Lockett wins gold, Villasenor gets bronze, USA places second at U17 World Championships in men’s freestyle

Ladarion Lockett (USA) with the U.S. flag after winning the gold medal at 71 kg in men’s freestyle at the 2023 U17 World Championships. Photo by Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling.

ISTANBUL, Turkey –The United States closed out the 2023 U17 World Championships on a strong note, adding another men’s freestyle champion, plus a bronze medalist and a second-place team finish on Sunday night.

Ladarion Lockett of Oklahoma became the third U.S. men’s freestyle wrestler to claim a U17 World gold, using his great skills and tactics to defeat 2023 Asian champion Seyedabolfazl Hosseini of Iran in the 71 kg finals, 4-1. Hosseini led 1-0 at the break after Lockett was put on the shot clock and did not score in 30 seconds. In the second period, Lockett scored a clutch takedown on the edge to lead 2-1. Later in the period, Lockett used his speed to spin behind Hosseini for another takedown.

Lockett was dominant on Saturday in his march to the finals, shutting out his three opponents with a combined 28-0 score, including two technical falls.

He was the third U.S. men’s freestyle champion, joining Paul Kenny (48 kg) and Marcus Blaze (55 kg) who were champions on Saturday night.

Ignacio Villasenor of Colorado added a bronze medal for the USA at 45 kg, winning a close 3-2 battle with Agashirin Agasherinov, an Individual Neutral Athlete. Villasenor controlled the first period. Agasherinov was put on the shot clock, then Villasenor forced a step out and Agasherinov did not score in 30 seconds, making it 2-0. Another first-period step out gave Villasenor a 3-0 lead at the break. Agasherinov scored a takedown in the second period to make it 3-2. Villasenor was aggressive in the closing minute and his opponent did not get close to scoring.

Villasenor finished with a 3-1 record for the tournament, losing only to eventual silver medalist Ahora Khateri of Iran, 5-2.

Christian Castillo of Arizona was defeated in his 51 kg repechage match by Sadraddin Hasanov of Azerbaijan,12-6. Castillo led much of the match, leading 4-2 at the break after losing a challenge, then 6-4 early in the second period, again losing a challenge where he was awarded more points. In the last minute, Hasanov hit a four-point takedown then immediately forced a step out to lead 9-6. With Castillo coming hard, Hasanov added a step out and a counter takedown.

Castillo was a U17 World silver medalist in 2022. He lost his opening match of the tournament to Rohit of India, who reached the finals and pulled Castillo back into repechage.

Two athletes from Group Two were eliminated on Saturday, Ben Davino of Illinois at 60 kg and Aeoden Sinclair of Wisconsin at 92 kg. Sinclair, who went 1-1 and scored a first-round pin, placed eighth in the weight class, scoring six team points for the USA.

The United States finished with 126 team points to earn second place, behind team champion Iran with 156 points. Japan placed third with 106 points. The United States won the men’s freestyle team title in 2022.

It was a very strong week for Team USA in Istanbul. The United States earned six individual gold medalists, Ladarion Lockett (71 kg), Paul Kenny (48 kg) and Marcus Blaze (55 kg) in men’s freestyle, Morgan Turner (43 kg) and Piper Fowler (73 kg) in women’s freestyle and Jordyn Raney (55 kg) in Greco-Roman. Overall, in all three disciplines, the USA won 13 medals, six in men’s freestyle, six in women’s freestyle and one in Greco-Roman. The USA brought home two team trophies, second place in men’s freestyle and second place in women’s freestyle.

U.S. referee William Harper was on the whistle for the 51 kg finals, and after the bout, the announcer told a cheering crowd that this was the last match of his international officiating career. Harper waved to the fans, put his whistle on the center mat, and was given an award from United World Wrestling.

All of the action is archived on FloWrestling.

U17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Istanbul, Turkey

Group Two men’s freestyle results

45 kg
Gold - Ahora Khateri (Iran)
Silver - Gor Buniatyan (Armenia)
Bronze - Ebubekir Gur (Turkey)
Bronze - Ignacio Villasenor (USA)
5th - Nurmukhamed Turdaly (Kazakhstan)
5th - Agashirin Agasherinov (Individual Neutral Athlete)
7th - Atsuki Matsuura (Japan)
8th - Jafar Jafarov (Azerbaijan)
9th - Mate Tsinadze (Georgia
10th - Buyanjargal Batmunkh (Mongolia)

Gold – Khateri tech fall Buniatyan, 10-0
Bronze – Villasenor dec. Agasherinov,3-2
Bronze – Gur pin Turdaly, 0:57

