Zahid Valencia

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Zahid Valencia
Personal information
Full name Zahid Valencia
Nationality American
Born (1997-11-05) November 5, 1997 (age 26)
Bellflower, California, U.S
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 184 lb (83 kg)
Sport
Country United States
Sport Wrestling
Event(s) Freestyle and folkstyle
Club Sunkist Kids
Sun Devil Wrestling Club
Coached by Zeke Jones
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  United States
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Acapulco 86 kg
Junior World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2017 Tampere 84 kg

Zahid Valencia (born November 5, 1997) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 86 kilograms.[1] As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a two-time NCAA Division I National Champion and three-time Pac-12 Conference champion out of the Arizona State University.[2] In freestyle, he was the 2019 US National Champion and has competed at multiple international tournaments, winning gold at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021 and the 2021 Poland Open and bronze at the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane 2021.[3][1]

Folkstyle career

High school

Zahid attended St. John Bosco High School along with his brother Anthony and Aaron Pico.[4] A three-time CIF state champion, Valencia won four Walsh Jesuit Ironman titles and placed third in the state as a sophomore, while wrestling with a broken ankle.[5] His setback at the state tournament was the only one in his high school career, compiling 158 wins with 100 pins and 12 technical falls. When he graduated, Valencia was awarded the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award and was rated one of the top-five recruits by multiple outlets.[2][6]

College

On June 2014, the Valencia brothers announced that they had committed to the Arizona State Sun Devils, competing in the NCAA Division I level.[7]

2015–2016

As a redshirt athlete, Valencia compiled eight wins and two losses in two tournaments, one loss was handed by graduated Penn State legend and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner David Taylor (TF), and the other one by returning All-American Hayden Zillmer (3–4), placing seventh at the Midland Championships.[8] He also claimed the Edinboro Open title.[9]

2016–2017

Valencia had one of the most dominant freshman campaigns in the history of the school.[10] During regular season, he racked up titles from the Midlands Championships,[11] the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite,[12] the Journeyman Collegiate Classic[13] and the Daktronics Open,[14] went 14–0 in dual meets and compiled an overall undefeated record of 31-0.[4] At the Pac-12 Championships, he defeated two opponents, including the fastest pin of the tournament (16 seconds) and was named the Outstanding Wrestler.[15] Entering the NCAA's as the undefeated top-seed, Valencia got three wins (including one over Myles Amine) to make the semifinals, where he suffered his only loss of the season, handed by Mark Hall from Penn State.[16] After his title run was derailed, Valencia got two more victories to claim third-place and capture All-American honors.[17] Once the season was over, Valencia was named the Pac-12 Wrestler and Freshman of the Year (first ever to obtain both honors), and the Sun Devil Most Outstanding Wrestler.[18]

2017–2018

As a sophomore, Valencia claimed titles from the Cliff Keen Invitational (named OW)[19] and the Midlands Championships,[20] and compiled a 25-0 record during regular season.[21] In the post-season, he claimed his second straight Pac-12 Conference title,[22] and entered the NCAA's as the top-seed for the second year straight.[23] At the NCAA championships, Valencia reached the semifinals with two pins and a major decision, where he defeated returning All-American Myles Amine by decision to make the finals.[23] In the finale, he defeated his rival and the returning NCAA champion Mark Hall, who denied Valencia the title opportunity the previous year, on points (8–2), to become the eleventh Sun Devil to claim an NCAA title.[24] After the season, Valencia was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year, marking the first time a wrestler has earned back-to-back honors since Eric Larkin ('01–'03).[25]

