Three months ago in practice, American Spencer Lee tore his right ACL for the umpteeth time. On Sunday in Astana, he glided to the top of the medal podium at a senior World Wrestling Championships for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee finally lived up to the high expectations that have hovered over his entire injury-plagued career, winning his first senior gold with a lightning-quick victory at 57kg on Sunday, the final day of the World Championships in Astana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee went to the lace-lock roll and zipped to a 10-0 victory in just 26 seconds over U.S.-born Roman Bravo Young of Mexico, whose gained some consolation by becoming Mexico\u2019s first-ever world medalist by taking the silver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m just happy that I was able to go out there and wrestle and perform, and finally get on top,\u201d an emotional Lee said after adding the world gold to his silver medal from the Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an all American finals, Levi Haines and Trent Hidlay traded the spots they finished a year ago in Zagreb, with Haines moving up one step to the top of the podium at 79kg and Amanula Gadzhimagomedov of Russia avenging his loss to Hidlay from the 2025 final at 92kg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the final match of the tournament, Russia’s Inalbek Sheriev overcame Nurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan and the raucous, partisan crowd at Astana\u2019s packed Barys Arena to claim the 74kg title for his first world gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The USA won the team title with 194 points, but by a closer margin than might have been expected, given that the victories by Lee and Haines raised its final gold medal tally to five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russia, which won the two other golds on the final day and three overall, finished a close second with 185 — and matched the U.S. by medaling in nine of the 10 weight classes. Iran finished third with 133 points and the remaining two golds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really special,\u201d Haines said of the team title. \u201cJust super thankful I get to be a part of it. Yeah, top to bottom, it\u2019s a bunch of killers. It\u2019s a lot of fun to be around guys that are ready to compete. I guess for counting all-time teams, it\u2019s going to be pretty hard to beat.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interesting to note is that the five members of the U.S. team who train at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club affiliated with Penn State University — gold medalists Kyle Snyder, Kyle Dake and Haines as well as bronze medalists Marcus Blaze and Zain Retherford — would have placed fourth with 105 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee has been in the spotlight since winning the world U20 gold as a teenager in 2016, but over the ensuing decade, he has battled his fragile knees as much as the opponents on the mat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He enjoyed success on the domestic collegiate level, but kept missing out on getting back into international competition. He finally seemed to beat the injury bug when he qualified for and won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He also made the U.S. team to last year\u2019s worlds in Zagreb, although that venture ended in disappointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor me it was frustrating because I thought I would be competing at this level much sooner,\u201d Lee said. \u201cMy first time competing in an Olympics or World Championships, or even trying to make a team, was in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLast year, obviously, I didn\u2019t medal, so that was really frustrating for me, because I felt that I could have been the best in the world, even last year. I got my butt beat in the quarters, so I had to make sure to go out and give it my all this time and end on top.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee nearly didn\u2019t make it to Astana after reinjuring his knee three months before, which completely curtailed his preparations. He considered giving up his spot on the team, but decided otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe day I tore it, I looked at my coaches and I was like, it\u2019s over, my career\u2019s over,\u201d Lee said. \u201cFourth one. What do you do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[Coach] Tom [Brands] looked at me and said, \u2018What do you want to do?\u2019 And I said, \u2018I\u2019m going to go wrestle.\u2019 If I lose, the media is going to hate me, everyone\u2019s going to wish that they had a different representative. But I\u2019m like, I\u2019m going to go out, put it on the line, and I\u2019m going to win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And win he did, with a memorable effort in his third win in three career meetings with Bravo Young. As has been his style, he gained a takedown, secured the lace-lock and spun four times in succession without a pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe expectations for me have always been to win everything, all the time, and never have close matches, since I was like 10 years old,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t put any more pressure on me than I already had.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 79kg, Haines scored the go-ahead takedown in the second period to secure a 4-3 win over Mohammad Nokhodi of Iran, who was relegated to a world silver for the third time in a career with six world medals but still no gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought I fought the game plan well, wish I would have got more attacks in there,\u201d Haines said. \u201cJust a real grippy guy, kind of hard to break from and create action. Just got to get better in there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nokhodi, who preceded the worlds with the 86kg gold at the recent Asian Games, opened the match with a stepout. Haines responded with a takedown, but when he attempted a gut wrench, Nokhodi stepped over for 2 to take a 3-2 lead at the break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI got a little greedy, I guess,\u201d Haines said of his aborted roll. \u201cI was like, \u2018Ah, this is no problem.\u2019 But obviously he\u2019s really good and this guy\u2019s been wrestling par terre his whole life. I need to make it an area of emphasis moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the second period, Haines scored a single-leg takedown, then stopped an arm drag attempt before holding on for the victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked if he felt compelled to keep up with the \u201cKyles\u201d at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, he credited the intensity of the workouts, and particularly threw a shoutout to the veteran Dake, who won his fifth world title in a third different weight class in Astana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re sure competitive guys, so of course we\u2019re always competing,\u201d Haines said. \u201cBut I just really look up to both of them. Kyle Dake and I get to train a lot together. I wrestle with Snyder, but I try to pick drilling days with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKyle Dake is a huge part of my training, and why I\u2019m standing up here today. So, really grateful to him. He\u2019s super willing to give me his time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 92kg, a year after Hidlay rallied from an eight-point deficit to beat Gadzhimagomedov for the gold in Zagreb, the Russian turned the table with a comeback of his own for a slightly less dramatic 3-2 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hidlay scored a pair of stepouts in the first period, then gave up an activity point in the second. With the match down to the final minute, Hidlay shot in on a double-leg takedown that moved Gadzhimagomedov to the edge. From there he hit a back-rolling counter lift with :16 left that was originally awarded 4 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A challenge reduced the points to 2, but it still put the Russian ahead, which is where he stayed after slipping dexterously out of a low single to clinch the victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There could hardly have been a better ending if a Kazakhstan wrestler could have won a gold in the final match of the tournament, but a fairy tale ending was not in the cards, nor the mind of Sheriev, who broke open the encounter at 74kg with Kaipanov in the second period for a 10-4 win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen the whole stadium is against you and everyone is rooting for the opponent, it\u2019s hard,\u201d Sheriev said. \u201cBut we have also been working on this since yesterday. Together with coaches, experienced mentors of our national team, we were specially prepared not to burn out under public pressure.