#WrestleBuenosAires

USA Men’s Freestyle Perfect in Morning Session, Sends All Eight to #WrestleBuenosAires Finals

Sunday, April 21, 2019 - 19:25 By Taylor Miller

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Photo: Joe COLON (USA) defeats World champion Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB). Photo by Lucia Cruz. 

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – The USA men’s freestylers went 21-0 on Sunday morning, putting all eight Americans in the gold-medal match in the final day of the 2019 Pan Americans Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Four-time World champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) advanced at 74 kg, where he will take on 2015 Pan American silver medalist Jevon Balfour.

In his quarterfinal match, Burroughs narrowly escaped 2011 World silver medalist Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR), scoring a takedown with 0.5 seconds left in the match to win.

At 97 kg, Kyle SNYDER (USA), 2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion, picked up two technical falls to move on to the finals, where he will face two-time World runner-up and 2010 World bronze medalist Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB).

2018 World champion at 86 kg David TAYLOR (USA) had a strong showing in his first three matches, winning with two pins and a tech fall.

Tonight, Taylor will face 2018 South American Games champion Pedro CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN).

At 61 kg, 2018 World bronze medalist Joe COLON (USA) began his day with a 9-3 win over 2018 World champion Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB).

For gold in round-robin action, Colon will face 2009 Junior Pan Am silver medalist Scott SCHILLER (CAN).

Also defeating a World champion this morning was Josh RODRIGUEZ (USA), who opened his day at 57 kg with a 7-2 win over 2017 U23 World champion Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB).

Tonight, Rodriguez will go head-to-head with 2018 Pan American silver medalist Oscar TIGREROS URBANO (COL).

Two-time World bronze medalist Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) advanced to the finals at 125 kg. In the semis Gwiazdowski shut down two-time Greco-Roman World bronze medalist Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB), 11-1.

In the finals, the American will face nine-time Pan American medalist Korey JARVIS (CAN).

Also in position for gold medals are Colton MCCRYSTAL (USA) at 65 kg and Anthony ASHNAULT (USA) at 70 kg.

McCrystal will face Damian SOLENZAL LOPEZ (CUB), while Ashnault will take on Cristian KARLIKOWSKI (ARG).

The finals are set for 5 p.m. local time (4 p.m. EST) live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

Finals pairings

57 kg
GOLD - Joshua RODRIGUEZ (USA) vs. Oscar TIGREROS URBANO (COL)
BRONZE - Daniel ALVES DO NASCIMENTO (BRA) vs. Pedro MEJIAS RODRIGUEZ (VEN)
BRONZE –  Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB) vs. Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN)

61 kg – fourth-round matches
Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB) vs. Juan RODRIGUEZ JOVEL (ESA)
Joseph COLON (USA) vs. Scott SCHILLER (CAN)

65 kg
GOLD - Colton MCCRYSTAL (USA) vs. Damian SOLENZAL LOPEZ (CUB)
BRONZE - Mauricio SANCHEZ SALTOS (ECU) vs. Daniel BRIOSO (DOM)
BRONZE – Sixto AUCCAPINA PEDRAGAS (PER) vs. Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG)

70 kg – fifth-round matches
Nicholas ROWE (CAN) vs. Hugo Leonardo DE LIMA VIANA DE SOUZA (BRA)
Cristian KARLIKOWSKI (ARG) vs. Anthony ASHNAULT (USA)

74 kg
GOLD - Jevon BALFOUR (CAN) vs. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA)
BRONZE - Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) vs. Adonis ARROYO (VEN)
BRONZE –  Julio RODRIGUEZ ROMERO (DOM) vs. Jorge DESPAIGNE LAGAR (CUB)

86 kg
GOLD - Pedro CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN) vs. David TAYLOR III (USA)
BRONZE - Meruzhan NIKOYAN (ARG) vs. Lazaro HERNANDEZ LUIS (CUB)
BRONZE – Christian ANGUIANO FLORES (MEX) vs. Alexander MOORE (CAN)

97 kg
GOLD - Kyle SNYDER (USA) vs. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB)
BRONZE - Maxwell LACEY GARITA (CRC) vs. Jose DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN)
BRONZE – Evan RAMOS (PUR) vs. Jordan STEEN (CAN)

125 kg
GOLD - Korey JARVIS (CAN) vs. Nicholas GWIAZDOWSKI (USA)
BRONZE - Eduardo GARCIA BETANZOS (MEX) vs. Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB)
BRONZE - Jorge MEDINA ARROYO (ECU) vs. Antoine BRAGA ABOU JAOUDE (BRA)

2026 U20 Asian Championships

China's Yang Turns Weight-Loss Plan into Historic U20 Asian Gold

Tuesday, July 7, 2026 - 10:04 By Vinay Siwach

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PATTAYA, Thailand (July 6) -- Even Yuanchong YANG (CHN) could not help but appreciate the irony.

Yang was introduced to wrestling because he was overweight. His parents simply wanted their youngest son to lose a few kilos. Instead, he created history for China, becoming the country's heaviest-ever Asian Freestyle champion.

China won only one Freestyle medal at the 2026 U20 Asian Wrestling Championships in Pattaya, Thailand but Yang made sure it was a historic one.

The 97kg wrestler claimed the gold medal to become China's first-ever U20 Asian champion in Freestyle and only the sixth Chinese to win an Asian Freestyle title at any level. He also surpassed Ying WANG (CHN), who won the 84kg title at the 2008 Senior Asian Championships, as the heaviest Chinese Freestyle wrestler to capture an Asian gold medal.

"I was extremely fat in elementary school, so my parents sent me to a sports school [later] to exercise and become thinner and healthier," Yang told United World Wrestling. "My parents thought wrestling would help me lose weight faster."

Yuanchong YANG (CHN)Yuanchong YANG (CHN) celebrates after winning the gold medal in 97kg at the U20 Asian Championships in Pattaya, Thailand. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

When he first stepped onto the mat as a 12-year-old, Yang never imagined he would one day represent China. Wrestling was simply a way to shed the extra kilos.

"Following my training, I was deeply touched by the passion of my team, the teamwork and the charm of wrestling," he said.

Yang's first major breakthrough came in 2023 when he captured the U17 National Championships title. Later that year, he represented China at the East Asian Youth Games but returned home without a medal.

"I saw my older teammates winning medals consistently, so I set myself the goal of winning my own gold medal," he said. "After five years of training, I finally won the U17 title in 2023."

Yang competed at both the 2025 U20 and U23 World Championships but came up short in both after losing close bouts. When he returned home to Jinan, Shandong Province, he shifted his focus to the 2026 season.

Last week in Pattaya, Yang produced a dominant 11-0 technical superiority win over LACKY (IND) in the semifinals before defeating Samir DURSUNOV (KAZ), 8-2, in the final to complete his historic run.

Yang relied on strong underhooks to force pushouts and controlled the par terre exchanges with an effective gut wrench, leaving little room for his opponents to recover.

Yuanchong YANG (CHN)Yuanchong YANG (CHN) at the podium with the 97kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

As he stood atop the podium, Yang was emotional but he soon realised that this is just the beginning.

"When I received the gold medal, I was really happy," he said. "But while I was walking down from the podium, I realised there are higher goals waiting for me. I can't be satisfied with this. My next target is to win a medal at the Senior Asian Championships."