On Thursday, U23 World silver medalist Beka Melelashvili (82 kg, NYAC) and Olympian Payton Jacobson (87 kg, NYAC/NTS) were named co-Athletes of the Year for 2024. As reported, it was the second time in the nine-year history of the award that two wrestlers tied following the committee vote. The first came in ’19 when G’Angelo Hancock (who would go on to earn World bronze in ’21) and Max Nowry both took home the honor.
Melelashvili — who began competing for the United States this past spring after coming over from Georgia — was selected primarily due to his sizzling run to the U23 World Championships final, a feat which guaranteed for the US their first-ever medalist from the event. But Melelashvili enjoyed an impressive campaign overall in ’24 that also included a silver from the U23 Pan-Ams, a silver from the Druskininkai Cup (LTU), a 3rd-place showing at the Senior Trials, and a bronze from the Valamar Cup in Croatia.
For Jacobson, ’24 delivered his first taste of the spotlight, and in a major way. He had decided to move up to 87 kg from 77, first testing himself at Thor Masters in Denmark (March). It was this event which set the tone for the remainder of his campaign. At Thor Masters, Jacobson, in what was essentially his debut in the new weight category, defeated World bronze medalist Arkadiusz Kulynycz (POL) and closed out with a tough but productive loss to decorated Hungarian Istvan Takacs. In April, Jacobson, then still just 21 years of age, won the Olympic Trials after outlasting a string of top Senior competitors, thus securing a trip to Paris in August. Jacobson’s march to the 87 kg Olympic spot also resulted in his receiving the 5PM award for Outstanding Individual Performance as voted on by the fans. In addition to his Olympic Trials victory, Jacobson, like Melelashvili, walked away with bronze from the Valamar Cup; and in October, he fought his way to the bronze round at the U23 Worlds before ultimately finishing 5th.
It was truly a breakout season for both athletes, as well as an encouraging boost for the US program given their ages. Jacobson just turned 22 in September while Melelashvili will celebrate his 23rd birthday next week.
The ’24 co-Athletes of the Year spoke on the record regarding their respective achievements from last year and touched on other topics, as well.
2024 5PM Co-Athletes of the Year
Beka Melelashvili — 82 kg, NYAC
5PM: How have you adjusted to living in the USA so far?
Beka Melelashvili: I adjusted very well. I didn’t have any problems with it. I had a little bit of a language barrier and learned a little bit of English, and improved it. I didn’t have any problems. Plus, my family helped me a lot because they’re also here and so I wasn’t alone. It was easy for me.
5PM: What has been your favorite thing about this country since moving here?
Melelashvili: I’d say the opportunities to grow and I love how the coaches appreciate hard work. It means a lot to me.
5PM: Your match against Elmin Aliyev (AZE) in the U23 World semifinal was very important both for you and for the USA. How were you feeling before that match? Were you any more nervous or anxious than normal? Or were you entirely focused on what you had to do?
Melelashvili: Yeah, I wasn’t nervous at all. I was pretty focused and locked-in. I was just planning my match in my mind and just preparing for a tough match. I knew that it was going to be tough but I was ready for it. It went the way that I planned.
5PM: Your crash gutwrench in the second period is what won you the match but at first the referee on the mat did not give you the points. Were you worried at all that they wouldn’t score it before the challenge?
Melelashvili: I wasn’t worrying about it because I couldn’t control that. I knew that it was two points, so I waited for the referees and, fortunately, they gave me my two points. But if they didn’t, I was ready to go and try to score. So I was ready for whatever it would be.
5PM: You had a very impressive year with medals at each tournament you entered. Aside from the U23 Worlds, which tournament, or trip, was your favorite?
Beka Melelashvili: My favorite I would say was the Lithuania trip (Druskininkai Cup). I wrestled with very experienced wrestlers. I had three matches and won two of them and took the silver medal. I learned a lot. Plus, I stayed for the training camp and had a lot of really good wrestlers, very experienced wrestlers, and I think that I grew a lot on that trip. And then the Croatia tournament (Valamar Cup) and training camp, as well.
Payton Jacobson — 87 kg, NYAC/NTS
Jacobson is set to be featured on Episode 63 of the Five Point Move Podcast which will be released this week. Below are highlights of his dialogue from the episode pertaining to various topics from the 2024 season and therefore they are not presented in a typical question-and-answer format.
Jacobson on if his performance at Thor Masters resulted in more confidence in his decision to move up to 87 kg for the Olympic Trials
“Yeah, definitely. I felt like a lot of people within the Northern room believed in me. There were a few people outside of it who questioned me. They were like, ‘Ah, I don’t know… That’s a big jump, 22 pounds.’ But for me, I was like, I think I can beat anybody, so why not? Also, I felt like no one wanted to see me within the States. I had wrestled all of the guys who were going 87 in practice and at the OTC (Olympic Training Center) and it was like, None of these guys want to draw me. I know that for a fact because when I get ahold of them, I do very well against them.”
Jacobson on what he was thinking late in Match 3 of the Olympic Trials finals against Spencer Woods
“After I got up, it was, Keep moving forward, keep your head up, stay in the middle, don’t do anything too stupid. And then once I got in par terre, I got on top again, and I was just gassed (laughs). I was like, Oh my gosh, I’m tired. Maybe got :08 on top because I wasn’t doing anything. They bring me back up on my feet and I saw the time from there. And from there, I was trying to do the same thing but I was very tired and just trying to control the match. And then, I forget how much time was left, but they stopped it because I was backing up a little bit. Then I looked up at the clock and there were :20 left. Then I was like, Okay, you can do :20. No matter how tired you are, you can do :20.“
Jacobson on why he was so comfortable meeting the press pool after winning the Olympic Trials and answering an allotment of questions
“I don’t even know. When I was real little, before I even started wrestling — I was probably in first grade or kindergarten — I remember hearing that Benji (Peak) won a state title in Wisconsin, a youth state title. And I thought that was the coolest thing ever. Like, immediately, my mind went to getting interviewed after winning state. So I’m like, He definitely got interviewed. It’s the youth state (tournament), so obviously you’re not getting interviewed but maybe it was in my human nature that if you win something big, you get interviewed immediately after. Maybe it was more like… I can’t even describe it. Maybe it’s just what God made me to do.”
Jacobson on another big moment from ’24, his win for bronze at the Valamar Cup opposed by ’22 U23 World champ Exauce Mukubu of Norway
“Second period, he gets on top and tries a reverse lift on me, which he usually goes for his straight lift. I was kind of surprised but I defended that. It was 1-1. We always talk about this in the Northern room, but I got the last par terre. Benji and I always talk about how if you get that last par terre and choose to stay on your feet, it just terrorizes your opponents. So I was like, Whatever, I’m going to keep him on my feet. I’m sure that he (Mukubu) was a little tired by the time that came around. I started attacking as much as I could and gave up an overhook. He started attacking the body with his hips out a little bit; and as soon as he did that, I felt a headlock. The amount of times in practice when I would try a headlock on someone who tries a lazy attack on me paid off. I threw him for four. There were :10 left else and nothing could happen. It was great. Everyone in my corner went crazy. It was a super fun tournament. We won the bronze cup with only six guys. It was awesome.”
Listen to “5PM57: Kamal Bey and David Stepanyan” on Spreaker.
Listen to “5PM56: Rich Carlson and Spencer Woods” on Spreaker.
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