2018–2019

In his junior year, Valencia claimed titles from the Bison Open,[26] the Cougar Clash[27] and also his third consecutive Midlands title.[28] This season marked the first and second times he had been defeated during regular season, as he was first beaten by rival Mark Hall (0-4)[29] and was then shockingly pinned by Daniel Lewis from Missouri,[30] going 13-2 in duals and 24-2 overall.[31] At the Pac-12 Championships, Valencia recorded two dominant technical falls to claim his third straight title and was named the OW.[32] At the NCAA championships, Valencia, the third seed, made his way to his second final with a pin and three major decisions, while also dominantly avenging his regular season loss to Daniel Lewis.[33] In the finale, he once again faced his nemesis Mark Hall, whom he was able to edge by a point and deny him the title for the second time, claiming his second NCAA title and avenging his other loss during regular season.[34] After the season, Valencia was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year for the third time.[35]

2019–2020

As a senior, Valencia moved up from 174 to 184 pounds,[36] claimed titles from the Journeyman Collegiate Classic[37] and the Cliff Keen Invitational,[38] and was racking up an undefeated 12-0 record in dual meets (20-0 overall).[39] On February, Valencia tested positive to a recreational substance from the Matteo Pellicone (freestyle), and was subsequently suspended by the ASU wrestling team, which ended up officially finishing his career as a folkstyle wrestler.[40]

During his collegiate years, Valencia became a two-time NCAA Division I National Champion, a three-time All-American, a three-time Pac-12 Conference title holder and a three-time Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year.[2]

Freestyle career

Age-group

As a junior, Valencia was a three-time US World Team Member and National Champion, and placed tenth, seventh and second respectively at the World Championships.[41] He also competed at the '16 Beat the Streets dual against Mojtaba Goleij, where he was beaten.[42] He was a two-time Fargo National Champion in the cadet level.[41]

Senior level

2015–2016

Valencia made his senior level debut at the Grand Prix of Spain on July 11, 2015, where he was able to place second after racking up numerous victories over international opponents.[43] He came back later at the Bill Farrell Memorial International, but was unable to place, going out with three victories and two losses.[44] To close off 2015, Valencia went 2–2 at the US Senior Nationals. In January 2016, Valencia went 0–2 at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.[45]

2018–2020

Valencia came back to the freestyle scene in big fashion after his '18 NCAA championship run, at the US World Team Trials of May 2018. In the WTT Challenge tournament, he opened up with a 10–0 technical fall over two-time ACC champion Josh Asper, and shook three-time NCAA Division I champion Alex Dieringer twice, downing him 7–0 and 5–1 respectively.[46] At Final X, he took on the eventual '18 World Champion and four–time NCAA champion Kyle Dake, whom he was defeated by 0–4 and 3–4.[47]

After one year of inactivity in freestyle, Valencia once again competed at the US World Team Trials Challenge in May 2019. In the first round, he earned a tech fall over Geno Morelli, and a perfect 5–0 victory over his collegiate rival Mark Hall in the semifinals.[48] In the best-of-three, he once again faced Alex Dieringer, but was dominantly defeated twice my him.[49]

In December 2019, Valencia moved up from 79 kilos to 86 kilos and claimed his first US National title at the Senior Nationals of Fort Worth, Texas. In this tournament, he claimed notable wins over Nate Jackson, Aaron Brooks and Myles Martin.[3]

He came back a month later at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series of January, in Italy. He racked up wins over '18 World Championship runner-up Fatih Erdin and avenged his losses to Alex Dieringer to claim the title.[50] However, it was announced on February that Valencia had been disqualified due to a failed drug test, where he tested positive to a banned, recreational substance.[51] This also caused his suspension from the ASU wrestling team.[52]

Valencia was scheduled to wrestle at the '20 US Olympic Team Trials on April 4–5 at State College, Pennsylvania.[53] However, the event was postponed along with the 2020 Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[54] Both competitions are now scheduled to take place in 2021.[55][56]

Valencia headlined FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Valencia on November 14, 2020, against '12 Olympic Gold medalist and four-time World Champion (at 74 kg) Jordan Burroughs, at a catchweight of 185 pounds.[57] At the weigh-ins, Burroughs weighed 178.2 pounds, while Valencia marked 184.1 pounds on the scale.[58] After a perfect 4–0 first period lead, Valencia was bombed with four takedowns while only earning one step-out, which was enough for the smaller athlete to claim the victory.[59]

