Payton Jacobson works on top at the U23 World Championships.
Jacobson, Sullivan finish fifth, U.S. places 10th in Greco-Roman at U23 World Championships
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
TIRANA, Albania – 2024 Olympian Payton Jacobson and Army WCAP product Billy Sullivan battled back to fifth place finishes in Greco-Roman at the U23 World Championships on Wednesday, giving the U.S. three top five finishers at the event.
Jacobson was defeated 9-0 by this year’s U20 World champion Asan Zhanyshov of Kyrgyzstan in the 87 kg bronze medal match at Feti Borova Sports Hall. A lateral drop-to-gutwrench sequence ended things in the first period for the promising young American talent.
His tournament ended with a respectable 3-2 record. Jacobson earned wins over Tomislav Brkan of Croatia and Yudai Kobori of Japan on the front side of the bracket, plus an impressive 7-0 repechage win against Individual Neutral Athlete Ilya Mialeshchyk on Wednesday morning.
Sullivan was unable to find much offense in an 11-1 technical fall loss to Kohei Yamagiwa of Japan in the 55 kg bronze medal bout. Sullivan finished with a 2-2 record with wins over Dieymer Rosal Amundaray of Venezuela and Cristopher Verastegui Aguilar of Colombia to his credit.
Beka Melelashvili was the lone U.S. Greco-Roman medalist in Albania. Melelashvili earned a silver medal at 82 kg on Tuesday. Prior to this year, no American had ever medaled at the U23 World Championships, an event that dates back to 2017. In fact, only one American had even wrestled for a medal previously (Taylor LaMont, 2021). A number that was tripled in 2024. Without question, this year marks the best Greco-Roman performance for Team USA at the U23 Worlds.
The U.S. finished with 40 team points to come in 10th place in the overall team rankings. Iran won the team title with 149 team points, 28 points ahead of runner-up Georgia. Armenia collected the third-place trophy with 93 team points.
The U23 World Championships continue tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. local time with the with the women’s freestyle group one (50-55-59-68-76 kg) repechage and the women’s freestyle group two (53-57-62-65-72 kg) qualification rounds. 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
Team Ranking
1. Iran, 149
2. Georgia,121
3. Armenia, 93
4. Azerbaijan, 72
5. Moldova, 52
6. Kyrgyzstan, 50
7. Poland, 50
8. Uzbekistan, 45
9. Germany, 45
10. United States, 40
Final Results (Group Two)
55 kg
Gold – Ali Ahmadi Vafa (Iran)
Silver – Rashad Mammadov (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Kohei Yamagiwa (Japan)
Bronze – Vishvajit More (India)
5th – Billy Sullivan (United States)
5th – Adam Ulbashev (Individual Neutral Athlete)
7th – Yerbol Kamaliyev (Kazakhstan)
8th – Arayik Topalyan (Armenia)
9th – Dieymer Rosal Amundaray (Venezuela)
10th – Emre Mutlu (Turkey)
Gold – Ali Ahmadi Vafa (Iran) tech. fall Rashad Mammadov (Azerbaijan), 11-3
Bronze – Kohei Yamagiwa (Japan) tech. fall Billy Sullivan (United States), 11-1
Bronze – Vishvajit More (India) dec. Adam Ulbashev (Individual Neutral Athlete), 14-10
63 kg
Gold – Vitalie Eriomenco (Moldova)
Silver – Komei Sawada (Japan)
Bronze – Mairbek Salimov (Poland)
Bronze – Erfan Jarkani (Iran)
5th – Bekir Ates (Turkey)
5th – Arman Vardanyan (Armenia)
7th – Adrian Anton (Romania)
8th – Romeo Beridze (Georgia)
9th – Bredi Slinkers (Netherlands)
10th – Ronaldo Sanchez Ramirez (Colombia)
