ASTANA, Kazakhstan — The United States completed a historic run at the 2026 Senior World Championships, becoming the first country to win both the men's and women's team titles at the same event while the American men's freestyle team produced its strongest gold-medal showing in championship history.
The men's freestyle squad closed competition with nine medals among its 10 wrestlers, including five gold medals. That total established a new American record for individual champions at the Senior World Championships and gave the United States another landmark result on the international stage.
A final day that secured the team title
Two American wrestlers delivered victories on the final day in Astana. Spencer Lee overwhelmed Mexico's Roman Bravo-Young, earning a 10-0 technical superiority win in 25 seconds at 57 kilograms. Levi Haines then defeated Iran's Mohammad Nokhodilarimi, 4-3, at 79 kilograms.
Haines' narrow victory carried significance beyond his individual medal. His result clinched the team title for the United States, bringing the championship race to an early conclusion during Sunday's final session. The match also illustrated how close the competition remained at the highest level: Haines won by a single point against an Iranian opponent.
Trent Hidlay added a silver medal at 92 kilograms after losing a tightly contested final to Russia's Amanula Gadzhimagomedov, 3-2. James Green, competing at 74 kilograms, did not reach the podium after his run through repechage. Even with that result, the American team finished with medals for all but one of its 10 competitors.
| American result | Figure |
|---|---|
| Men's freestyle medals | 9 of 10 competitors |
| Men's freestyle gold medals | 5 |
| Team titles won by the United States | Men's and women's |
Depth behind the American performance
The championship results reflected more than a handful of individual victories. The United States produced medalists across its men's freestyle lineup and combined that performance with the women's team title to achieve a result no country had previously recorded at these championships. The outcome placed American wrestling at the center of the global competition in Astana, where the event brought together athletes representing nations including the United States, Russia, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Poland.
Several of the tournament's most dramatic American moments came in bouts that were decided by narrow margins or overwhelming finishes. Lee needed less than half a minute to end his final-day match. Haines won by one point. Hidlay lost his final by one point. Those contrasting outcomes left the American team with both a decisive team triumph and evidence of how little separated medal contenders in the individual brackets.
- Spencer Lee won the 57-kilogram final by technical superiority.
- Levi Haines captured the 79-kilogram title and secured the U.S. team championship.
- Trent Hidlay finished with silver at 92 kilograms.
- James Green competed for a medal at 74 kilograms but did not finish on the podium.
A broader American milestone
The men's result also included prominent victories from Penn State-affiliated wrestlers Kyle Snyder and Kyle Dake, who won world titles at 97 and 86 kilograms, respectively, while Haines supplied the third highlighted Penn State-related gold at 79 kilograms. The Penn State, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and Penn State Regional Training Center athletes combined for six medals, according to the program, including three golds.
Snyder's 97-kilogram final offered another example of the resilience that shaped the American performance. Japan's Arash Yoshida led 4-0 before Snyder scored two takedowns in the final 30 seconds. The bout ended in a 4-4 criteria decision for the American. Earlier in the tournament, Snyder had advanced past Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev in a 4-4 quarterfinal decided by criteria.
By the time competition ended, the United States had moved beyond simply collecting individual medals. The combined men's and women's team titles, the men's record for gold medalists and the nine-medal haul established a championship that will stand as a defining moment for American wrestling. In Astana, the final standings reflected both elite individual performances and the depth required to sustain success across an entire team.
