By Richard Immel
USA Wrestling

NOVI SAD, Serbia – Team USA is on the board at the 2025 U23 World Championships with Payton Jacobson bagging a bronze medal at 87 kg in Greco-Roman with a thrilling 5-3 victory over Lachin Valiyev of Azerbaijan on Tuesday evening at SPENS. 

Jacobson was the clear aggressor throughout the bronze medal fight. He was awarded the first passivity point but was unable to find a turn from top. Jacobson came out strong in the second period, cinching up an over/under toss for two. Valiyev, who is a two-time age-group World medalist, was given a chance on top and converted a gutwrench to take the lead on criteria, 3-3, with 1:49 left. Jacobson wouldn’t be denied. He broke Valiyev with relentless forward pressure and chain wrestling to convert the match-winning takedown with just over one minute to go. 

The medal win is Jacobson’s first in his promising, young Greco-Roman career. Prior to Novi Sad, Jacobson has competed for Team USA at the 2020 Olympic Games, 2025 Senior World Championships and three age-group World Championships. 

2024 U20 World silver medalist Otto Black gets his chance at bronze tomorrow. Black finished with a 2-1 record at 67 kg, dropping his quarterfinal via 1-1 criteria to Mohamed Abdelrehim of Egypt. Abdelrehim advanced to the finals, pulling Black into the repechage. 

Black awaits the winner of a repechage round one matchup between William Reenberg of Denmark and U23 Asian champion Bagdat Sabaz of Kazakhstan. One win for the explosive, young American and he’s into a bronze medal match. 

The other three Greco-Roman group two Americans were shutout in the win column during the morning session and are not eligible for the repechage—Kenneth Crosby at 55 kg, Aliaksandr Kikiniou at 72 kg and Max Ramberg at 97 kg. 

The tournament continues at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday with the Greco-Roman group two (55-67-72-97 kg) repechage, plus the Greco-Roman group three (60-82 kg) and women’s freestyle group one (50-72-76 kg) prelims. Americans Max Black, Beka Melelashvili, Audrey Jimenez, Jasmine Robinson and Kylie Welker step on the mats for the first time tomorrow. Novi Sad, Serbia, is located six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. 

The U23 World Championships are streaming live on FloWrestling.com to the U.S. market. Brackets and updated results can be found on UWW Arena.