skip navigation

Fix and Berge bounce back for bronze, Brooks and Elam capture silver at Junior Worlds

By TAYLOR MILLER, USA WRESTLING, 09/22/18, 4:00PM EDT

Share

TRNAVA, Slovakia – The USA Junior men’s freestyle team finished Saturday night’s session with two silver and two bronze medals in Trnava, Slovakia.

Claiming silver medals were Aaron Brooks at 79 kg and Zach Elam at 97 kg.

2017 Cadet World champion Brooks had a back-and-forth battle with Hayato Ishiguro, who was third at the Japanese Senior World Trials. The bout ended with 21 points on the board and an 11-10 win for Ishiguro.

Brooks scored first with a takedown, but Ishiguro responded quickly with a takedown and gut wrench. At the break, Brooks led on criteria, 4-4. The second period saw points flying, which included three takedowns and exposure.

With only 10 seconds remaining, Brooks held a 10-9 advantage. Ishiguro was in on a shot and came out the back door, standing and put Brooks down for two on exposure.

Elam, who found out just two weeks ago that he would get to compete at the Worlds, faced off against Ali Aliev champion Magomedkhan Magomedov of Russia in the 97 kg Junior World finals. Magomedov also has three other Senior-level international medals.

Magomedov dominated the match, winning with an 11-0 tech fall in the first period.

A true freshman, Elam will begin his first season with the Mizzou Tigers this fall.

Two U.S. wrestlers picked up bronze medals for the Red, White and Blue to start the session.

2017 Junior World champion Daton Fix bounced back from a Friday-night loss, winning bronze at 57 kg. Fix, a redshirt freshman at Oklahoma State, dominated Bekbolt Myrzanazar of Kyrgyzstan, who was eighth at the 2017 Junior Asian Championships.

Fix led 6-0 at the break and finished off the bout with a takedown and gut wrench for a 10-0 technical fall.

The win marked Fix’s fifth age-group World medal as he also owns a 2014 Youth Olympic Games silver, a 2015 Cadet World bronze, a 2016 Junior World bronze and a 2017 Junior World gold.

Penn State wrestler Brady Berge followed up Fix’s performance with a bronze-winning match of his own.

Berge trailed 2018 Junior European bronze medalist Arman Anderasyan of Armenia, 1-0, at the break. Halfway through the second period, Andreasyan was put on the shot clock but unable to score, resulting in a point for Berge. The American held on for a 1-1 win on criteria.

In the team race, the U.S. goes into the final day in second place with 74 points. Russia is in first place with 105 points.

USA continues its quest for medals on Sunday with repechage starting at 4 p.m. (10 a.m. ET) and medal matches beginning at 6 p.m. (12 p.m. ET) live on Trackwrestling.com.

2018 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Trnava, Slovakia

Team standings
1. Russia - 105
2. USA - 74
3. Azerbaijan – 46
4. Iran – 44
5. Ukraine – 44
6. India – 40
7. Moldova – 40
8. Armenia – 31
9. Kazakhstan – 31
10. Japan - 25

Finals results

57 kg
GOLD - Akhmed Idrisov of RUSSIA
SILVER - Naveen Naveen of INDIA
BRONZE - Daton Fix of UNITED STATES
BRONZE - Arsen Harutyunyan of ARMENIA

1st - Akhmed Idrisov (RUSSIA) TF Naveen Naveen (INDIA), 12-1
3rd - Daton Fix (UNITED STATES) TF Bekbolot Myrzanazar Uulu (KYRGYZSTAN), 10-0
3rd - Arsen Harutyunyan (ARMENIA) TF Hyeonsu Cho (KOREA), 16-4

65 kg
GOLD - Saiyn Kazyryk of RUSSIA
SILVER - Amirhossein Azim Maghsoudi of IRAN
BRONZE - Erik Arushanian of UKRAINE
BRONZE - Nicolai Grahmez of MOLDOVA

1st - Saiyn Kazyryk (RUSSIA) dec. Amirhossein Azim Maghsoudi (IRAN), 8-7
3rd - Erik Arushanian (UKRAINE) dec. Kuanysh Duisenkul (KAZAKHSTAN), 8-2
3rd - Nicolai Grahmez (MOLDOVA) TF Fati Vejseli (MACEDONIA), 15-5

70 kg
GOLD - Khadzhimurad Gadzhiyev of AZERBAIJAN
SILVER - Razambek Zhamalov of RUSSIA
BRONZE - Brady Gary Berge of UNITED STATES
BRONZE - Vasile Diacon of MOLDOVA

1st - Khadzhimurad Gadzhiyev (AZERBAIJAN) dec. Razambek Zhamalov (RUSSIA), 4-3
3rd - Brady Berge (UNITED STATES) dec. Arman Andreasyan (ARMENIA), 1-1
3rd - Vasile Diacon (MOLDOVA) dec. Amirhossein Morteza Kavousi (IRAN), 10-9

79 kg
GOLD - Hayato Ishiguro of JAPAN
SILVER - Aaron Marquel Brooks of UNITED STATES
BRONZE - Orkhan Abasov of AZERBAIJAN
BRONZE - Adlan Bataiev of UKRAINE

1st - Hayato Ishiguro (JAPAN) dec. Aaron Marquel Brooks (UNITED STATES), 11-10 
3rd - Orkhan Abasov (AZERBAIJAN) dec. Andrian Grosul (MOLDOVA), 3-3
3rd - Adlan Bataiev (UKRAINE) TF Aslanbek Gvaramiia (RUSSIA), 10-0

97 kg
GOLD - Magomedkhan Magomedov of RUSSIA
SILVER - Zachery Samuel Elam of UNITED STATES
BRONZE - Serik Bakytkhanov of KAZAKHSTAN
BRONZE - Zuriko Urtashvili of GEORGIA

1st - Magomedkhan Magomedov (RUSSIA) TF Zachery Samuel Elam (UNITED STATES), 11-0
3rd - Serik Bakytkhanov (KAZAKHSTAN) dec. Hyunsu Han (KOREA), 12-8
3rd - Zuriko Urtashvili (GEORGIA) dec. Feyzullah Akturk (TURKEY), 7-3

U.S. men’s freestyle results

57 kg: Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/Cowboy RTC) – BRONZE 
WIN Ahmet Tas (Turkey), 10-0
WIN Andrey Dzhelep (Ukraine), 10-0
LOSS Naveen Naveen (India), 5-4
WIN Bekbolt Myrzanazar (Kyrgyzstan), 10-0

65 kg: Domonick Demas (Dublin, Ohio/OKRTC) – NINTH 
WIN Ikhtiyor Normurodov (Uzbekistan), inj. default, 10-4
LOSS Gegham Galstyan (Armenia), 8-4

70 kg: Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn./Nittany Lion WC) - BRONZE
LOSS Razambek Zhamalov (Russia), 13-3
WIN Aleksander Kuryshta (Belarus), 13-2
WIN Arman Andreasyan (Armenia), 1-1

79 kg: Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md./USOTC) - SILVER
WIN Daniar Meldebek (Kazakhstan), 12-1
WIN Andrian Grosul (Moldova), 9-4
WIN Orhan Abasov (Azerbaijan), win by cautions
WIN Hayato Ishiguro (Japan), 11-10

97 kg: Zach Elam (Kansas City, Mo./Team Central WC) – SILVER 
WIN Kunai Nurdavletov (Kyrgyzstan), fall 3:37
WIN Han Hyunsu (Korea), 13-2
WIN Serik Bakytkhanov (Kazakhstan), 12-1
LOSS Magomedkhan Magomedov (Russia), 11-0