Justin Rademacher Takes Silver at 2026 U23 World Championships
October 20, 2026 | Wrestling
LAS VEGAS – Oregon State wrestler Justin Rademacher earned silver at 97 kilograms Sunday at the 2026 U23 World Championships, falling 9-7 to Russia's Mukhamed Takhir Khaniev in the gold-medal match. Teammate Gabe Whisenhunt also competed in the event and placed fourth.
Rademacher led on criteria late in a back-and-forth final that featured several scrambles. Khaniev then scored a takedown and a turn in the closing moments to take the lead. Rademacher said his leg defense held up throughout the bout and that Khaniev connected on an ankle attack to score the match-deciding points.
Together, Rademacher and Whisenhunt scored enough points to rank 13th among the 45 countries competing. Rademacher's silver was also the final medal of the week for the United States in men's freestyle, and the U.S. placed third in the team standings with 104 points, behind Iran (180) and Russia (171).
"Win or lose, I'm learning something every single time," Rademacher told WIN Magazine.
