U20 Worlds 2018 Freestyle Champs: Where are They Now
Friday, August 7, 2026 - 08:00 By Vinay Siwach
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (August 7) -- The U20 World Championships are back in Slovakia after eight years. The country hosted the U20 Worlds in 2018 at the Mestska Sports Hall in Trnava.
It was the first U20 World Championships with 10 weight classes in Freestyle, Women's Wrestling and Greco-Roman. Among the 30 U20 world champions from Trnava, a few went on to win Olympic and world gold medals at the senior level.
Here's the list of the 10 Freestyle champions from the 2018 U20 World Championships and where are they now:
57kg: Akhmed IDRISOV (RUS): WATCH 57kg Final - Idrisov vs NAVEEN (IND)
Idrisov was making his international debut at the 2018 U20 World Championships and he won the gold medal. Idrisov went on a scoring run of 46-6 in five bouts that also included a 9-2 victory over Arsen HARUTYUNAYAN (ARM) in the semifinals.
The Russian wrestler returned for the 2019 U20 World Championships and won bronze. In 2021, he won gold at U23 European Championships but has not competed internationally since.
61kg: Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RUS): WATCH 61kg Final - Magomedov vs TURMANIDZE (GEO)
Magomedov had one of the most dominant runs in Trnava, outscoring his opponents 50-4 in five bouts and winning gold. He had a breakout senior year in 2021 in which he won the gold medals at World and European Championships.
In 2023, Magomedov won silver medal at the World Championships and repeated as the European champion in 2024 before moving up to 65kg. After missing out on making the Russian team, Magomedov won the Russian National Championships in 2026 and will look to win his third world medal in Astana in October.
65kg: Saiyn KAZYRYK (RUS) - WATCH 65kg Final - Kazyryk vs MAGHSOUDI (IRI)
In one of the most memorable finals in the tournament, Kazyryk defeated Amirhossein MAGHSOUDI (IRI), 8-7, to win the gold medal. A year later, he finished ninth at the U23 European Championships. However, Kazyryk failed to transitioned to the senior level.
After a six year gap, Kazyryk managed to break into the Russia team and participated at the World Championships, only to finish 10th after losing to Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN).
70kg: Khadzimurad GADHIYEV (AZE) - WATCH 70kg Final - Gadzhiyev vs JAMALOV (RUS/UZB)
One of the wrestler who has a win over Olympic champion Razambek JAMALOV (UZB), Gadzhiyev was one of the most talked about wrestlers at U17 and U20 level. He won gold after a 4-3 win over Jamalov and then moved to 74kg in 2019, finishing with a bronze medal at U20 World Championships and seventh at the World Championships.
In 2021, he managed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics but an injury stopped him from participating. Two years later, he won bronze at the Zagreb and Budapest Ranking Series but has not competed since.
74kg: Mekhi LEWIS (USA) - WATCH 74kg Final - Lewis vs ABAKAROV (AZE)
Lewis competed at only one United World Wrestling tournament and won gold. Lewis won the 74kg gold after four wins, defeated Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) in the final. He recently competed at the Grand Prix of Spain, finishing fifth at 86kg. Lewis, in 2019, made history as Virginia Tech's first NCAA wrestling champion.
79kg: Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) - WATCH 79kg Final - Ishiguto vs BROOKS (USA)
Ishiguro won the gold medal after a thrilling final against Aaron BROOKS (USA) that he won 11-10. He would go on to be an Olympian. He competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics at 86kg and finished seventh. But his biggest achievement came in 2025 when he won the silver medal at the World Championships. Ishiguro has also won medals at the U23 World and Asian Championships.
86kg: Arif OZEN (TUR) - WATCH 86kg Final - Ozen vs PUNIA (IND)
Ozen remains Turkiye's last U20 world champion in Freestyle. He won a close final against Deepak PUNIA (IND), 2-1. He moved up to 92kg but has failed to make the Türkiye team for UWW events. At this year Yasar Dogu tournament, he finished seventh at 92kg.
92kg: Abbas FOROUTANRAMI (IRI) - WATCH 92kg Final - Fouroutanrami vs YERGALI (KAZ)
The Iranian came to Trnava as U17 world silver and U20 Asia champion. He was among the favorites to win the gold medal and did not disappoint, winning four bouts and outscoring his opponents 40-3.
In 2019, Foroutanrami repeated as U20 world champion at 97kg, and later moved to 125kg in which he won gold at Yasar Dogu.
97kg: Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (RUS/AZE) - WATCH 97kg Final - Magomedov vs ELAM (USA)
A bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Magomedov showed his class by outscoring his opponents 53-1 in five bouts, including a fall. That was his only tournament for Russia before he moved to Azerbaijan.
In 2022, Magomedov won gold at the European Championships, silver and bronze at the World Championships before going to Paris. He also has silver medals at European Championships and other Ranking Series medals. Currently, Magomedov is at 97kg but is challenged domestically in Azerbaijan.
125kg: Soslan KHINCHAGOV (RUS) - WATCH 125kg Final - Khinchagov vs BARGHOUT (CAN)
Among the five Russian who won gold, Khinchagov won five bouts. He defeated Aly BARGHOUT (CAN), 7-0, in the final. While he did not compete at any UWW competitions since, Khinchagov failed to replicate his success domestically and did not make the senior team.
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) marks her return to the mat in Budapest. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)
Kexin HONG (CHN) is the Asian champion at 57kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)
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