Preview: U.S. Assembles Top Stars for U23 World Championships

LAS VEGAS, United States (October 7) -- The United States has assembled a star studded team for the U23 World Championships, being held in Las Vegas, Nevada from October 12 to 18.

In Women's Wrestling, Morgan TURNER (USA), Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA), Everest LEYDECKER (USA), Kylie WELKER (USA) and Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA) are among the wrestlers who will be the favorite.

The Freestyle squad has Bowen BASSETT (USA), Jayden JAMES (USA), Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) and Aedeon SINCLAIR (USA).

Lilledahl will be aiming for a second straight U23 world title at 57kg and will start as the favorite, unless there is a surprise. Among the challengers will be U23 European silver medalist Vasif BAGHIROV (AZE) and U20 world champion Magomed OZDAMIROV (RUS).

For Bassett, who will also compete at the senior World Championships, the U23 event will be the right warm-up. There is no dearth of talent in this weight class, but Bassett's conditioning and experience make him stand apart.

Former U17 world silver medalist Jaskaran SINGH (IND) will be able to match Bassett's conditioning, but his lack of experience may work against him. Former U23 world silver medalist Kaiji OGINO (JPN) will also try to upgrade the medal he won in 2023.

U23 European champion Magomedkhan MAGAMEDKHANOV (BLR), U20 world bronze medalist Ahora KHATERI (IRI), former U20 world silver medalist Eldar AKHMADUDINOV (RUS), and Viktor BOROHAN (UKR) will also be in the mix.

Two of wrestling's up-and-coming stars, Mobin AZIMI (IRI) and Takhir KHANIEV (RUS), battled it out in the 92kg final at the 2025 U23 World Championships. In one of the most thrilling finals, Azimi picked up the gold medal by beating Khaniev, 5-3. The two stars are set to face each other again, this time at 97kg.

U23 European champion Khaniev and senior Asian champion Azimi will be joined by several other young stars, including 2025 U20 world champion Justin RADEMACHER (USA), U20 European champion Konstantine PETRIASHVILI (GEO), U23 European silver medalist Ivan PRYMACHENKO (UKR), and recent Asian Games silver medalist Sherzod POYONOV (UZB), among others.

Khaniev made headlines this year at the Tirana Ranking Series when he defeated world champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) and will be among the favorites in Las Vegas. Azimi is moving up to 97kg for only the second time in his career but cannot be counted out.

Rademacher and Petriashvili will try to win medals at the U23 level, while Prymachenko and Poyonov also have an outside chance of finishing on the podium.

Russia will be hoping for at least three gold medals from Magomed ELTEMIROV (RUS) at 70kg, Magomed BAITUKAEV (RUS) at 74kg, and Arsen BALAIAN (RUS) at 86kg.

Balaian was one of the most dominant wrestlers at the 2025 U23 World Championships, winning three of his four bouts by technical superiority. He will look to defend his U23 world title at 86kg, a weight class that also includes U20 world champion Aeoden SINCLAIR (USA).

Sinclair will try to win his second straight age-group world title, but Sabuhi AMIRASLANOV (AZE), who is moving up from 79kg to 86kg, former U17 world champion Reza AFSHAR (IRI), and Ahmet YAGAN (TUR) will try to stop both Balaian and Sinclair.

Eltemirov finished second at 70kg at the U23 European Championships after dropping the final to Alexandr GAIDARLI (MDA) in Zrenjanin. Both are expected to resume their battle in Las Vegas, along with other international stars. Ebrahim ELAHI (IRI) will be among his biggest challenges, along with U23 Asian champion Maiis ALIYEV (KAZ) and Rustamzhan KAKHAROV (KGZ).

In the premier weight class, 74kg, U20 world silver medalist Jayden JAMES (USA) and Magomed BAITUKAEV (RUS) will be among the favorites to win, unless Manuel WAGIN (GER) can bring his best game and fitness.

U23 Asian champion Nurdaulet SEILBEKOV (KAZ) will also try to be among the medalists at 74kg. Saba KOBAKHIDZE (GEO) and Ali KARAMPOUR (IRI) will be in the mix for a podium finish.

At 125kg, it will be difficult to upset defending champion and U20 world champion Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI), while at 92kg, Arslan BAGAEV (RUS) will try to repeat as U23 world champion, a title he won in 2024.

Women's Wrestling

Everest LEYDECKER (USA) has already won the U20 world title this year and will now attempt a U23 and senior world double. Leydecker is the absolute favorite at 55kg.

Defending champion Shugyla OMIRBEK (KAZ) will be the toughest test for Leydecker along with silver medalist Tuba DEMIR (TUR) and U23 European champion Gerda TEREK (HUN).

Others hoping to do the double are Morgan TURNER (USA) at 50kg. After finishing with a silver medalist at the U20 level, Turner has a good chance to win gold in Las Vegas.

But Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN), who won gold at 53kg last year, is down to 50kg and will be Turner's biggest challenge. U23 European champion Aida KERYMOVA (UKR) will also be in the mix for a medal.

For former U20 world champion Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) at 53kg, the challenge may come from former U23 world silver medalist Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN), big-throwing Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP) and Nagisa HARADA (JPN).

