wrestleOaxtepec

Competition Wraps Up at Cadet and Junior Pan American Championships in Mexico

By Taylor Miller

Photo of Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB). Photo by Sachiko Hotaka. 

OAXTEPEC, Mexico – The last 12 weight classes were contested today as the Cadet and Junior Pan American Championships concluded on Sunday in Oaxtepec, Mexico.

In the Junior freestyle division, USA won five of the six titles with gold medals from Edward SCOTT (USA) at 70 kg, Jacob LOGAN (USA) at 79 kg, Darrien ROBERTS (USA) at 86 kg, Tyler HANNAH (USA) at 92 kg and Joshua HEINDELSMEN (USA) at 125 kg.

Winning the other title in Junior freestyle was Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB), who defeated Santos CANTU (USA) in the finals with a 10-0 technical superiority.

The USA won the Junior men’s freestyle title with 230 points, followed by Mexico with 129 points and Canada with 123 points.

In Cadet Greco-Roman, the USA swept the gold medals, winning the final six titles of the tournament on Sunday. Winning titles were Brock BOBZIEN (USA) at 60 kg, Pierson MANVILLE (USA) at 65 kg, Thor MICHAELSON (USA) at 71 kg, Ryder ROGOTZKE (USA) at 80 kg, Peter CASALE (USA) at 92 kg and James MULLEN (USA) at 110 kg.

Their performance resulted in a Cadet Greco team title for USA with 250 points. Coming in second was Mexico with 152 points and Brazil rounded out the top-three with 87 points.

Photo of Darrien ROBERTS (USA). Photo by Osvaldo Aguilar. 

En español
OAXTEPEC, Mexico - Las últimas 12 categorías de peso se disputaron hoy en el último día de los Campeonatos Panamericanos Cadetes y Juveniles en Oaxtepec, México.

En la división de estilo libre juvenil, USA ganó cinco de los seis títulos con medallas de oro de Edward SCOTT (USA) en 70 kg, Jacob LOGAN (USA) en 79 kg, Darrien ROBERTS (USA) en 86 kg, Tyler HANNAH (USA) en 92 kg y Joshua HEINDELSMEN (USA) en 125 kg.

El otro campeón en estilo libre juvenil fue Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB), que venció en la final al Santos CANTU (USA) con una superioridad técnica de 10-0.

USA aseguró el título del equipo con 230 puntos. México ganó plata con 129 puntos y Canadá ganó bronce con 123 puntos.

En grecorromano cadete, USA ganó todas las medallas de oro, asegurando los seis títulos finales el domingo. Ganando oro fueron Brock BOBZIEN (USA) en 60 kg, Pierson MANVILLE (USA) en 65 kg, Thor MICHAELSON (USA) en 71 kg, Ryder ROGOTZKE (USA) en 80 kg, Peter CASALE (USA) en 92 kg and James MULLEN (USA) en 110 kg.

USA ganó el título del equipo con 250 puntos. México fue segundo con 152 puntos y Brasil termino en tercer lugar con 87 puntos.

JUNIOR MEN’S FREESTYLE RESULTS
70 kg
GOLD - Edward SCOTT (USA)
SILVER - Lautaro SEGHESSO (ARG)
BRONZE - Amaan GULACHA (CAN)

79 kg
GOLD - Jacob LOGAN (USA)
SILVER - Carson LEE (CAN)
BRONZE - Kevin DE LEON TREVINO (MEX)

86 kg
GOLD - Darrien ROBERTS (USA)
SILVER - Liosbel HERNANDEZ BUSTAMANTE (CUB)
BRONZE - Juan ITURRIZA RUIZ (MEX)
BRONZE - Lucas IMBERNON DA SILVA (BRA)

92 kg
GOLD - Tyler HANNAH (USA)
SILVER - Karanpreet GILL (CAN)
BRONZE - Adrian ZAPATA JACOBO (MEX)

97 kg
GOLD - Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB)
SILVER - Santos CANTU (USA)
BRONZE - Josue CAMPOS ARIZPE (MEX)

125 kg
GOLD - Joshua HEINDELSMAN (USA)
SILVER - Gabriel de SOUSA SILVA (BRA)
BRONZE - Luis OROZCO CORTEZ (MEX)
BRONZE - Yoan ROBERT RAMIREZ (CUB)

CADET GRECO-ROMAN RESULTS
60 kg
GOLD - Brock BOBZIEN (USA)
SILVER - Edwin ALLAIN MIRANDA (PER)
BRONZE - Joao DA SILVA NETO (BRA)

65 kg
GOLD - Pierson MANVILLE (USA)
SILVER - Marco FERNANDEZ CUBAS (PER)
BRONZE - Oliver PLASCENCIA ESTRADA (MEX)

71 kg
GOLD - Thor MICHAELSON (USA)
SILVER - Isaac TENORIO MOSQUERA (ECU)
BRONZE - Hector LOERA ROJAS (MEX)

80 kg
GOLD - Ryder ROGOTZKE (USA)
SILVER - Enrique OLVERA RODRIGUEZ (MEX)

92 kg
GOLD - Peter CASALE (USA)
SILVER - Mateus FREIRE SANTOS (BRA)
BRONZE - Ivan CORONADO GARCIA (MEX)

110 kg
GOLD - James MULLEN (USA)
SILVER - Alan PEREZ URIBE (MEX)

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."