 before the break. But Baitukaev steadily worked his way back. A takedown from a two-on-one position and a step-out brought the score level at 3–3, with the Russian taking the advantage on criteria. James continued looking for the points he needed to regain the lead, but Baitukaev remained composed defensively. With the final seconds approaching, Baitukaev attacked the legs again and scored the decisive takedown to win 5–3. It was a significant turnaround against a talented American opponent and gave Baitukaev his second age-group world title.
Iran's Ali Karampour, whose semifinal ended in defeat by fall against James, recovered to win bronze against Moldova's Ion Marcu.
Japan's Toki Ogawa secured the other bronze medal.
Gold: Magomed Baitukaev (RUS) defeated Jayden James (USA), 5–3.
Bronze: Ali Karampour (IRI) and Toki Ogawa (JPN).
79kg — Yousefi Returns to Gold as Iran Wins the Team Race
For Iran's Mahdi Yousefi, Las Vegas marked a return to the top of the U23 world podium.
The Iranian had won the 79kg title in 2024 before taking bronze in 2025. This year, he worked his way through a demanding draw that included a narrow 4–3 semifinal victory over India's Chandermohan.
In the final, Yousefi faced Russia's Said Saidulov — a direct meeting between representatives of the two countries competing for the team championship. Yousefi won 3–1, giving Iran another important gold medal on the final day.
The victory carried additional meaning in a tournament where Iran and Russia finished with the same number of individual champions. While Yousefi's gold strengthened Iran's position, the eventual team title reflected the points accumulated across nearly every weight class.
Japan's Kanata Yamaguchi claimed bronze with a 10–0 victory over Jamaica's Christopher Minto. Chandermohan recovered from his semifinal loss to earn India's second bronze medal of the final day, defeating Türkiye's Ibrahim Yaprak 5–2.
Gold: Mahdi Yousefi (IRI) defeated Said Saidulov (RUS), 3–1.
Bronze: Kanata Yamaguchi (JPN) and Chandermohan (IND).
86kg — Balaian Defends His Title With Control
Russia's Arsen Balaian arrived in Las Vegas as the defending U23 world champion at 86kg and completed his title defence with a 3–0 victory over Türkiye's Ahmet Yagan.
Unlike some of the tournament's other finals, this match was defined by limited scoring opportunities. Balaian managed the contest effectively, preventing Yagan from generating the attacks needed to challenge his lead. The Russian's ability to control the pace and protect his scoring advantage made the difference.
Iran's Reza Afshar, who had lost his opening contest but returned through repechage, secured bronze with a 6–0 win over Moldova's Eugeniu Mihalcean.
Mongolia's Batbilguun Naadambat claimed the other bronze after defeating Azerbaijan's Sabuhi Amiraslanov 3–0.
Gold: Arsen Balaian (RUS) defeated Ahmet Yagan (TUR), 3–0.
Bronze: Reza Afshar (IRI) and Batbilguun Naadambat (MGL).
92kg — Rahmani Finally Gets His World Title
For Abolfazl Rahmani, the 92kg gold medal represented more than another international victory. The Iranian had previously come close to winning age-group world gold several times, including a painful last-second defeat in the U20 world final earlier this year. Las Vegas offered another opportunity.
In the semifinals, Rahmani recovered from a 3–0 deficit against Türkiye's Fatih Altunbas to secure a 6–3 victory. His final against Russia's Arslan Bagaev was a different kind of contest. The first period ended with Rahmani narrowly ahead following an activity-clock point. Bagaev briefly moved into the lead on criteria in the second period. But Rahmani produced a timely counter to a Russian attacking attempt, turning it into a two-point scoring opportunity. He extended his advantage and held on for a 5–2 victory.
According to UWW, it was Rahmani's first age-group world title after seven attempts. The achievement carried particular weight after the disappointment of his previous final.
Georgia's Sandro Kurashvili and Azerbaijan's Anar Jafarli claimed the two bronze medals.
Gold: Abolfazl Rahmani (IRI) defeated Arslan Bagaev (RUS), 5–2.
Bronze: Sandro Kurashvili (GEO) and Anar Jafarli (AZE).
97kg — Khaniev Turns Silver Into Gold
Russia's Mukhamed Khaniev returned to the U23 World Championships determined to go one step further than his silver-medal performance in 2025.