51 kg
Gold - Yamato Ogawa (Japan)
Silver - Rohit (India)
Bronze - Sasha Petrosyan (Armenia)
Bronze - Usman Indirbaev (Individual Neutral Athlete)
5th - Amirmohammad Saleh Navazi (Iran)
5th - Sadraddin Hasanov (Azerbaijan)
7th - Giorgi Maisuradze (Georgia)
8th - Kristian Cikel (Austria)
9th - Yandel Enrique Morales (Puerto Rico)
10th - Nurdoolot Bekbolotov (Kyrgyzstan)

Gold – Ogawa dec. Rohit, 9-8
Bronze – Petrosyan dec. Navazi, 2-1
Bronze – Indirbaev pin Hasanov, 3:01

60 kg
Gold - Akito Maehara (Japan)
Silver - Sajad Gholamhassan Pirdayeh (Iran)
Bronze - Jamal Abbasov (Azerbaijan)
Bronze - Iasin Bersnukaev (Individual Neutral Athlete)
5th - Yandro Soto Rivera (Puerto Rico)
5th - Zandanbat Batsaikhan (Mongolia)
7th - Bekjan Ruslanov (Turkmenistan)
8th - Tushar (India)
9th - Gabriel Sanchez Zepeda (Mexico)
10th - Nick Eckenberger (Germany)

Gold – Maehara dec. Pirdayeh,
Bronze – Abbasov dec. Soto Rivera, 6-0
Bronze – Bersanukaev dec. Batsaikhan, 7-5

71 kg
Gold - Ladarion Lockett (USA)
Silver - Seyedabolfazl Hosseini (Iran)
Bronze - Nurdaulet Seilbekov (Kazakhstan)
Bronze - Islam Aslanovitch Kazharov (Individual Neutral Athlete)
5th - Narender (India)
5th - Alp Arslan Begenjov (Turkmenistan)
7th - Nikolai Tarassov (Estonia)
8th - Tatsuki Kamiya (Japan)
9th - Ismayil Adil Rahimli (Azerbaijan)
10th - Narek Nikoghosyan (Armenia)

Gold - Lockett dec. Hosseini, 4-1
Bronze - Seilbekov dec. Narender, 1-1
Bronze - Khazharov dec. Begenjov, 5-1

92 kg
Gold - Sandro Kurashvili (Georgia)
Silver - Eyyup Cetin (Turkey)
Bronze - Samir Dursunov (Kazakhstan)
Bronze - Toohid Amirali Noory (Iran)
5th - Vinay (India)
5th - Genki Hoki (Japan)
7th - Aliaksei Kulakou (Individual Neutral Athlete)
8th - Aeoden Sinclair (USA)
9th - Erwin Pluschink (Germany)
10th - Nikolaos Karavanos (Greece)

Gold – Kurashvili tech fall Cetin, 10-0
Bronze – Dursunov tech fall Vinay, 12-1
Bronze – Noory tech fall Hoki, 12-2

U.S. Men’s Freestyle Group Two results

45 kg: Ignacio Villasenor, Longmont, Colorado (Pomona Elite WC), Bronze medal
WIN Fredrick Bachmann, Jr. (Puerto Rico), 6-0
WIN Danraj Shirke (India), tech fall 10-0
LOSS Ahora Khateri (Iran), 5-2
WIN Agashirin Agasherinov (Individual Neutral Athlete), 3-2

51 kg: Christian Castillo, Glendale, Arizona (Thorobred WC), dnp/11th
LOSS Rohit (India), 5-4
LOSS Sadraddin Hasanov (Azerbaijan), 12-6

60 kg: Ben Davino, South Elgin, Illinois (St. Charles WC), dnp/19th
LOSS Jamal Abbasov (Azerbaijan), 5-0

71 kg: Ladarion Lockett, Stillwater, Oklahoma (Cowboy WC), Gold Medal
WIN Victor Soto Rivera (Puerto Rico), tech. fall, 10-0
WIN Felix Schmitt (Germany), tech fall, 10-0
WIN Nurdaulet Seilbekov (Kazakhstan), 8-0
WIN Narender (India), tech fall 10-0
WIN Seyedabolfazl Hosseini (Iran), 4-1

92 kg: Aeoden Sinclair, Edgerton, Wisconsin (Askren Wrestling Academy), 8th place
WIN Bence Veress (Hungary), pin 1:02
LOSS Toohid Amirali Noory (Iran), 5-3

Final Men’s freestyle team standings
1 Iran 156
2 United States 126
3 Japan 106
4 Azerbaijan 84
5 Armenia 79
6 India 74
7 Georgia 72
8 Kakakhstan 64
9 Turkmenistan 38
10 Turkey 35
11 Puerto Rico 29
12 Moldova 28
13 Germany 21
14 Romania 20
15 Mongolia 20