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Wax, Tsarni Claim Silver for U.S. Men’s Freestyle On Final Day of U17 World Championships

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²ϊ²βΜύDavid Gerhart, 91°΅Νψ

Rylen Wax competing in the championships finals at 2026 U17 World Championships at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan

Rylen Wax competing in the championships finals at 2026 U17 World Championships at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan – To close out the 2026 U17 World Championships, Rylen Wax and Salah Tsarni both earned silver medals for the U.S. on Sunday at the National Gymnastics Arena.


In the championship match at 45 kg, Wax’s bid to become the fourth wrestler all-time to win two U17/Cadet World titles in the same year came up short. Facing a familiar foe in four-time Pan American medalist Nelson Villafane III of Puerto Rico, Wax dropped a 7-1 decision to Villafane III.


Wax finishes with a silver medal for the U.S., following his gold medal in Greco-Roman earlier this week at the U17 World Championships. This is the second straight year that Team USA has produced double U17 World medalists. Last year, Arseni Kikiniou won silver in men’s freestyle and bronze in Greco-Roman.


At 92 kg, Tsarni suffered a 9-4 defeat to Abdurazak Shabanov of Russia in the gold medal match. Tsarni held a 3-0 lead at the intermission, but a six-point scoring sequence put Shabanov ahead late in the match, and he did not relinquish the lead down the stretch.


Before the medal rounds, Camryn Howard got off to a strong start in his bid to make a bronze medal match at 71 kg. He used a strong double leg shot to score four against Jaloliddin Djalalov of Uzbekistan to erase a two-point deficit and win, 5-2. However, Howard’s run to the medal round was halted in his second repechage bout against Adilet Rysbay of Kazakhstan in an 11-2 contest.


For a complete match-by-match breakdown from today’s matches for Team USA, visit our day seven match notes.


The U.S. placed seventh overall in the team standings with 68 points. Russia edged Iran by one point for the team title. Russia finished with 146 points; Iran had 145 points. India rounded out the team podium with 123 points for a third-place finish.


Across all three disciplines at the championships, Team USA finished with 12 medals, five gold, four silver and three bronze.


Archived matches from the 2026 U17 World Championships are available on in the U.S. market. Brackets and results are available on .

2026 U17 World Championships

At Baku, Azerbaijan, August 2

Reference Links


Men’s Freestyle Results

Team Standings

1. Russia, 146

2. Iran, 145

3. India, 123

4. Uzbekistan, 101

5. Kazakhstan, 93

6. Georgia, 78

7. United States, 68

8. Puerto Rico, 50

9. Ukraine, 46

10. Japan, 35

Weight Class Rankings (Group Two)
45 kg

Gold – Nelson Villafane III (Puerto Rico)

Silver – Rylen Wax (United States)

Bronze – Hanumant Jadhav (India)

Bronze – Mukhammad Rakhimjonov (Uzbekistan)

5th – Mahdi Damercheli (Iran)

5th – Luka Dotiashvili (Georgia)

7th – Aryn Zhanat (Kazakhstan)

8th – Radoslav Velikov (Bulgaria)

9th – Catalin Cojocaru (Moldova)

10th – Abdunazar Baatyrkanov (Kyrgyzstan)


Gold – Nelson Villafane III (Puerto Rico) dec. Rylen Wax (United States), 7-1

Bronze – Hanumant Jadhav (India) dec. Mahdi Damercheli (Iran), 7-1

Bronze – Mukhammad Rakhimjonov (Uzbekistan) dec. Luka Dotiashvili (Georgia), 9-8


51 kg

Gold – Benyamin Ashofteh Mayvan (Iran)

Silver – Ibrahim Hasanov (Azerbaijan)

Bronze – Masamune Ushimado (Japan)

Bronze – Islam Kurakhmaev (Russia)

5th – William Soto (Puerto Rico)

5th – Giorgi Narimanidze (Georgia)

7th – Sabyrzhan Rakhatov (Kazakhstan)

8th – Said Nabiev (Tajikistan)

9th – Govind (India)

10th – Nurdan Bodonoev (Kyrgyzstan)