Gold – Vitalie Eriomenco (Moldova) tech. fall Komei Sawada (Japan), 10-2
Bronze – Mairbek Salimov (Poland) fall Bekir Ates (Turkey), 3:55
Bronze – Erfan Jarkani (Iran) tech. fall Arman Vardanyan (Armenia), 8-0
77 kg
Gold – Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova)
Silver – Samuel Bellscheidt (Germany)
Bronze – Ali Oskou (Iran)
Bronze – Khasay Hasanli (Azerbaijan)
5th – Doniyorkhon Nakibov (Uzbekistan)
5th – Temuri Orjonikidze (Georgia)
7th – Ismail Barakhoev (Individual Neutral Athlete)
8th – Aleksa Ilic (Serbia)
9th – Attila Toesmagi (Hungary)
10th – Ekke Leitham (Estonia)
Gold – Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova) dec. Samuel Bellscheidt (Germany), 3-1
Bronze – Ali Oskou (Iran) dec. Doniyorkhon Nakibov (Uzbekistan), 6-4
Bronze – Khasay Hasanli (Azerbaijan) dec. Temuri Orjonikidze (Georgia), 7-1
87 kg
Gold – Aues Gonibov (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Silver – Marcel Sterkenburg (Netherlands)
Bronze – Achiko Bolkvadze (Georgia)
Bronze – Asan Zhanyshov (Kyrgyzstan)
5th – Yasin Yazdi (Iran)
5th – Payton Jacobson (United States)
7th – Vladyslav Diahilev (Ukraine)
8th – Samet Yaldiran (Turkey)
9th – Adam Gardziola (Poland)
10th – Ilya Mialeshchyk (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Gold – Aues Gonibov (Individual Neutral Athlete) dec. Marcel Sterkenburg (Netherlands), 4-0
Bronze – Achiko Bolkvadze (Georgia) dec. Yasin Yazdi (Iran), 4-4
Bronze – Asan Zhanyshov (Kyrgyzstan) tech. fall Payton Jacobson (United States), 9-0
130 kg
Gold – Fardin Hedayati (Iran)
Silver – Dmitrii Baboryko (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Bronze – Koppany Laszlo (Hungary)
Bronze – Giorgi Tsopurashvili (Georgia)
5th – Pavel Hlinchuk (Individual Neutral Athlete)
5th – Albert Vardanyan (Armenia)
7th – Tomasz Wawrzynczyk (Poland)
8th – Mykhailo Vyshnyvetskyi (Ukraine)
9th – Assylbek Abdikalyk (Kazakhstan)
10th – Nikolaos Ntounias (Greece)
Gold – Fardin Hedayati (Iran) dec. Dmitrii Baboryko (Individual Neutral Athlete), 6-0
Bronze – Koppany Laszlo (Hungary) tech. fall Pavel Hlinchuk (Individual Neutral Athlete), 9-1
Bronze – Giorgi Tsopurashvili (Georgia) dec. Albert Vardanyan (Armenia), 1-1
U.S. Greco-Roman Results (Group Two)
55 kg – Billy Sullivan (Las Vegas, Nev./Army WCAP), 5th place
WIN Dieymer Rosal Amundaray (Venezuela), tech. fall, 18-10
LOSS Rashad Mammadov (Azerbaijan), tech. fall, 12-4
WIN Cristopher Verastegui Aguilar (Colombia), forfeit
LOSS Kohei Yamagiwa (Japan), tech. fall, 11-1
63 kg – Jonathan Gurule (Peralta, N.M./NMU-National Training Center), 20th place
LOSS Mairbek Salimov (Poland), tech. fall, 9-0
77 kg – Hunter Garvin (North Liberty, Iowa/California RTC), 12th place
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), 5th place
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
LOSS Asan Zhanyshov (Kyrgyzstan), tech. fall, 9-0
130 kg – KJ Miley (Little Rock, Ark./Arkansas RTC), 12th place
WIN Tomasz Wawrzynczyk (Poland), 5-3
LOSS Dmitrii Baboryko (Individual Neutral Athlete), tech. fall, 8-0
LOSS Giorgi Tsopurashvili (Georgia), 5-0
Read More#
U.S. receives Greco-Roman draw at U23 World Championships
2024 U23 Greco-Roman World Team Bios
Melelashvili advances to Greco-Roman semifinals at U23 World Championships
Match Notes: U23 World Championships Day Two
Jacobson, Miley fall in Greco-Roman quarters, four in repechage hunt at U23 World Championships
