Valencia blows 8-2 lead, loses Sargsyan Cup final 12-11
Cam Amine took silver too, Joey McKenna won bronze, and Izzak Olejnik wrestles for gold Sunday.
Zahid Valencia lost the Stepan Sargsyan Cup freestyle final 12-11 to Askhab Khadzhiyev of Kazakhstan after building a big lead, per Jon Kozak. Kozak had Valencia up 6-0, 8-2 and 10-6 at different points, while Christian Pyles posted that Valencia was still ahead 11-6 with 47 seconds to go. Both said the same thing about why it slipped away.
"He was up 6-0 early and 11-6 with 47 seconds to go. He lost 12-11," Pyles wrote, adding that Valencia was tired. Kozak wrote that Valencia "definitely got tired" and almost got the winning takedown at the end anyway.
He was up 6-0 early and 11-6 with 47 seconds to go. He lost 12-11.
The name on the other side of the bracket will register with anyone who watched U20 Worlds. Pyles and Justin Basch both noted that Aeoden Sinclair teched Khadzhiyev 12-2 in the opening rounds last month.
Amine falls 3-1, McKenna takes bronze
Cam Amine dropped his final 3-1 to Imam Ganishov. Per Kozak, Ganishov won Russian Nationals in 2025, was bronze this year and is currently ranked No. 10 in the world at 74kg. That is the second straight day of finals for the two Americans who reached the championship matches in Armenia, and both came out with silver.
Joey McKenna won his bronze medal match 10-1, per Kozak and Basch.
USA Wrestling closed out day two with the tally, two silvers and a bronze, and one American still alive. Izzak Olejnik wrestles for gold on Sunday.
Olejnik's 20-second semifinal
Olejnik got there in the least likely way available. Kozak posted that he was down 5-0 in the semifinal with 20 seconds left, then hit a takedown and three turns to win 8-5.
"Izzak Olejnik was down 5-0 in his semifinal match at the Stepan Sargsyan Cup with just 20 seconds left before getting a takedown to 3 turns to win 8-5," Kozak wrote.
Izzak Olejnik was down 5-0 in his semifinal match at the Stepan Sargsyan Cup with just 20 seconds left before getting a takedown to 3 turns to win 8-5!
What to watch: Olejnik's gold medal match Sunday, the last American bout of the tournament.
Ganishov won Russian Nationals in 2025 and was bronze this year. Currently ranked #10 in the world at 74 kg.