MACON, France – After two dominant wins in his first and second round matches, Zahid Valencia ultimately dropped a very close 5-4 quarterfinal match to his competitor from Azerbaijan at the Junior World Championships.
"I wrestled really good my first two matches, left it all out there. I feel like I could have done more in my third match. Just a couple close calls that could have gone either way, but I'll be back and I'll be better," said Valencia following competition in France.
In round one, Valencia earned a 11-1 technical fall win over Ukraine's Mark Markarian, a 2014 Cadet World Team member. He followed it with a second straight tech fall victory against Georgia's Meki Simonia, winning 13-2 after leading 7-0 at the break.
In his final match against Azerbaijan's Gadzhimurad Magomedsaidov, he dropped a very decision, 5-4, that was decided in the final seconds. A formidable opponent, Magomedsaidov was the Junior European champion.
Overall, Valencia improved upon last year's finish, finishing in seventh place overall in the 84kg weight class.
Valencia returns to the United States to begin preparation with his Sun Devil teammates for the 2016-17 season. The team's season schedule will be announced in the next few weeks.
Results
Zahid Valencia def. Mark Markarian (Ukraine), 11-1 by tech fall
Zahid Valencia def. Meki Simonia (Georgia), 13-2 by tech fall
Gadzhimurad Magomedsaidov (Azerbaijan) def. Zahid Valencia, 5-4
"I wrestled really good my first two matches, left it all out there. I feel like I could have done more in my third match. Just a couple close calls that could have gone either way, but I'll be back and I'll be better," said Valencia following competition in France.
In round one, Valencia earned a 11-1 technical fall win over Ukraine's Mark Markarian, a 2014 Cadet World Team member. He followed it with a second straight tech fall victory against Georgia's Meki Simonia, winning 13-2 after leading 7-0 at the break.
In his final match against Azerbaijan's Gadzhimurad Magomedsaidov, he dropped a very decision, 5-4, that was decided in the final seconds. A formidable opponent, Magomedsaidov was the Junior European champion.
Overall, Valencia improved upon last year's finish, finishing in seventh place overall in the 84kg weight class.
Valencia returns to the United States to begin preparation with his Sun Devil teammates for the 2016-17 season. The team's season schedule will be announced in the next few weeks.
Results
Zahid Valencia def. Mark Markarian (Ukraine), 11-1 by tech fall
Zahid Valencia def. Meki Simonia (Georgia), 13-2 by tech fall
Gadzhimurad Magomedsaidov (Azerbaijan) def. Zahid Valencia, 5-4