#WrestleGuatemalaCity

México Reclama Cuatro Campeones, USA Gana Título de Equipo en #WrestleGuatemalaCity

By Taylor Miller

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – El primer día de competencia del Campeonato Panamericano Juvenil ha terminado con acción en grecorromana.

USA ganó el título del equipo con 190 puntos. En segundo lugar fue Mexico con 130 puntos y cuatro campeones. Colombia terminó en tercer lugar con 122 puntos.

Final results

55 kg: Duvan SANCHEZ CAICEDO (COL) fue el primer campeón del noche de Colombia. Derrotó a Antonio RUIZ MORA (ECU), 4-2, en los finales.

GOLD - Duvan SANCHEZ CAICEDO (COL) dec. Antonio RUIZ MORA (ECU), 4-2
BRONZE – Billy SULLIVAN (USA) TF Luis MENDOZA JIMENEZ (BOL), 9-0
BRONZE – Oseas LORENZO BAUTISTA (GUA) df. Richard GARCIA ANDRADE (PAN), fall 4:41

60 kg: Andres CORTES HERRERA (COL) repitió como campeón panamericano juvenil el miércoles. En su último combate, tuvo un partido cerrado contra Emerson FELIPE ORDONEZ (GUA).

GOLD – Andres CORTES HERRERA (COL)
SILVER – Haiden DRURY (USA)
BRONZE – Emerson FELIPE ORDONEZ (GUA)

63 kg: Hunter LEWIS (USA) ganó su primer título Panamericano de juvenil. El año pasado, el ganó medallas de oro en grecorromana y estilo libre masculino en el nivel cadete.

GOLD – Hunter LEWIS (USA) TF Carlos GONZALEZ VAHOS (COL), 8-0
BRONZE - Cristian MEJIA TEPEN (GUA) TF Jose ESPINOSA MOSQUERA (PAN), 8-0

67 kg: Damian SOLENZAL LOPEZ (CUB) fue el primer campeón del noche de Cuba. Derrotó a Diego MARTINEZ (MEX), 8-0, en los finales.

GOLD - Damian SOLENZAL LOPEZ (CUB) TF Diego MARTINEZ DE LEIJA (MEX), 8-0
BRONZE – Benji PEAK (USA) TF Lucas BELTRAN (ARG), 10-1
BRONZE - Julian HORTA ACEVEDO (COL) TF Juan PALMA FRANCIS (ECU), 12-3

72 kg: Evaristo HERNANDEZ REYNA (MEX) ganó cinco combates hoy, incluyendo un 9-0 victoria contra Franco CHIALANZA (ARG) en los finales.

GOLD – Evaristo HERNANDEZ REYNA (MEX) TF Franco CHIALANZA (ARG), 9-0
BRONZE – Ryan CUBAS CASTILLO (PER) TF Haner RAMIREZ RAMIREZ (COL), 16-8

77 kg: Emmanuel BENITEZ CASTRO (MEX) ganó todos de sus combates con technical fall o pin para ganar el oro en 77 kg. El año pasado él fue el subcampeón en el Campeonato Panamericano Juvenil en 72 kg.

GOLD – Emmanuel BENITEZ CASTRO (MEX)
SILVER – Isaiah ALFORD (USA)
BRONZE – Miguel Genaro SILVA COC (PER)

82 kg: Arturo CAMACHO VALENCIANO (MEX) tuvo un gran victoria contra Max WOHLABAUGH (USA), ganando 8-0 en el final en 82 kg. Camacho ganó el Campeonato Panamericano de Cadete en 2016.

GOLD – Arturo CAMACHO VALENCIANO (MEX) TF Max WOHLABAUGH (USA), 8-0
BRONZE – Fabian CASTILLO PAVEZ (CHI) TF Max MADRID DE LEON (PAN), 10-1

87 kg: Jesus LOPEZ NINO (MEX) tuvo una actuación impresionante para convertirse en el cuarto campeón de México esta noche. Lopez fue el campeón panamericano cadete de 2017.

GOLD – Jesus LOPEZ NINO (MEX)
SILVER – Keaton FANNING (USA)
BRONZE - Johan NAVEDA VARGAS (PER)

97 kg: Gabriel ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUB) dominó la competencia para ganar su segunda medalla de oro panamericano este ano. También fue victorioso en el Campeonato Panamericano de Mayores.

GOLD – Gabriel ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUBA) TF Braxton AMOS (USA), 12-4
BRONZE – Fabio CONCEICAO RODRIGUES (BRA) df. Juan CANTILLO TORRES (PAN), fall 0:27

130 kg: En su primera competencia internacional, Lee HERRINGTON (USA) fue dominante y compiló un récord de 3-0.

GOLD – Lee HERRINGTON (USA)
SILVER – Diego ALMENDRAS RODRIGUEZ (CHI)
BRONZE –  Samir VARGAS VALOR (COL)

Final team standings
1. USA - 190
2. Mexico - 130
3. Colombia - 122
4. Ecuador - 84
5. Peru – 80
6. Guatemala - 60
7. Cuba - 50
8. Panama - 48
9. Chile - 45
10. Argentina - 30

2026 U20 Asian Championships

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

By Vinay Siwach

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."