The United States walked out of the Valamar Cup in Croatia with multiple medals for a second consecutive year thanks to a superlative and encouraging performance from U23 World Team member Aydin Rix-McElhinney (77 kg, Northern Colorado WC) and notoriously-tough lightweight Duncan Nelson (67 kg, Air Force/WCAP).
The 2025 Valamar Cup began at 10:00am local time from Porec, Croatia (4:00am ET) and streamed live on YouTube.
Rix-McElhinney persevered on several occasions throughout his time in the tournament on Saturday as he enjoyed a slate of five overall matches. He started off by gaining back-to-back decisions over Hungarians Dominik Botos and Zalan Toplak, respectively. In the third round of pool competition, Albanian vet Kevin Kupi halted Rix-McElhinney’s momentum by coming away victorious by way of technical superiority; but with his medal hopes on the line in the proceeding round, Rix-McElhinney staged an impressive comeback against Temuri Orjonikidze (GEO). Staring at a 6-2 deficit late in the second period, Rix-McElhinney scored four from a takedown-gut combo in what eventually became a 7-6 decision in his favor, which put him in the finals for a rematch with Kupi.
And it was a heartbreaker.
Rix-McElhinney owned a 2-0 lead against Kupi in the conclusive frame but it all slipped away — in similar fashion to his victory over Orjonikidze — with time a factor. With barely over a minute remaining, Kupi managed to scamper behind Rix-McElhinney and follow with a lift to put four on the board. Try as he might, Rix-McElhinney could not overcome the two-point differential and subsequently fell 4-2. However — it was nonetheless a standout showing for the Coloradan, who captured silver for his first medal from an overseas tournament.
Nelson, Peak, & Crosby
Nelson had his share of challenges on Saturday in what was a steep weight division but he ended matters with a flourish.
First, he took a tight decision loss to Olympian Nestor Almanza Truyol (CHI) with 4-2 the final score. Nelson had his moments in that match, and he also sought to gain ground in the next bout, which came against Romeo Beridze (GEO). But Beridze had benefited from par terre and held on for a 6-1 nod that put Nelson in a precarious position. If successful in his third bout, he would earn bronze; if he faltered, then he wouldn’t place at all. But Nelson easily disposed of Stanislavs Verdinss (LAT) via 9-0 tech to grab bronze and close out the event on a high note.
U23 National champ Rhett Peak (60 kg, Checkmate WC) locked down a gritty, dig-deep type of win in his opener. Peak trailed Zyue Xi (CHN) 3-0 in the second and picked up three points of his own before weathering the storm to prevail on criteria. Round 2 saw Peak on the wrong end of the scoreboard opposite Haifeng Zhang (CHN). Although his record stood at 1-1, Peak was not eligible to continue on in pool competition.
Northern Michigan University’s Kenny Crosby (55 kg) — himself a recent U23 National titlist — had just begun heating up against Koba Karumidze (GEO) when he came up injured after an exchange near the boundary which saw Karumidze earn a step-out point. Crosby immediately grabbed at his leg and training staff intervened to tend to the injury and, before long, the talented 55’er was forced to exit the match.
Last year at the Valamar Cup, the US totaled six medals. Billy Sullivan (55 kg, Army/WCAP) and Dalton Roberts (60 kg, Army/WCAP) both came away with silver — while Max Black (60 kg, NYAC/NTS), Benji Peak (72 kg, Combat WC), Beka Melelashvili (82 kg, NYAC), and Payton Jacobson (87 kg, NYAC/NTS) each managed to earn bronze.
2025 Valamar Cup
October 4 — Porec, CRO
TEAM USA RESULTS
55 kg: Kevin Crosby (NMU/NTS)
LOSS Koba Karumidze (GEO) via injury default
60 kg: Rhett Peak (Checkmate WC)
WON Zyue Xi (CHN) 3-3 (criteria)
LOSS Haifeng Zhang (CHN) 9-0, TF
67 kg: Duncan Nelson (Air Force/WCAP) — BRONZE
LOSS Nestor Almanza Truyol (CHI) 4-2
LOSS Romeo Beridze (GEO) 6-1
WON Stanislavs Verdinss (LAT) 9-0, TF
77 kg: Aydin Rix-McElhinney (Northern Colorado WC) — SILVER
WON Dominik Botos (HUN) 5-1
WON Zalan Toplak (HUN) 7-1
LOSS Kevin Kupi (ALB) 10-0, TF
WON Temuri Orjonikidze (GEO) 7-6
LOSS Kevin Kupi (ALB) 4-2
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