World Championships Preview: Seven Wrestlers with Oklahoma State Ties Competing in Croatia

Oklahoma State and the Cowboy RTC will be well represented over the next week in Zagreb, Croatia at the World Championships.

There are seven wrestlers with some sort of ties to either OSU or the Cowboy RTC (or both) set to compete.

With the event being halfway across the world, it’s for the early birds. The World Championships start at 3:30 a.m. (CT) Saturday and can be streamed on Flo for those who want to get up and watch.

Here is a little bit about each of the seven OSU/Cowboy RTC representatives.

Wyatt Hendrickson

Weight: 125 kg
Days: Saturday and Sunday
Country: USA
Bracket

Captain America has been on a roll since donning an orange singlet.

Hendrickson went undefeated and won a national title over Olympic champion Gable Steveson. He then won the U.S. Open and a best-of-three series at Final X to earn this spot on the U.S. World Team.

Although this is Hendrickson’s first time representing his country at the Senior World Championships, he did win gold at the 2023 U23 World Championships.

There will be tough matches throughout (it is the World Championships after all), but Hendrickson’s could-be semifinal with Iran’s Amir Hossein Zare would draw a lot of eyeballs. Zare took home world gold in 2021 and 2023 and won silver at the Paris Olympics last year.

Rin Sakamoto

Weight: 57kg
Days: Sunday and Monday
Country: Japan
Bracket

After coming to Oklahoma State from Japan, Rin Sakamoto wrestled one match for the Cowboys this past season — dropping a match to NCAA runner-up Drake Ayala of Iowa.

Sakamoto claimed Japan’s spot at 57 kg with a 10-0 win in the Meiji Cup. He also represented his country at the U20 World Championships in Bulgaria last month, where he went 1-2.

Sakamoto opens his tournament against Bulgaria’s Ivaylo Milenov Tisov, who took seventh at the 2025 U23 European Championships back in March.

Jax Forrest

Weight: 61 kg
Days: Saturday and Sunday
Country: USA
Bracket

When Jax Forest gets back to the states, he’ll have to return to high school.

A commit in Oklahoma State’s 2026 recruiting class, Forest is a high school senior but clinched the United States’ 61 kg spot with a by winning the U.S. Open and then beating Vito Arujau, a 2023 World Champion, two matches to none at Final X.

Forest has a tough draw. He’ll open with Korea’s Sangboum Han for a shot at Japan’s Takara Suda. Suda won a ranking series even in February, the Asian Championships in March and the Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial in July. If Forest is able to get past Suda, he’d likely get Russia’s Zaur Uguev in the semis. Uguev is a two-time world champion and won Olympic gold in 2020. He also took gold at the 2025 European Championships.

Jayden Raney (Greco Roman)

Weight: 55 kg
Days: Thursday and Friday (Sept. 18 and 19)
Country: USA
Bracket

Another member of that 2026 recruiting class, Jayden Raney will represent the Americans in the Greco Roman portionq of the World Championships.

Raney committed to OSU in May alongside his twin brother Jordyn. Jayden won the U.S. Open in Greco this year and won gold at the Pan American Championships, as well. He won U17 world gold in Greco in 2023 and 2024.

Zahid Valencia

Weight: 86 kg
Days: Saturday and Sunday
Country: USA
Bracket

Zahid Valencia returns to the World Championships after earning bronze in Belgrade in 2023.

Valencia won two NCAA titles for Arizona State in 2018 and 2019 but has since transitioned to Stillwater to train at the Cowboy RTC. After winning the U.S. Open, Valencia beat four-time world champ Kyle Dake two matches to none at Final X to clinch his spot on the World Team.

Valencia is on the same side of the bracket as Russia’s Ibragim Kadiev, a two-time U20 world champ, and Iran’s Kamran Ghasempour, a two-time senior world champ. But, those two would meet each other before Valencia would face the winner in the semis — should they all make it to that point.

Roman Bravo-Young

Weight: 57kg
Days: Sunday and Monday
Country: Mexico
Bracket

After winning two NCAA titles at Penn State, Roman Bravo-Young came to train at the Cowboy RTC last year and will represent Mexico this week.

Bravo-Young is on the same side of the bracket as American representative Spencer Lee. The two would meet in the semis if they both make it to that point, and it’d be a match a lot of American wrestling fans would be super interested in.

Mirzo Khayitov

Weight: 74 kg
Days: Sunday and Monday
Country: Uzbekistan
Bracket

Cowboy RTC athlete Mirzo Khayitov will represent Uzbekistan. He has Georgia’s Giorgi Elbakidze to start.