In one of the marquee match-ups of the tournament, U20 world champion Nadiia SOKOLOVSKA (UKR) will likely face off against defending champion Kylie WELKER (USA). It will be upset if the two don't make it to the final at 76kg.

Others competing for a medal are Lotta ENGLICH (GER), Diksha MALIK (IND), Mariia SILINA (RUS) and Elmira YASIN (TUR).

Ray HOSHINO (JPN), a former U20 world champion, will start as the favorite at 68kg. U23 European champion Kseniya TSIARENIA (BLR), Mansi LATHER (IND), Alina SHEVCHENKO (RUS) are among the challengers.

Iryna BONDAR (UKR) has been out of action since finishing second at 2025 U23 World Championships but she will return in Novi Sad with hopes of winning the gold she missed last year. But a big test will be Hiyori MOTOKI (JPN), the sister of Olympic champion Sakura MOTOKI (JPN).

Yifan ZHU (CHN), the U23 Asian champion, is another contender at this weight class and so is former U23 world champion Eniko ELEKES (HUN). Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA) will also hope to navigate the field if she wants to win medals at both U23 and senior World Championships.

She has won multiple age-group world medals but U23 European champion Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) has the best chance to win the world title at 59kg in Las Vegas. But the competition will come from former U20 world champion Marta HETMANAVA (BLR), 2025 U20 world champion YANGZHEN (CHN), senior Asian medalist Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB), senior European medalist Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) and Alexis JANIAK (USA).

Greco-Roman

Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) has already won four age-group world titles and will now be the favorite to win his fifth at the U23 World Championships. Despite the presence of Paris Olympian and European medalist Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (BLR), his arch-rival Darius KIEFER (GER), and Hadi SEYDI AVENDI (IRI), who lost to Yakushenko in last year's U20 World Championships final, Yakushenko seems unstoppable.

A similar performance is expected from U20 world champion Ali ILIASOV (RUS), who will make his U23 debut. However, the step up in competition could prove challenging, with Laszlo DARABOS (HUN), a former U20 world champion, and former U17 world champions Cemal BAKIR (TUR) and Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) in the field. Abolfazl FATHI (IRI) will be eyeing revenge after dropping a close 5-4 bout against Iliasov at the U20 World Championships last year.

One of the deepest weight classes will be 77kg, where defending champion Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR) will face a tough path if he hopes to repeat. European champion Levente LEVAI (HUN) will be his biggest threat, along with former U20 world champions Anri PUTKARADZE (GEO) and Imran ALIEV (RUS).

Senior world bronze medalist Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) is also entered, making the weight class even tougher. Other contenders include former U17 world champion Theodoros KOUTSOUKOS (GRE), Asian bronze medalist Issei HONNA (JPN), and Ahoura BOUVEIRI PIANI (IRI), who finished second to Putkaradze in last year's U20 World Championships final.

Fresh off his U20 world title, Armin SHAMSIPOUR (IRI) will be eyeing his first U23 world title after missing the tournament last year. The 55kg weight class will be a battle, with senior Asian champion Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) leading Japan's charge. The field also includes Koba KARUMIDZE (GEO), who won silver behind Shamsipour at the U20 Worlds, returning bronze medalist Vishvajit MORE (IND), and former U17 world champion Otabek TURSUNOV (UZB), who finished second to Shamsipour at the U20 Asian Championships.

Iran will also hope that former U20 world champion Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) can finish atop the podium at 72kg. When he won the title in 2024, he defeated Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ) in the final. The Kazakh wrestler will be in Las Vegas looking to avenge that loss. The field also includes U20 world champion and senior European bronze medalist Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM), age-group world medalist Nika BROLADZE (GEO), and Shakhzod KUCHKOROV (UZB).

Defending 60kg champion Elmir ALIYEV (AZE) is returning to represent Azerbaijan in a tough weight class that could feature a rematch of last year's final, as silver medalist Alibek AMIROV (RUS) returns looking to avenge his loss. Former U20 Asian champion Mohammad ASHIRI (IRI) will make his World Championships debut, while Seima TOKUHARA (JPN) will represent Japan. Big-throwing Mehroj BAKHRAMOV (UZB) is also among the entries.

At 63kg, the title could come down to returning silver medalist Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) and Asian silver medalist Erfan JARKANI (IRI), who has experience at the senior level. Recent U20 world champion Aykhan JAVADOV (AZE) will look to spoil the party.

Both the U23 world champion and silver medalist at 67kg, Mohamed ABDELREHIM (EGY) and Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO), respectively, are returning. However, all eyes will be on former U20 world champion Erzu ZAKRIEV (RUS) as he looks to go all the way and win his second age-group world title. Former U17 world champion Imed KHUDZHADZE (UKR) will also be hoping to finish on the podium.

The tournament will also see the return of Alperen BERBER (TUR), who is looking to rediscover his form. Berber was one of the most dominant wrestlers at the age-group World Championships from 2022 to 2024 but struggled in 2025.

He will have to navigate a field that includes former U20 world champions Vigen NAZARYAN (ARM) and Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO), Asian silver medalist Yasin YAZDI (IRI), and returning silver medalist Ivan CHMYR (UKR).