Last year, Khaniev had lost the 92kg final to Iran's Mohammadmobin Azimi. In Las Vegas, both wrestlers moved up to 97kg and met again, this time in the semifinals. Khaniev won their rematch 14–9 in a bout featuring several momentum shifts. Azimi remained within reach late in the contest, but his attempt to create a final scoring opportunity ended with Khaniev extending the lead.
The Russian advanced to face American Justin Rademacher, the 2025 U20 world champion. Their final provided another dramatic conclusion. Rademacher held a two-point advantage late in the match, but Khaniev scored with a takedown and exposure sequence during the final minute to reverse the result. He won 9–7, converting last year's U23 silver into gold.
Azimi recovered from his semifinal defeat, beating Armenia's Gurgen Simonyan 10–0 to earn bronze for Iran.
Georgia's Konstantine Petriashvili won the other bronze, also by technical superiority.
Gold: Mukhamed Khaniev (RUS) defeated Justin Rademacher (USA), 9–7.
Bronze: Mohammadmobin Azimi (IRI) and Konstantine Petriashvili (GEO).
125kg — Mohammad Nezhad Keeps Winning
Iran's Abolfazl Mohammad Nezhad completed another impressive world championship campaign with a 10–0 victory over Georgia's Aleksandre Abramishvili.
The heavyweight entered Las Vegas as the defending U23 champion and continued to demonstrate his strength against international opposition. In the final, he combined takedowns and step-outs to build the ten-point margin required for technical superiority.
At just 19 years old, Mohammad Nezhad secured his third age-group world title. According to UWW, he has remained unbeaten since losing the 2025 U20 world final to Kazakhstan's Yedige Kassimbek.
His dominance provided Iran with an important gold medal during the opening night of the freestyle finals and helped establish the team's position in the standings.
American Coby Merrill earned bronze after a 10–0 victory over Hungary's Milan Gellen.
Azerbaijan's Khetag Karsanov claimed the other bronze with an 8–1 win against Russia's Andrei Bestaev.
Gold: Abolfazl Mohammad Nezhad (IRI) defeated Aleksandre Abramishvili (GEO), 10–0.
Bronze: Coby Merrill (USA) and Khetag Karsanov (AZE).
Final Team Standings — Depth Makes the Difference
Rank Country Points
RankCountryPoints
Iran: 180
Russia:171
United States:104
Türkiye: 99
Japan: 75
Georgia: 68
India: 578
Kazakhstan: 55
Armenia: 49
Azerbaijan: 42
Iran's nine medals came through:
Ahora Khateri (65kg), Mahdi Yousefi (79kg), Abolfazl Rahmani (92kg), Abolfazl Mohammad Nezhad (125kg)SilverEbrahim Elahi (70kg)BronzeEbrahim Khari (61kg), Ali Karampour (74kg), Reza Afshar (86kg), Mohammadmobin Azimi (97kg)
Russia also won four gold medals, through Eltemirov (70kg), Baitukaev (74kg), Balaian (86kg) and Khaniev (97kg).
But Iran's broader distribution of medal finishes ultimately separated the teams by nine points.
Beyond the Results — What Las Vegas Revealed
The freestyle competition ended with Iran celebrating the team championship, but the more interesting story was how different paths led to success.
The value of consistency: Iran and Russia finished with four champions each, yet Iran's additional podium finishes proved decisive. A team championship rewards more than gold medals alone.
The importance of responding under pressure: Khateri's 9–8 semifinal comeback, Rahmani's recovery from previous disappointments and Khaniev's late turnaround in the 97kg final each demonstrated a different form of resilience.
Reputation does not determine results: Luke Lilledahl arrived as a defending champion, while Bo Bassett was widely regarded as one of the United States' leading young talents. Neither reached the podium. Bazarbayev and Jaskaran provided two reminders of how quickly expectations can change once competition begins.
The finest margins still matter: The 65kg final ended 7–6, the 74kg final turned in the last seconds, and the 97kg title changed hands after a late scoring sequence.
For some athletes, Las Vegas was about defending what they had already achieved. For others, it meant finally breaking through, recovering from a defeat, or establishing themselves against a highly regarded opponent.
Iran won the team championship through consistency across ten divisions.
But the individual stories showed something just as important: wrestling is rarely decided by reputation, and sometimes a single exchange can change an entire tournament.
Beyond the Result. Stories That Matter.