Team USA shines at U20 World Wrestling Championships

At the 2026 U20 World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, Team USA secured significant results in the women's freestyle wrestling competition. Everest Leydecker became only the fourth American woman to win two U20 World titles after defeating Japan's Nana Kozuka with a second-period pin in the 55 kg championship match.

In the bronze medal matches, Caley Graber won the 59 kg division by pinning Mongolia's Gundegmaa Enkhbaatar, while 17-year-old Taina Fernandez earned bronze in the 68 kg category after a 4-0 victory over Russia's Evangeliia Berezhnova. Karlee Brooks finished fifth in the 57 kg class, and Piper Fowler placed fifth at 76 kg.

The United States finished fourth in the overall women's freestyle team standings with 118 points, notably being the only nation to place a wrestler in the top 10 across all ten weight classes. Japan claimed the team title with 167 points, followed by India and China.