Mills, Burnett, Kikiniou lead Team USA charge into semifinals in Athens

ATHENS, Greece — Men’s freestyle kicked off this morning at the 2025 U17 World Championships with group one athletes competing in the 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg, and 110 kg weight classes. Team USA advanced three wrestlers to the semifinals with a strong opening performance.

At 45 kg, Ariah Mills cruised through his first two bouts, earning a pair of technical falls. He has displayed dynamic attacks and great motion. Mills will now face 2024 U17 World bronze medalist and 2025 U17 European champion Ravan Hasanzade of Azerbaijan in the semifinals.

Grey Burnett (55 kg) also posted two wins to earn his semifinal spot, showcasing elite defense and solid awareness on the edge. He’ll take on Jinnosuke Okonogi of Japan, a 2023 U17 World bronze medalist.

Wrestling in both styles this week, Arseni Kikiniou (65 kg) edged Gourav Punia of India—this year’s U17 Asian champion—with a gritty 5-4 decision. He will meet Morteza Haj Mollamohammadi of Iran in the semifinal for a shot at the gold medal match.

At 80 kg, Aaron Stewart awaits potential repechage. Stewart opened with a dominant technical fall on Marshall Everett Jones of the United Kingdom, but fell, 10-4, to UWW athlete Issa Zangiev in the quarterfinals.

In the 110 kg division, Alex Taylor was narrowly defeated, 7-6, by U17 European bronze medalist Hakim Taghiyev of Azerbaijan and has been eliminated from the tournament.

Men’s freestyle semifinals resume today at 5 p.m. local time. The final session of women’s freestyle follows at 6 p.m., featuring championship and medal matches. Epenesa Elison (53 kg) and Taina Fernandez (61 kg) will wrestle for gold, while Maisie Elliott (40 kg) and Jaclyn Bouzakis (46 kg) compete for bronze for the U.S. women.

For live results and ongoing updates from the tournament, follow USA Wrestling’s social media channels and coverage on TheMat.com. Results, brackets, and mat assignments from the U17 World Championships are available on UWW Arena.  Fans in the U.S. can stream the event on FloWrestling.com.