For a second consecutive year, the United States can already claim at least two U17 World medalists and the tournament isn’t even over yet.
Day 2 of the 2025 U17 World Championships began at 10:30am local time on Tuesday from Athens, Greece (3:30am ET) and streamed live in the US on FLOWrestling.
After being pulled into the repechage rounds of their respective brackets following action on Monday, MJ Rundell (48 kg) and Arseni Kikiniou (65 kg) both came away with bronze earlier today, providing Team USA with a boost as the World Championships season gets fully underway.
For Rundell, a tough assignment was on the docket in the morning’s repechage bout. He had drawn Gurban Majnunov (AZE), who had performed well enough at the European Championships to place 3rd.
Rundell broke the ice late in the opening period by torqueing a tight front headlock from the feet to pick up four, though Majnunov managed to grab exposure points on the back-end of the sequence. Still — Rundell stayed with his lock and rolled the Azer once more to make the score 6-2. A massive amount of confusion unfolded in the second period when Majnunov worked from par terre, leading to a prolonged challenge process. Once the scores were confirmed, Rundell owned a 6-3 lead. Just as time expired, Majnunov executed a bodylock. Azerbaijan opted for a desperation challenge, but no offensive points were awarded and Rundell took the nod by an official score of 7-3.
Majnunov placed 3rd at Euros but it was the athletes from the Asian continent who stood tallest in this bracket. Rundell’s bronze-medal opponent Kaisei Yamamoto (JPN) had downed Aditya Jahav (IND) on Monday before being decisioned by Nurdaulet Kumaruly (KAZ); elsewhere, Bunyod Hasanov (UZB) was defeated by Jahav in last month’s Asian continental championship, whereas today Hasanov operated on the opposite side of the bracket and advanced all the way to the final against Asian gold Kumaruly.
In other words, the Asian collective in this weight category was formidable, and Yamamoto clearly emanated from a very competitive regional environment. This was who Rundell would need to get past for bronze.
And it did not start out so hot for the American.
Yamamoto raced out to a 6-0 lead on the strength of an arm throw, step-out point, and passivity. Rundell was ordered to hit the deck with Yamamoto requiring just two points to end matters. From top par terre, Yamamoto sought a turn ahead of re-adjusting for a reverse lock; as Rundell ardently defended, Yamamoto achieved said lock and attempted to execute at the edge; the officials confirmed two points — but the US challenged the exposure call and won, giving Rundell a new lease on life at least temporarily. Then just before the break, Rundell caught a Yamamoto arm attack and yanked back for four points and he was, in an instant, right back in the game.
As action heated up in the second period, Yamamoto tried for a bodylock. Rundell went heavy and adjusted for a land-on-top two, and suddenly he led on criteria. This was just how it was going. Yamamoto continued pressuring for attacks as the period continued. With time a factor, he had no choice. The next scoring sequence was availed as the clock dipped below the one minute mark. That is when Rundell matador’ed an incoming Yamamoto by lacing a front headlock for four big points and an outright 10-6 lead. After a few last-gasp attempts on the part of Japan, Rundell closed the match out in style by swooping around for a takedown right as the final whistle blew. He was the 10-6 victor as well as Team USA’s first U17 World medalist in the tournament.
They would not have to wait too long for the second one.
Kikiniou
Kikiniou — son of ’09 World medalist Aliaksandr (82 kg) and younger brother of U23 World representative Aliaksandr Jr. — had been decisioned way back in the qualification round by eventual champ Janes Nazaryan (ARM). Thus, he necessitated two repechage wins in order to qualify for the bronze round, which he achieved by pinning Huseyn Isgandarov (AZE) and prevailing via points over Kyliane Eddouh of France. These triumphs put him in the bronze-medal match opposed by Yehor Tarasenko (UKR).
Similar to Rundell’s epic against Yamamoto, Kikiniou’s contest featuring Tarasenko was crammed with drama. The first-period passivity/par terre chance went to the US, with Kikiniou coming up short of scoring a turn. Period 2 saw the passives flip, and Tarasenko was likewise unable to add follow-up offense from the mat. Due to the latest rule update involving 1-1 scores, Kikiniou owned passivity in the bout’s latter stages, though there was zero in the way of breathing room.
Tarasenko displayed a requisite amount of urgency as he looked to pepper Kikiniou in the trenches in search of a score. The intensity ramped up between the pair and, as is so often the case, it was all coming down to a race to the finish. Kikiniou was not clinging or holding on for dear life. He was just as intentional whenever meaningful contact was made as he was throughout the opening frame. But he was dealing with a hurried pursuer, with merely the slightest misstep a potential match-changing incident.
That is not what happened. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Ever poised, Kikiniou was in prime position to counter one last charge from Tarasenko and deposit him to the mat for four points as the clock ticked down to all zeroes. He had emerged as a the winner 5-1 to provide the United States with their second medalist of this year’s World Championships with another day of wrestling still on the horizon.
Full results for both Team USA groups — including David Calkins Jr.‘s own bronze-medal match — will be available in the evening recap.
2025 U17 World Championships
July 28-30 — Athens, GRE
TEAM USA FULL RESULTS
45 kg: Thales Silva (Izzy Style)
LOSS Abdurrahman Huseynli (AZE) 6-3
48 kg: MJ Rundell (The Wrestling Academy) — BRONZE
WON Artem Kolos (UKR) 10-0, TF
LOSS Nardaulet Kumaruly (KAZ) 8-0, TF
WON Gurban Majnunov (AZE) 7-3
WON Kaisei Yamamoto (JPN) 12-6
51 kg: Carter Shin (Palm Wrestling Academy)
LOSS Pavlos Tsentidis (GRE) 4-2
55 kg: Alexander Pierce (Big Game WC)
LOSS Nurali Askar (KAZ) 8-4
LOSS Lavozier Wadik Maruso (BRA) 4-3
60 kg: Will Detar (PA)
WON Vlad Duminica (MDA) 8-7
LOSS Humoyun Erkinov (UZB) 7-1
65 kg: Arseni Kikiniou (Poway) — BRONZE
LOSS Janes Nazaryan (ARM) 4-1
WON Huseyn Isgandarov (AZE) via fall
WON Kyliane Eddouh (FRA) 5-1
WON Yehor Tarasenko (UKR) 5-1
71 kg: Dominic Wilson (Ranger 47 WC)
LOSS Vinit Vinit (IND) 5-1
80 kg: Isai Fernandez (TMWC)
WON Valentin Valentinov (BUL) 10-0, TF
LOSS Nurislam Oskonbaev (KGZ) 5-1
92 kg: David Calkins Jr. (Liberty HS)
WON Zong Wu (TPE)
WON Andrija Mikulic (CRO) 3-1
LOSS Kanstantsin Kasyan (UWW) 7-5
WON Raphael Rodrigues Duarte (BRA) 9-0, TF
vs. Ionut Patru (ROU) — World bronze match
110 kg: Alexander Taylor (Beast Mode WC)
WON Essam Hussein (EGY) 10-1, TF
LOSS Denis Lazarov (BUL) 3-3 (criteria)
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