2021

To start off the year, Valencia competed at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France on January 16.[60] First, he drove the accomplished Russian Magomed Ramazanov to a back-and-forth match, which he ended up losing seven points to eight. In the consolation bracket, he claimed three straight victories to claim bronze, with a notable technical fall over '12 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time European Champion Dato Marsagishvili in the last match.[61]

Valencia then wrestled at the prestigious UWW Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series on March 7.[62] After two technical falls, one of which was over '18 World Championship runner-up Fatih Erdin, Valencia proved his improved skills against long-time rival and multiple–time age–group World Champion Mark Hall, earning a flawless technical fall to claim the gold medal.[63]

Valencia competed at the rescheduled US Olympic Team Trials on April 2–3 as the second seed, in an attempt to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[64] After defeating reigning NCAA champion Aaron Brooks, he was downed by 2019 U23 World Champion Bo Nickal, before coming back to beat Nate Jackson and Pat Downey.[65]

Valencia came back at the prestigious Poland Open on June 8, where he racked up notable and dominant wins over '19 World Championship silver medalist from India Deepak Punia, '20 European Championship silver medalist from San Marino Myles Amine and '21 European Championship silver medalist from Georgia Sandro Aminashvili en route to the gold medal.[66]

Freestyle record

Senior Freestyle Matches
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event Location
2022 Final X NYC 2nd at 86 kg
Loss 41–17 United States David Taylor TF 0–10 June 8, 2022 2022 Final X NYC United States New York City, New York
Loss 41–16 United States David Taylor 2–4
2022 Pan American Championships 1st at 86 kg
Win 41–15 Cuba Lázaro Hernández Luis 4–1 May 8, 2022 2022 Pan American Continental Championships Mexico Acapulco, Mexico
Win 40–15 Colombia Carlos Izquierdo TF 14–4
Win 39–15 Mexico Christian Anguiano TF 11–0
Win 38–15 Mexico Noel Torres TF 10–0 February 13, 2022 2022 Bout at the Ballpark

United States Arlington, Texas
2022 Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix 3rd at 86 kg
Win 37–15 Russia Omar Ziyaudinov TF 10–0 January 27–30, 2022 Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2022

Russia Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Loss 36–15 Russia Amanula Rasulov 2–5
Win 36–14 Kazakhstan Azamat Dauletbekov 2–2
Win 35–14 Russia Babuli Tsoloev 11–2
2021 Poland Open 1st at 86 kg
Win 34–14 Georgia (country) Sandro Aminashvili TF 10–0 June 8, 2021 2021 Poland Open

Poland Warsaw, Poland
Win 33–14 San Marino Myles Amine 7–1
Win India Deepak Punia INJ
Win 32–14 Poland Sebastian Jezierzański 6–5
2020 US Olympic Team Trials 3rd at 86 kg
Win 31–14 United States Pat Downey TF 11–1 April 2–3, 2021 2020 US Olympic Team Trials United States Fort Worth, Texas
Win 30–14 United States Nate Jackson TF 10–0
Loss 29–14 United States Bo Nickal 5–12
Win 29–13 United States Aaron Brooks 6–3
2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 1st at 86 kg
Win 28–13 United States Mark Hall TF 11–0 March 7, 2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021

Italy Rome, Italy
Win 27–13 Turkey Fatih Erdin TF 12–2
Win 26–13 Kazakhstan Yeskali Dauletkazy TF 11–1
2021 Henri Deglane Grand Prix 3rd at 86 kg
Win 25–13 Georgia (country) Dato Marsagishvili TF 10–0 January 16, 2021 Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane 2021

France Nice, France
Win 24–13 Spain Damian Iglesias TF 10–0
Win 23–13 Moldova Andrian Grosul TF 13–2
Loss 22–13 Russia Magomed Ramazanov 7–8
Loss 22–12 United States Jordan Burroughs 5–8 November 14, 2020 FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Valencia

