Ramirez, Kelly win silver medals, USA women are second at CISM Military Worlds in Armenia

YEREVAN, Armenia – The U.S. women’s freestyle team closed out the 37^th CISM World Military Wrestling Championships with two silver medals, and a second-place trophy in the team race.

Claiming silver medals for Team USA in women’s freestyle on Friday were SPC Sienna Ramirez (65 kg) and SPC Tristan Kelly (76 kg).

Ramirez went 3-1 in a four-athlete round-robin, with her only loss to eventual champion Kateryna Zelenykh of Romania, a 2024 World silver medalist. Ramirez’s victories included a pin of bronze medalist Laura Godino of Italy and a 15-5 technical fall over Bayaraa Maitsetseg of Mongolia.

Kelly won two of her three round-robin matches, falling only to champion 2021 U23 World champion Reetika of India. She stopped Enkhmar Davaansan of Mongolia, 8-4 and earned an injury default win over Gulmaral Yerkebayeva of Kazakhstan.

Both Ramirez and Kelly have been on past U.S. age-group World Teams. Kelly was a 2022 U20 World bronze medalist and also competed in the 2018 U17 World Championships. Ramirez competed in the 2022 U23 World Team.

The United States was second in the women’s freestyle team standings with 109 points, behind only team champion Mongolia with 142 points. North Korea was third with 100 points. The U.S. women finished with four medals, as SPC Adaugo Nwachukwu won a gold medal at 62 kg and SPC Abigail E. Nette won a silver medal at 59 kg on Thursday.

CPT Jeremiah B. Imonode placed fifth in men’s freestyle at 125 kg. He was defeated in a bronze-medal match against two-time CISM World Military champion Alan Khugayev of Russia, 4-1. Khugayev scored the only takedown of the match in the second period. Imonode was beaten in his opening match by Morteza Jan Mohammadi of Iran, who reached the finals, pulling Imonode back into repechage.

Imonode was the only U.S. entry in men’s freestyle, and his fifth-place finish put the United States in 16^th place with 10 points. Russia, Iran and Mongolia were the top three teams, out of 20 nations entered in men’s freestyle

The final two U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers competed on Friday and did not qualify for a medal match, SPC Spencer Woods (87 kg) and SPC Timothy Young (97 kg). Both finished seventh in their weight class.

Woods opened with a pin over Kola Marjan of Albania in 1:34. In the quarterfinals, he lost to 2021 Military World silver medalist Jamal Esmaeili of Iran by pin. When Esmaeili reached the final, he pulled Woods back into repechage, where he was edged by 2023 World champion Ali Cengiz of Turkey, 3-2.

Young was defeated in his only bout by 2018 U20 World bronze medalist Muhitdin Sorlaicek of Turkey, 7-4. Sorlaicek did not reach the finals, making Young ineligible for repechage.

The U.S. Greco-Roman team finished with two medals, a silver by SGT Ildar S. Hafizov at 63 kg and a bronze by SPC Kamal A. Bey at 82 kg. Both U.S. Greco-Roman medalists are Olympians, with Hafizov representing the USA at the 2020 Olympics and Bey wrestling in the 2024 Olympics. The United States placed sixth in the Greco-Roman team standings with 73 points, out of 20 nations. The top three Greco-Roman teams were Russia, Iran and host Armenia, in that order.

37^th CISM World Military Wrestling Championships

At Yerevan, Armenia, November 20-22

Women’s freestyle medalists

65 kg

Gold - Kateryna Zelenykh (Romania)

Silver – Sienna Ramirez (USA)

Bronze - Laura Godino (Italy)

68 kg

Gold – Gum Pak Sol (North Korea)

Silver – Kendra Dacher (France)

Bronze – Priyanka (India)

72 kg

Gold – Pauline LeCarpentier (France)

Silver – Purvee Nomin Erdine (Mongolia)

Bronze – Hanna Maslakova (Belarus)

76 kg

Gold - Reetika (India)

Silver – Tristan Kelly (USA)

Bronze - Enkhmar Davaansan (Mongolia)

U.S. Women's freestyle results

65 kg – SPC Sienna Ramirez, U.S. Army, silver medal

WIN Bhateri (India), tech fall 10-0

WIN Laura Godino (Italy), pin

LOSS Kateryna Zelenykh (Romania), tech fall 10-0

WIN Bayaraa Maitsetseg (Mongolia), 15-5

76 kg – SPC Tristan Kelly, U.S. Army, silver medal

LOSS Reetika (India), pin

WIN Enkhmar Davaansan (Mongolia), 8-4

WIN Gulmaral Yerkebayeva (Kazakhstan), inj. dft.

Women’s Freestyle Team Standings

1. Mongolia, 142 points

2. United States, 109

3. North Korea, 100

4. India, 77

5. France, 65

6. Romania, 62

7. Kazakhstan, 42

8. Switzerland, 40

9. (tie) Hungary, Italy, 27

(of 12 nations)

Greco-Roman medalists

87 kg

Gold – Vaad Margarian (Russia)

Silver - Jamal Esmaeili (Iran)

Bronze - Ali Cengiz (Turkey)

Bronze – Karen Khachatryan (Armenia)

97 kg

Gold – Alex Szoke (Hungary)

Silver – Magomed Murtazaliev (Russia)

Bronze - Muhitdin Sorlaicek (Turkey)

Bronze – Cristian David Bravo Valencia (Colombia)

130 kg

Gold – Alimkhan Sydzkov (Kazakhstan)

Silver – Mahdi Kalantari (Iran)

Bronze – Marat Kamparov (Russia)

U.S. Greco-Roman results

87 kg – SPC Spencer Woods, U.S. Army, 7^th place

WIN Kola Marjan (Albania), pin 1:34

LOSS Jamal Esmaeili (Iran), pin 2:10

LOSS Ali Cengiz (Turkey), 3-2

97 kg – SPC Timothy Young, U.S. Army, 7^th place

LOSS Muhitdin Sorlaicek (Turkey), 7-4

Greco-Roman Standings

1. Russia, 175 points

2. Iran, 161

3. Armenia, 157

4. Turkey, 141

5. Kazakhstan, 76

6.United States, 73

7. North Korea, 60

8. India, 54

9. Colombia, 47

10. Hungary, 45

(of 20 nations)

Men’s Freestyle Medalists

92 kg

Gold – Askhab Saadulayev (Russia)

Silver – Yaruslau Iadkouski (Belarus)

Bronze – Javad Fathkhani (Iran)

Bronze – Mushegh Mkrtchyan (Armenia)

97 kg

Gold – Kamil Kurugliyev (Kazakhstan)

Silver – Danial Shariati Nia (Iran)

Bronze – Sergey Kozyrev (Russia)

Bronze – Ganbaatar Ghankhung (Mongolia)

125 kg

Gold – Enkhtuvshin Batmangnai (Mongolia)

Silver - Morteza Jan Mohammadi (Iran)

Bronze – Adil Misirci (Turkey)

Bronze - Alan Khugayev (Russia)

U.S. Men’s Freestyle results

125 kg - CPT Jeremiah B. Imonode, U.S. Army, 5^th place

LOSS Morteza Jan Mohammadi (Iran), tech fall 10-0

LOSS Alan Khugayev (Russia), 4-1

Men’s Freestyle Standings

1. Russia, 165 points

2. Iran, 136

3. Mongolia, 131

4. India, 121

5. Kazakhstan, 121

6. Armenia, 102

7. Turkey, 74

8. North Korea, 70

9. France, 53

10. Belarus, 45

16. United States, 10

(of 20 nations)