Gold – Benyamin Ashofteh Mayvan (Iran) dec. Ibrahim Hasanov (Azerbaijan), 5-1

Bronze – Masamune Ushimado (Japan) dec. William Soto (Puerto Rico), 15-13

Bronze – Islam Kurakhmaev (Russia) dec. Giorgi Narimanidze (Georgia), 7-3


60 kg

Gold – Sitender (India)

Silver – Sergei Karmrian (Russia)

Bronze – Mykyta Kuzmenko (Ukraine)

Bronze – Mardan Orynbassar (Kazakhstan)

5th – Bekzodbek Ibrohimov (Uzbekistan)

5th – Davit Mdzevashvili (Georgia)

7th – Shai Sabag (Israel)

8th – Shota Fujiwara (Japan)

9th – Witold Pawlik (Poland)

10th – Mirlan Nurmamatov (Kyrgyzstan)


Gold – Sitender (India) dec. Sergei Karmrian (Russia), 3-1

Bronze – Mykyta Kuzmenko (Ukraine) fall Bekzodbek Ibrohimov (Uzbekistan), 1:42

Bronze – Mardan Orynbassar (Kazakhstan) dec Davit Mdzevashvili (Georgia), 5-2


71 kg

Gold – Reza Shamsipourhajivand (Iran)

Silver – Bohdan Kvantaliani (Georgia)

Bronze – Adilet Rysbay (Kazakhstan)

Bronze – Mokhmad Baisultanov (Russia)

5th – Mekan Hudayberenov (Turkmenistan)

5th – Vitali Hardzei (Belarus)

7th – Camryn Howard (United States)

8th – Matyas Dercsar Kovcas (Hungary)

9th – Anuj (India)

10th – Orel Benoguev (Israel)


Gold – Reza Shamsipourhajivand (Iran) dec. Bohdan Kvantaliani (Georgia), 5-4

Bronze – Adilet Rysbay (Kazakhstan) dec. Mekan Hudayberenov (Turkmenistan), 6-4

Bronze – Mokhmad Baisultanov (Russia) tech. fall Vitali Hardzei (Belarus), 10-0


92 kg

Gold – Abdurazak Shabanov (Russia)

Silver – Salah Tsarni (United States)

Bronze – Saksham (India)

Bronze – Marshall Everett Jones (Great Britain)

5th – Mohammad Isazadeh (Iran)

5th – Nuradin Mustafaev (Georgia)

7th – Tyler Langford (Canada)

8th – Amirbek Fazlitdinov (Uzbekistan)

9th – Anatoli Tamarovich (Belarus)

10th – Maciej Slowianski (Poland)


Gold – Abdurazak Shabanov (Russia) dec. Salah Tsarni (United States), 9-4

Bronze – Saksham (India) dec. Mohammad Isazadeh (Iran), 3-2

Bronze – Marshall Everett Jones (Great Britain) dec. Nuradin Mustafaev (Georgia), 10-6

U.S. Men’s Freestyle Results

Group Two

45 kg – Rylen Wax (Chillicothe, Ohio/Beast Mode Wrestling), silver medal

WIN Hanumant Jadhav (India), tech. fall, 14-3

WIN Aryn Zhanat (Kazakhstan), 8-6

WIN Mahdi Daerrcheli (Iran), 9-0

LOSS Nelson Villafane III (Puerto Rico), 7-1

51 kg – Evan Restivo (State College, Pa./M2 Training Center), 18th place

LOSS Said Nabiev (Tajikistan), tech. fall, 12-1

60 kg – Jojo Burke (Park Ridge, N.J.), 14th place

LOSS Shota Fujiwara (Japan), 10-6

71 kg – Camryn Howard (Bellport, N.Y./KD Training Center), 7th place

WIN Georgo Both (Slovakia), tech. fall. 12-1

LOSS Reza Shamsipourhajivand (Iran), 8-1

WIN Jaloliddin Djalalov (Uzbekistan), 5-2

LOSS Adilet Rysbay (Kazakhstan), 11-2

92 kg – Salah Tsarni (Montgomery Village, Md./Blairstown WC), silver medal

WIN Artem Zalvovskyi (Ukraine), tech. fall, 11-0

WIN Mohammad Isazadeh (Iran), fall, 3:48

WIN Shu Yoshida (Japan), fall, 0:55

WIN Saksham (India), tech. fall, 11-0

LOSS Abdurazak Shabanov (Russia), 9-4