Spencer LEE (USA) won his first world gold while the U.S. won the Freestyle team title edging Russia at the 2026 World Championships.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan (November 1)—Three months ago in practice, Spencer LEE (USA) tore his right ACL for the umpteeth time. On Sunday in Astana, he glided to the top of the medal podium at a senior World Championships for the first time.
Lee finally lived up to the high expectations that have hovered over his entire injury-plagued career, winning his first senior gold with a lightning-quick victory at 57kg on Sunday, the final day of the World Championships in Astana.
Lee went to the lace-lock roll and zipped to a 10-0 victory in just 26 seconds over U.S.-born Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX), whose gained some consolation by becoming Mexico’s first-ever world medalist by taking the silver.
“I’m just happy that I was able to go out there and wrestle and perform, and finally get on top,” an emotional Lee said after adding the world gold to his silver medal from the Paris Olympics.
In other finals, Levi HAINES (USA) and Trent HIDLAY (USA) traded the spots they finished a year ago in Zagreb, with Haines moving up one step to the top of the podium at 79kg and Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) avenging his loss to Hidlay from the 2025 final at 92kg.
In the final match of the tournament, Inalbek SHERIEV (RUS) overcame Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) and the raucous, partisan crowd at Astana’s packed Barys Arena to claim the 74kg title for his first world gold.
The U.S. won the team title with 194 points, but by a closer margin than might have been expected, given that the victories by Lee and Haines raised its final gold medal tally to five.
Russia, which won the two other golds on the final day and three overall, finished a close second with 185 -- and matched the U.S. by medaling in nine of the 10 weight classes. Iran finished third with 133 points and the remaining two golds.
“It’s really special,” Haines said of the team title. “Just super thankful I get to be a part of it. Yeah, top to bottom, it’s a bunch of killers. It’s a lot of fun to be around guys that are ready to compete. I guess for counting all-time teams, it’s going to be pretty hard to beat."
Interesting to note is that the five members of the U.S. team who train at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club affiliated with Penn State University -- gold medalists Kyle SNYDER (USA), Kyle DAKE (USA) and Haines as well as bronze medalists Marcus BLAZE (USA) and Zain RETHERFORD (USA) -- would have placed fourth with 105 points.
Lee has been in the spotlight since winning the world U20 gold as a teenager in 2016, but over the ensuing decade, he has battled his fragile knees as much as the opponents on the mat.
He enjoyed success on the domestic collegiate level, but kept missing out on getting back into international competition. He finally seemed to beat the injury bug when he qualified for and won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He also made the U.S. team to last year’s worlds in Zagreb, although that venture ended in disappointment.
“For me it was frustrating because I thought I would be competing at this level much sooner,” Lee said. “My first time competing in an Olympics or World Championships, or even trying to make a team, was in 2024.
“Last year, obviously, I didn’t medal, so that was really frustrating for me, because I felt that I could have been the best in the world, even last year. I got my butt beat in the quarters, so I had to make sure to go out and give it my all this time and end on top.”
Lee nearly didn’t make it to Astana after reinjuring his knee three months before, which completely curtailed his preparations. He considered giving up his spot on the team, but decided otherwise.
“The day I tore it, I looked at my coaches and I was like, it’s over, my career’s over,” Lee said. “Fourth one. What do you do?
“[Coach] Tom [BRANDS] looked at me and said, ‘What do you want to do?’ And I said, ‘I’m going to go wrestle.’ If I lose, the media is going to hate me, everyone’s going to wish that they had a different representative. But I’m like, I’m going to go out, put it on the line, and I’m going to win.”
And win he did, with a memorable effort in his third win in three career meetings with Bravo Young. As has been his style, he gained a takedown, secured the lace-lock and spun four times in succession without a pause.
“The expectations for me have always been to win everything, all the time, and never have close matches, since I was like 10 years old,” Lee said. “This doesn’t put any more pressure on me than I already had."
At 79kg, Haines scored the go-ahead takedown in the second period to secure a 4-3 win over Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI), who was relegated to a world silver for the third time in a career with six world medals but still no gold.
“I thought I fought the game plan well, wish I would have got more attacks in there,” Haines said. “Just a real grippy guy, kind of hard to break from and create action. Just got to get better in there.”
Nokhodi, who preceded the worlds with the 86kg gold at the recent Asian Games, opened the match with a stepout. Haines responded with a takedown, but when he attempted a gut wrench, Nokhodi stepped over for 2 to take a 3-2 lead at the break.
“I got a little greedy, I guess,” Haines said of his aborted roll. “I was like, ‘Ah, this is no problem.’ But obviously he’s really good and this guy’s been wrestling par terre his whole life. I need to make it an area of emphasis moving forward.”
In the second period, Haines scored a single-leg takedown, then stopped an arm drag attempt before holding on for the victory.
Asked if he felt compelled to keep up with the “Kyles” at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, he credited the intensity of the workouts, and particularly threw a shoutout to the veteran Dake, who won his fifth world title in a third different weight class in Astana.
“We’re sure competitive guys, so of course we’re always competing,” Haines said. “But I just really look up to both of them. Kyle Dake and I get to train a lot together. I wrestle with Snyder, but I try to pick drilling days with him.
“Kyle Dake is a huge part of my training, and why I’m standing up here today. So, really grateful to him. He’s super willing to give me his time.”
At 92kg, a year after Hidlay rallied from an eight-point deficit to beat Gadzhimagomedov for the gold in Zagreb, the Russian turned the table with a comeback of his own for a slightly less dramatic 3-2 victory.
