Jayden Raney celebrates after winning the 55 kg U17 Greco-Roman World title at the 2024 U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan.

Athlete of Week

Jayden Raney named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare

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by Savannah Asmann, USA Wrestling

Jayden Raney (Sturgis, Ky./Union County) has been named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare, on August 21, 2024.

Raney, a rising star in the wrestling world, earned the weekly honor after clinching the 2024 U17 Greco-Roman World title at 55 kg.

In one of the most electrifying matches of the tournament, Raney took on Alpamys Bolatuly of Kazakhstan in the 55 kg gold medal bout. Raney came out strong, scoring a takedown to take an early 2-0 lead. He then followed up with a turn, extending his lead to 4-0, and after getting Bolatuly on his shoulders his lead grew to 6-0 entering the break.

The second period saw Bolatuly stage a comeback, earning a takedown and a turn to close the gap to 6-4. Bolatuly added another point on a step out, bringing the score to 6-5. Kazakhstan challenged the call, hoping for more points, but the challenge was lost, and the score was adjusted to 7-5 in Raney’s favor. Time soon ran out, securing Raney’s victory and his first international gold medal in Amman.

The Team USA standout went undefeated in Jordan with a 5-0 record, including four dominant victories on day one. His journey to the gold medal match included wins over U17 Asian champion Sardor Kholmurzaev of Uzbekistan, Denys Seredin of Ukraine, and U17 European bronze medalist Ali Nazarov of Azerbaijan.

In the semifinals, Raney showed his resilience by securing a pin against 2023 U17 European Championships bronze medalist Petro Zhytovoz of Hungary. Despite trailing 6-0 early in the match, Raney turned the tide, pulling Zhytovoz into a front headlock and using his momentum to earn a fall with just two seconds remaining in the first period.

Hailing from Sturgis, Kentucky, Raney is no stranger to success. He is a four-time USA Wrestling 16U Nationals champion, having claimed both Greco-Roman and freestyle titles in 2022 and 2023 in Fargo, N.D.

To nominate a wrestler for this honor please email the athlete's name, wrestling program, weekly accomplishments, and career accolades to communications@usawrestling.org.

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