Billy Sullivan defends a throw attempt at the U23 World Championships.
Jacobson, Sullivan advance to Greco-Roman bronze medal match at U23 World Championships
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
TIRANA, Albania – Americans Payton Jacobson and Billy Sullivan navigated through the Wednesday morning repechage round to qualify for a bronze medal bout in the Greco-Roman division at the U23 World Championships.
Jacobson thoroughly impressed in a 7-0 decision win over Individual Neutral Athlete Ilya Mialeshchyk, who was fifth at the 2024 U23 European Championships. Jacobson went to work, gaining both passivity advantages in the contest. He grew confident with his attacks as the match went on, getting to the body multiple times, once for a back-breaking four-point toss.
The 2024 Olympian has now won three matches in Albania and needs one more to make his first World podium. Jacobson’s bronze medal match opponent is this year’s U20 World champion Asan Zhanyshov of Kyrgyzstan.
Sullivan was awarded a forfeit during the repechage after his scheduled opponent, Colombia’s Cristopher Verastegui Aguilar, missed weight. Sullivan will face Kohei Yamagiwa of Japan for a bronze medal at 55 kg.
At 130 kg, KJ Miley has his run cut short of a medal match following a 5-0 loss to Giorgi Tsopurashvili in the repechage. Tsopurashvili hit a four-point arm throw in the first 10 seconds of the match and added a passivity point in the first period to round out the scoring.
The Greco-Roman group two (55-63-77-87-130 kg) medal matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. local time this evening. For those following along live, Tirana, Albania, is located six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.
Updated brackets and match-by-match results are available on UWW Arena. A live broadcast of the event is available for the U.S. market at FloWrestling.com.
Revisit the details of each match from today in our day three match notes article.
2024 U23 World Championships | At Tirana, Albania, October 23
Greco-Roman Results
Medal Match Pairings (Group Two)
55 kg
Gold – Rashad Mammadov (Azerbaijan) vs. Ali Ahmadi Vafa (Iran)
Bronze – Kohei Yamagiwa (Japan) vs. Billy Sullivan (United States)
Bronze – Vishvajit More (India) vs. Adam Ulbashev (Individual Neutral Athlete)
63 kg
Gold – Komei Sawada (Japan) vs. Vitalie Eriomenco (Moldova)
Bronze – Bekir Ates (Turkey) vs. Mairbek Salimov (Poland)
Bronze – Arman Vardanyan (Armenia) vs. Erfan Jarkani (Iran)
77 kg
Gold – Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova) vs. Samuel Bellscheidt (Germany)
Bronze – Doniyorkhon Nakibov (Uzbekistan) vs. Ali Oskou (Iran)
Bronze – Temuri Orjonikidze (Georgia) vs. Khasay Hasanli (Azerbaijan)
87 kg
Gold – Marcel Sterkenburg (Netherlands) vs. Aues Gonibov (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Bronze – Yasin Yazdi (Iran) vs. Achiko Bolkvadze (Georgia)
Bronze – Asan Zhanyshov (Kyrgyzstan) vs. Payton Jacobson (United States)
130 kg
Gold – Fardin Hedayati (Iran) vs. Dmitrii Baboryko (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Bronze – Koppany Laszlo (Hungary) vs. Pavel Hlinchuk (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Bronze – Albert Vardanyan (Armenia) vs. Giorgi Tsopurashvili (Georgia)
U.S. Greco-Roman Results (Group Two)
55 kg – Billy Sullivan (Las Vegas, Nev./Army WCAP), bronze medal match
WIN Dieymer Rosal Amundaray (Venezuela), tech. fall, 18-10
LOSS Rashad Mammadov (Azerbaijan), tech. fall, 12-4
WIN Cristopher Verastegui Aguilar (Colombia), forfeit
VS Kohei Yamagiwa (Japan)
63 kg – Jonathan Gurule (Peralta, N.M./NMU-National Training Center), eliminated
LOSS Mairbek Salimov (Poland), tech. fall, 9-0
77 kg – Hunter Garvin (North Liberty, Iowa/California RTC), eliminated
WIN Karan Karan (India), tech. fall, 9-1
LOSS Doniyorkhon Nakibov (Uzbekistan), 7-1
87 kg – Payton Jacobson (Elkhorn, Wis./ NMU-National Training Center/Sunkist Kids WC), bronze medal match
WIN Tomislav Brkan (Croatia), 3-1
WIN Yudai Kobori (Japan), tech. fall, 8-0
LOSS Aues Gonibov (Individual Neutral Athlete), 3-1
WIN Ilya Mialeshchyk (Individual Neutral Athlete), 7-0
VS Asan Zhanyshov (Kyrgyzstan)
130 kg – KJ Miley (Little Rock, Ark./Arkansas RTC), eliminated
WIN Tomasz Wawrzynczyk (Poland), 5-3
LOSS Dmitrii Baboryko (Individual Neutral Athlete), tech. fall, 8-0
LOSS Giorgi Tsopurashvili (Georgia), 5-0