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaipanov whizzered his way to an opening stepout, but Sheriev came back with a nice fireman\u2019s carry for 2. The Russian side challenged for 4, but the original call stuck, making it 2-2 with Sheriev holding the criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the second period, Kaipanov scored 2 off a counter to a double-leg takedown, but Sheriev reversed him to his back for 2 of his own. From there, he applied the lace-lock and rolled three times to open a six-point gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sheriev added the gold to the bronze he won at 70kg in 2024. Kaipanov, who won a bronze last year at 70kg, was denied a second career world gold but collected his fourth world medal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen the anthem played in my honor, I realized it was worth fighting and winning for,\u201d Sheriev said. \u201cIt was the moment when my hard work was justified, my way to this place that I dreamed of. We worked for this result for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the bronze-medal matches, Han Chong Song of North Korea and Yoshinosuke Aoyagi of Japan assured they would not leave Astana empty-handed in a tournament that was generally not very kind to 2025 world champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Han, the reigning champion at 57kg who was dethroned in a nail-biting semifinal by Bravo Young, defeated two-time Asian medalist Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag of Mongolia 3-1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Han was leading on last-point criteria from an exchange of activity points when he capped the victory by spinning behind for a takedown with :02 left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The victory repeated Han\u2019s 9-6 win over Batkhuyag in the semifinals of the 2025 Asian Championships in which he won the gold. Han had to settle for a silver at the recent Asian Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other 57kg bronze went to Abubakar Mutaliev of Russia, who built up a six-point lead before holding on for a 6-3 win over Islam Bazarganov of Azerbaijan for the 29-year-old\u2019s lone major international medal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 74kg, Aoyagi\u2019s bid to add to the world gold he won last year at 70kg in Zagreb was upended in the semifinals by Kaipanov, but he showed the firepower that earned him a third career world medal by whitewashing four-time European medalist Turan Bayramov of Azerbaijan 11-0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aoyagi scored a takedown as the activity clock was expiring on Bayramov, then went into a series of gut wrenches that ended the match in 2:38.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the other 74kg match, Amirmohammad Yazdani of Iran denied Tajmuraz Salkazanov of Slovakia a second straight bronze medal and fifth world medal overall by surviving a late rally for a 5-4 win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yazdani scored a stepout and takedown in the first period, and the two exchange stepouts early in the second. Salkazanov then stepped up the pressure and in the final minute, scored three straight stepouts that tied the score, but left him behind on criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Slovak side challenged the final stepout that was scored with :01 left, appealing for a possible takedown, but were denied, giving Yazdani his final point as he took home his third world medal in a third different weight class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 79kg, European silver medalist Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau of Belarus, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist at 74kg, picked up his first world medal with a 3-0 victory over Dzhabrail Gadzhiev of Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kadzimahamedau gained an activity point in each period, then added a stepout countering a takedown attempt later in the second period \u2014 repeating his 4-1 victory over Gadzhiev in the semifinals at this year\u2019s European Championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other 79kg bronze went to Ismail Khaniev of Russia, the 2025 world U20 champion at 74kg who defeated Mongolia’s Suldkhuu Olonbayar 6-0 to also became a first-time senior world medalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leading 2-0 in the second period, Khaniev added a takedown and a point for an unsuccessful challenge, then capped the win by getting behind for a takedown in the final seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 92kg, European champion Ali Tcokaev of Azerbaijan defeated returning bronze medalist and three-time Asian champion Amirhossein Firouzpour of Iran, scoring a takedown in each period and adding a lace-lock roll after the second for a 6-0 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miriani Maisuradze of Georgia picked up his third career world medal, mimicking Tcokaev in the series that gave him six points in the first period of a 6-3 win over Samuel Scherrer of Switzerland for the other 92kg bronze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 57kg (34 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Chong Song HAN (PRK) df. Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL), 3-1 74kg (37 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) df. Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK), 5-4 79kg (30 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (BLR) df. Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) 3-1 92kg (23 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Ali TCOKAEV (AZE) df. Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI), 6-0 Three months ago in practice, American Spencer Lee tore his right ACL for the umpteeth time. On Sunday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[91],"class_list":["post-17327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-wrestling"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
GOLD: Spencer LEE (USA) df. Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) by TS, 10-0, :26<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Abubakar MUTALIEV (RUS) df. Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE), 6-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GOLD: Inalbek SHERIEV (RUS) df. Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ), 10-4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df. Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) by TS, 11-0, 2:38<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GOLD: Levi HAINES (USA) df. Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI), 4-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Ismail KHANIEV (RUS) df. Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL), 6-0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GOLD: Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Trent HIDLAY (USA), 3-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) df. Samuel SCHERRER (SUI), 6-3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"