Updated: Dreshaun Ross Advances to Finals at U20 World Championships
The 2026 U20 World Championships in freestyle wrestling are being contested in Bratislava, Slovakia this weekend. New freshman heavyweight Dreshaun Ross will compete at 11 a.m. (central time) on Sunday (Aug. 23) in the finals against Iranian Abolfazi Mohammad Nezhad. NCAA champion Landon Robideau got within a step of the finals but lost to Sina Khalili of Iran 3-2. Robideau is eligible for the Repechage to stay alive at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday morning.
While you were sleeping overnight, actually in the early morning hours of Aug. 22 Robideau and Ross were slamming their way through international competition like you would expect Cowboys wrestlers to do.
In the semifinal midday on Saturday, Robideau had two passive calls go against him to give Khalili a point. Robideau tied it early in the second period and took a 2-1 lead when Khalili got his second passive call. A two-point takedown for Khalili provided the winning points with 43 second left in the match.
Ross had been extra dominant throughout the early rounds winning by a combined 30-0 scoring. He fell behind in the semifinal after two passive calls gave Dursunove of Azerbaijan a 1-0 lead. A second passive call on Dursunov made it 1-1. From that point on in the second period, Ross scored an unaswered three points, first one and then a takedown for the 4-1 win.
Again, finals in the U20 World Championships at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23.
125kg. Dreshaun Ross
Qualification Round - 10-0 win over Baejoon Jang, KOR
Round of 16 - 10-0 win over Riza Izakhar, KAZ
Quarterfinal Round - 10-0 win over Aleksandre Abramishvili, GEO
Semifinal Opponent - 4-1 win over Yusif Dursunov, AZE
Finals - vs. Abolfazi Mohammad Nezhad, IRAN
70 kg. Landon Robideau
Qualification Round - 12-1 win over Zurab Abalaki, GEO
Round Of 16 - Pinned (13-5) Ankh Erdene Altangerel, MGL
Quarterfinal Round - 7-4 win over Mairbek Merov, RUS
Semifinal Round - 3-2 loss to Sina Khalili, IRAN
