OMAHA, Neb. – The United States will bring a seasoned team in Greco-Roman to the Senior World Championships this year. All four wrestlers who made the U.S. team by winning their weight classes at the World Team Trials on Sunday have been to the Senior Worlds before.

The Senior World Championships will be held in Tirana, Albania, October 28-31, and will feature 12 World Championship weight classes that were not contested at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Two of the U.S. World Team members have past experience at the Olympic Games. Both wrestled in the Olympics for another nation, although one also wrestled in the Olympics for Team USA.

Ildar Hafizov, a 2020 U.S. Olympian, earned the World Team spot at 63 kg, defeating Max Black in the Championship Series in a full three-match series. Hafizov was dominant in an 11-0 technical fall in the first match, but Black battled back to win the second match, 3-1. In the deciding third match, Hafizov claimed a 9-0 technical fall. Hafizov usually competes at 60 kg.

Hafizov was a native of Uzbekistan, and competed in the 2008 Olympic Games and in three Senior World Championships for Uzbekistan. After becoming a USA citizen, Hafizov was an Olympian, and will be competing in his fourth World Championships for Team USA.

Making his first U.S. Senior World Team is 44-year old Aliaksandr Kikiniou, who defeated 2021 World Team member Jesse Porter in two straight bouts at 82 kg. Kikiniou, the top seed, beat Porter 5-1 in the first match, then closed it out with a 3-1 win in the second bout.

Kikiniou was a 2012 Olympian and six-time Senior World Team member for Belarus, including a 2009 World bronze medal. Kikiniou became a U.S. citizen and earned his first trip to the World Championships for the United States. His two sons are both top age-group Greco-Roman wrestlers in the United States.

2023 World Team member Brady Koontz earned a return trip to the World Championships, after sweeping his three-match series against Kenneth Crosby at 55 kg. Koontz was dominant, taking a pair of technical falls in the finals series. Koontz won bout one 9-0, and closed out the win with an 8-0 victory.

2024 Senior World Team Trials

Sept. 15, Omaha, Neb.

Best-of-three championship series results

Greco-Roman

55 kg

Brady Koontz (Dubuque RTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Kenneth Crosby (NMU-National Training Center) two matches to none

Round 1 – Koontz tech. fall Crosby, 9-0

Round 2 – Koontz tech. fall Crosby, 8-0

63 kg

Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) defeats Max Black (NMU-National Training Center/New York AC) two matches to one

Round 1 – Hafizov tech. fall Black, 11-0

Round 2 – Black dec. Hafizov, 3-1

Round 3 – Hafizov tech. fall Black, 9-0

72 kg

Benjamin Peak (Combat W.C. School of Wrestling) defeats RaVaughn Perkins (New York AC) two matches to none

Round 1 – Peak forfeit Perkins

Round 2 – Peak forfeit Perkins

82 kg

Aliaksandr Kikiniou (New York AC) defeats Jesse Porter (New York AC) two matches to none

Round 1 –Kikiniou dec. Porter, 5-1

Round 2 – Kikiniou dec. Porter, 3-1

Greco-Roman Third Place Bouts

55 kg - Billy Sullivan (Army WCAP) tech fall Peter Del Gallo (South Side Wrestling Club), 9-0 2:24

63 kg - Dylan Gregerson (New York Athletic Club) tech fall Aidan Nutter (New York Athletic Club), 9-0 1:42

72 kg - Peyton Robb (NWTC) tech fall Hunter Lewis (North Carolina), 8-0 2:03

82 kg - Beka Melelashvili (NYAC) tech fall Tyler Eischens (NYAC/Tar Heel WC), 11-2 3:35

Hafizov, Kikiniou, Koontz, Peak make U.S. Senior World Team in Greco-Roman

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