By Richard Immel
USA Wrestling

NOVI SAD, Serbia – Team USA ended the 2025 U23 World Championships with fireworks. High school sensation Jax Forrest emerged with a highlight reel, 17-14, win in the 61 kg gold medal match to collect his first age-group World gold and propel the U.S. men’s freestyle team to first place in the team ranking.

Forrest was pushed to the limit by 2024 U17 World champion Omurbek Asan Uulu of Kyrgyzstan in an action-packed final. Forrest dropped Asan Uulu to his back 10 seconds into the match, nearly scoring a pin. Asan Uulu came back to take the lead, 5-4, with a pair of takedowns and a step-out point. A Forrest quad pod finish as time ran out in the first period was a critical juncture in the match and gave Forrest a 9-5 lead at the break. The pair went back-and-forth on the scoreboard early in the second period, Asan Uulu eventually taking a 12-11 lead. Forrest ultimately won the match thanks to a low-ankle snatch and quad pod turn for four points to go up by five with 1:04 to go. Asan Uulu did muster a takedown in the final moments, but it wouldn’t be enough to overcome Forrest’s advantage.

Across his four matches in Novi Sad, Forrest amassed an incredible 55 points, with his first three bouts ending by technical fall. He adds this gold medal to his U17 World silver medal from 2022. Additionally, Forrest represented the U.S. last month at the Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, placing fifth.

Men’s freestyle group three athletes earning critical placement points by finishing in the top ten were Rocco Welsh, who finished in seventh place at 86 kg, and Garavous Kouekabakilaho, who took 10th place at 97 kg.

Team USA collected five medals in men’s freestyle this week. In addition to Forrest, gold medalists were Luke Lilledahl at 57 kg, Mitchell Mesenbrink at 74 kg and Levi Haines at 79 kg. PJ Duke added a bronze medal at 70 kg.

The U.S. totaled 137 team points to finish 10 points ahead of runner-up Iran in a down-to-the-wire team race. Japan came in a distant third place with 85 team points.  

Archived matches from the U23 World Championships are available on FloWrestling.com to the U.S. market. Brackets and updated results can be found on UWW Arena.

2025 U23 World Championships 

At Novi Sad, Serbia, October 27 

Reference Links 

• Live stream and archived matches

• Brackets and results

• Event photo gallery

• Team USA interviews
  

Men’s Freestyle Results 

Team Ranking 

1. United States, 137

2. Iran, 127

3. Japan, 85

4. Azerbaijan, 84

5. Türkiye, 70

6. India, 61

7. Georgia, 54

8. Moldova, 51

9. Uzbekistan, 50

10. Ukraine, 50

Final Results | Group Three 

61 kg 

Gold – Jax Forrest (United States)

Silver – Omurbek Asan Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)

Bronze – Tolga Ozbek (Türkiye)

Bronze – Akito Mukaida (Japan)

5th – Erdal Galip (Bulgaria)

5th – Mykyta Abramov (Ukraine)

7th – Nika Zangaladze (Georgia)

8th – Shubham (India)

9th – Jeyhun Allahverdiyev (Azerbaijan)

10th – Blayne Helou (Canada)

Gold – Jax Forrest (United States) dec. Omurbek Asan Uulu (Kyrgyzstan), 17-14

Bronze – Tolga Ozbek (Türkiye) tech. fall Erdal Galip (Bulgaria), 11-1

Bronze – Akito Mukaida (Japan) tech. fall Mykyta Abramov (Ukraine), 10-0

65 kg 

Gold – Sujeet (India)

Silver – Umidjon Jalolov (Uzbekistan)

Bronze – Bashir Magomedov (UWW)

Bronze – Bilol Sharip Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)

5th – Yuto Nishiuchi (Japan)

5th – Aykhan Abdullazada (Azerbaijan)

7th – Andranik Avetisyan (Armenia)

8th – Rustem Tolen (Kazakhstan)

9th – Fiodor Ceavdari (Moldova)

10th – Mykyta Honcharov (Ukraine)

Gold – Sujeet (India) tech. fall Umidjon Jalolov (Uzbekistan), 10-0

Bronze – Bashir Magomedov (UWW) dec. Yuto Nishiuchi (Japan), 7-5

Bronze – Bilol Sharip Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) tech. fall Aykhan Abdullazada (Azerbaijan), 10-0

86 kg 

Gold – Arsen Balaian (UWW)

Silver – Eugeniu Mihalcean (Moldova)

Bronze – Abolfazl Rahmani Firouzjaei (Iran)

Bronze – Ali Tcokaev (Azerbaijan)

5th – Rakhim Magamadov (France)

5th – Tornike Samkharadze (Georgia)

7th – Rocco Welsh (United States)

8th – Soltan Begenjov (Turkmenistan)

9th – Mushegh Mkrtchyan (Armenia)

10th – Mukhanbet Mambetov (Kazakkhstan)

Gold – Arsen Balaian (UWW) tech. fall Eugeniu Mihalcean (Moldova), 10-0

Bronze – Abolfazl Rahmani Firouzjaei (Iran) dec. Rakhim Magamadov (France), 7-5

Bronze – Ali Tcokaev (Azerbaijan) tech. fall Tornike Samkharadze (Georgia), 13-2

97 kg 

Gold – Arash Yoshida (Japan)

Silver – Merab Suleimanishvili (Georgia)

Bronze – Soslan Dzhagaev (UWW)

Bronze – Rizabek Aitmukhan (Kazakhstan)

5th – David Mchedlidze (Ukraine)

5th – Abolfazl Babaloo (Iran)

7th – Vicky (India)

8th – Mohamed Salaheldin (Egypt)

9th – Samuel Pereira (Canada)

10th – Garavous Kouekabakilaho (United States)

Gold – Arash Yoshida (Japan) tech. fall Merab Suleimanishvili (Georgia), 12-2

Bronze – Soslan Dzhagaev (UWW) dec. David Mchedlidze (Ukraine), 4-2

Bronze – Rizabek Aitmukhan (Kazakhstan) dec. Abolfazl Babaloo (Iran), 7-1

U.S. Results 

Men’s Freestyle | Group Three 

61 kg – Jax Forrest (Johnstown, Pa./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC), gold medal 

WIN Vasile Marcu (Moldova), tech. fall, 13-0

WIN Mykyta Abramov (Ukraine), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Akito Mukaida (Japan), tech. fall, 15-5

WIN Omurbek Asan Uulu (Kyrgyzstan), 17-14

65 kg – Marcus Blaze (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC), 17th place

LOSS Bilol Sharip Uulu (Kyrgyzstan), 4-2

86 kg – Rocco Welsh (Fredericktown, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC), 7th place

WIN Aaron Ayzerov (Israel), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Minghui Liang (China), tech. fall, 10-0

LOSS Abolfazl Rahmani Firouzjaei (Iran), 7-4

97 kg – Garavous Kouekabakilaho (San Diego, Calif./Viking WC), 10th place

WIN Mohamed Salaheldin (Egypt), tech. fall, 12-1

LOSS Rizabek Aitmukhan (Kazakhstan), tech. fall, 11-0