In an upset, high school senior PJ Duke defeated four-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis to earn a spot on Team USA for the Senior World Championships.
The dramatic victory came in a winner-take-all match at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, where Duke executed a perfect single leg takedown against the heavily favored Diakomihalis. The decisive moment came when Duke, showcasing maturity beyond his years, secured a tight front headlock and ran behind his opponent to score four crucial points, ultimately taking the lead.
Duke, who recently completed an incredible 152-1 high school career, lost his first match to Diakomihalis by mercy rule but showed remarkable resilience by bouncing back to win the next two matches in their best-of-three championship series.
“That first match, didn’t wrestle my best,” Duke said after his victory. “It’s a feel match. Didn’t doubt myself once.”
What makes this victory even more remarkable is that Duke hasn’t even finished high school yet. His last day of classes in Slate Hill, New York, comes just days after this career-defining win. Duke will attend wrestling powerhouse Penn State University later this month.
The young wrestler revealed that pre-match comments from Diakomihalis served as motivation. “I saw an interview where he said he would ‘try to mangle’ me,” Duke explained. “I took that personal. I’m not going to let that slide. He’s a good mentor to me, but I work my butt too hard to be mangled.”
At just 18 years old, Duke could become the youngest U.S. male freestyle wrestler to compete at the senior world championships in nearly five decades. The last time an 18-year-old represented the United States in men’s freestyle was in 1974, when Billy Rosado and John Bowlsby competed.
“I’m sure people will be saying, ‘He’s only 18. He’s too young for senior level,'” Duke said. “That’s what they said here. It didn’t go too well for them.”
The World Championships will take place in Croatia this September, where Duke will represent the United States in the 70kg weight class, putting his remarkable talent on the global stage against the world’s best wrestlers.
Helen Maroulis, the trailblazing Olympic gold medalist and three-time Olympic medalist, is returning to competitive wrestling after a brief and successful stint in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. After initially finding peace in retirement and embracing jiu-jitsu for its lower physical toll, Maroulis said a sudden spiritual push led her back to wrestling just eight weeks before Final X. There, she dominated Amanda Martinez to claim a spot on her 15th Olympic or world team and will compete at 57kg for the U.S. at the upcoming World Championships in Croatia. Now tied with Adeline Gray for the most combined Olympic and world medals among U.S. women (10), Maroulis is the only American female wrestler with three Olympic medals. Her return comes after overcoming a history of concussions, PTSD, and recent health complications. She’ll join fellow standouts Kennedy Blades and Spencer Lee on the team, while Zahid Valencia stunned the field by defeating four-time world champ Kyle Dake.