Hidlay scored a pair of stepouts in the first period, then gave up an activity point in the second. With the match down to the final minute, Hidlay shot in on a double-leg takedown that moved Gadzhimagomedov to the edge. From there he hit a back-rolling counter lift with :16 left that was originally awarded 4 points.
A challenge reduced the points to 2, but it still put the Russian ahead, which is where he stayed after slipping dexterously out of a low single to clinch the victory.
There could hardly have been a better ending if a Kazakhstan wrestler could have won a gold in the final match of the tournament, but a fairy tale ending was not in the cards, nor the mind of Sheriev, who broke open the encounter at 74kg with Kaipanov in the second period for a 10-4 win.
“When the whole stadium is against you and everyone is rooting for the opponent, it’s hard,” Sheriev said. “But we have also been working on this since yesterday. Together with coaches, experienced mentors of our national team, we were specially prepared not to burn out under public pressure."
Kaipanov whizzered his way to an opening stepout, but Sheriev came back with a nice fireman’s carry for 2. The Russian side challenged for 4, but the original call stuck, making it 2-2 with Sheriev holding the criteria.
In the second period, Kaipanov scored 2 off a counter to a double-leg takedown, but Sheriev reversed him to his back for 2 of his own. From there, he applied the lace-lock and rolled three times to open a six-point gap.
Sheriev added the gold to the bronze he won at 70kg in 2024. Kaipanov, who won a bronze last year at 70kg, was denied a second career world gold but collected his fourth world medal.
“When the anthem played in my honor, I realized it was worth fighting and winning for,” Sheriev said. “It was the moment when my hard work was justified, my way to this place that I dreamed of. We worked for this result for a very long time.”
In the bronze-medal matches, Chong Song HAN (PRK) and Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) assured they would not leave Astana empty-handed in a tournament that was generally not very kind to 2025 world champions.
Han, the reigning champion at 57kg who was dethroned in a nail-biting semifinal by Bravo Young, defeated two-time Asian medalist Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL) 3-1.
Han was leading on last-point criteria from an exchange of activity points when he capped the victory by spinning behind for a takedown with :02 left.
The victory repeated Han’s 9-6 win over Batkhuyag in the semifinals of the 2025 Asian Championships in which he won the gold. Han had to settle for a silver at the recent Asian Games.
The other 57kg bronze went to Abubakar MUTALIEV (RUS), who built up a six-point lead before holding on for a 6-3 win over Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE) for the 29-year-old’s lone major international medal.
At 74kg, Aoyagi’s bid to add to the world gold he won last year at 70kg in Zagreb was upended in the semifinals by Kaipanov, but he showed the firepower that earned him a third career world medal by whitewashing four-time European medalist Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) 11-0.
Aoyagi scored a takedown as the activity clock was expiring on Bayramov, then went into a series of gut wrenches that ended the match in 2:38.
In the other 74kg match, Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) denied Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) a second straight bronze medal and fifth world medal overall by surviving a late rally for a 5-4 win.
Yazdani scored a stepout and takedown in the first period, and the two exchange stepouts early in the second. Salkazanov then stepped up the pressure and in the final minute, scored three straight stepouts that tied the score, but left him behind on criteria.
The Slovak side challenged the final stepout that was scored with :01 left, appealing for a possible takedown, but were denied, giving Yazdani his final point as he took home his third world medal in a third different weight class.
At 79kg, European silver medalist Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (BLR), the 2021 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist at 74kg, picked up his first world medal with a 3-0 victory over Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE).
Kadzimahamedau gained an activity point in each period, then added a stepout countering a takedown attempt later in the second period — repeating his 4-1 victory over Gadzhiev in the semifinals at this year’s European Championships.
The other 79kg bronze went to Ismail KHANIEV (RUS), the 2025 world U20 champion at 74kg who defeated Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) 6-0 to also became a first-time senior world medalist.
Leading 2-0 in the second period, Khaniev added a takedown and a point for an unsuccessful challenge, then capped the win by getting behind for a takedown in the final seconds.
At 92kg, European champion Ali TCOKAEV (AZE) defeated returning bronze medalist and three-time Asian champion Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI), scoring a takedown in each period and adding a lace-lock roll after the second for a 6-0 victory.
Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) picked up his third career world medal, mimicking Tcokaev in the series that gave him six points in the first period of a 6-3 win over Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) for the other 92kg bronze.
RESULTS
57kg (34 entries)
GOLD: Spencer LEE (USA) df. Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) by TS, 10-0, :26
BRONZE: Chong Song HAN (PRK) df. Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL), 3-1
BRONZE: Abubakar MUTALIEV (RUS) df. Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE), 6-2
74kg (37 entries)
GOLD: Inalbek SHERIEV (RUS) df. Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ), 10-4
BRONZE: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) df. Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK), 5-4
BRONZE: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df. Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) by TS, 11-0, 2:38
79kg (30 entries)
GOLD: Levi HAINES (USA) df. Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI), 4-3
BRONZE: Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (BLR) df. Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) 3-1
BRONZE: Ismail KHANIEV (RUS) df. Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL), 6-0
92kg (23 entries)
GOLD: Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Trent HIDLAY (USA), 3-2
BRONZE: Ali TCOKAEV (AZE) df. Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI), 6-0
BRONZE: Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) df. Samuel SCHERRER (SUI), 6-3
Senior World Championships • Astana, Kazakhstan