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

Aden Attao (Boise, Idaho/Beaver Dam RTC/New York AC) has been named the USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare, on September 4, 2024.

Attao secured his second U20 World bronze medal in Greco-Roman, defeating individual neutral athlete Aleksandr Melekhov by fall in the bronze medal match on Tuesday in Pontevedra, Spain. Attao had to battle back through repechage after falling in his opening match to reach the bronze medal bout.

In his bronze medal match, Attao trailed 3-0 after the first two minutes of the contest, giving up two step-out points and a passivity call to Melekhov. After nearly countering a Melekhov over/under slip throw attempt to his back, Attao went over/under himself and landed the knockout punch in 3:13, pinning for the win.

Earlier that day, Attao won two straight matches in repechage. He began his day with an 8-0 technical fall win over Ethan Vergara of Puerto Rico. Attao hit an arm spin for four points, then locked up Vergara and turned him twice on the edge for the win just one minute into the match.

In his second round of repechage, Attao led early after his opponent Cemal Bakir of Turkey was called for passivity. Bakir countered with a takedown, gaining a 4-3 lead with a trapped arm gut. Bakir then jumped ahead to 5-3 after Attao was hit with a passivity call. As the seconds were winding down, the match became more aggressive, and Attao secured a decisive two points following a U.S. challenge to win on criteria.

Attao’s bronze was one of three medals for the United States, helping the Greco-Roman team secure a sixth place finish in the team race, Team USA's best since 2019.

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