United States Austin, Texas
2020 Matteo Pellicone RS DQ at 86kg
Win 22–11 United States Alex Dieringer 7–5 January 15–18, 2020 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2020

Italy Rome, Italy
Win 21–11 Turkey Fatih Erdin TF 10–0
Win 20–11 Germany William Raffi TF 11–1
2019 US Nationals 1st at 86 kg
Win 19–11 United States Myles Martin 7–5 December 20–22, 2019 2019 Senior Nationals - US Olympic Trials Qualifier

United States Fort Worth, Texas
Win 18–11 United States Aaron Brooks 6–0
Win 17–11 United States Nate Jackson 3–2
Win 16–11 United States Syed Ul-Hasan TF 10–0
Win 15–11 United States Jeff Palmeri TF 14–3
2019 US World Team Trials 3rd at 79kg
Loss 14–11 United States Alex Dieringer TF 2–12 May 17–19, 2019 2019 US World Team Trials Challenge

United States Raleigh, North Dakota
Loss 14–10 United States Alex Dieringer TF 1–12
Win 14–9 United States Mark Hall 5–0
Win 13–9 United States Geno Morelli TF 10–0
2018 US World Team Trials 2nd at 79kg
Loss 12–9 United States Kyle Dake 3–4 July 15–16, 2018 2018 Final X: State College

United States State College, Pennsylvania
Loss 12–8 United States Kyle Dake 0–4
Win 12–7 United States Alex Dieringer 5–1 May 18–20, 2018 2018 US World Team Trials Challenge

United States Rochester, Minnesota
Win 11–7 United States Alex Dieringer 7–0
Win 10–7 United States Joshua Asper TF 10–0
2016 Dave Schultz M. International DNP at 86 kg
Loss 9–7 United States Victor Terrell TF 0–11 January 28–30, 2016 2016 Dave Schultz Memorial International

United States Colorado Springs, Colorado
Loss 9–6 United States Deron Winn TF 0–10
2015 US Nationals DNP at 86 kg
Loss 9–5 United States Clayton Foster 2–8 December 17–19, 2015 2015 Senior Nationals - US Olympic Trials Qualifier

United States Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 9–4 United States Joshua Asper 4–4
Win 8–4 United States Frank Richmond 4–4
Loss 7–4 United States Keith Gavin TF 2–13
2015 Bill Farrell International Open DNP at 86 kg
Loss 7–3 United States Tyler Caldwell 1–5 November 5–7, 2015 2015 Bill Farrell International Open

United States New York City, New York
Win 7–2 United States Timmy McCall 2–1
Win 6–2 Canada Matthew Miller Fall
Loss 5–2 United States Robert Hamlin 3–7
Win 5–1 Canada Grayson St-Laurent TF 10–0
2015 Spain Grand Prix 2nd at 86 kg
Loss 4–1 Spain Taimuraz Friev 2–7 July 11, 2015 2015 Grand Prix of Spain

Spain Madrid, Spain
Win 4–0 Canada Jasmit Phulka TF 10–0
Win 3–0 Iran Vahid Shahmohammadiizad 4–4
Win 2–0 Italy Simone Iannattoni TF 11–0
Win 1–0 Japan Shirai Shota 8–4

NCAA record

NCAA Championships Matches
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event
2019 NCAA Championships 1st at 174 lbs
Win 15-1 Mark Hall 4-3 March 21–23, 2019 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win 14–1 Daniel Lewis MD 11-3
Win 13–1 Ben Harvey Fall
Win 12–1 Kimball Bastian MD 16-5
Win 11–1 Dean Sherry MD 11–2
2018 NCAA Championships 1st at 174 lbs
Win 10–1 Mark Hall 8-2 March 15–17, 2018 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win 9–1 Myles Amine 7-5
Win 8–1 Jadaen Bernstein Fall
Win 7–1 Christian Brucki MD 18-5
Win 6–1 Matt Finesilver MD 14-4
2017 NCAA Championships 3rd at 174 lbs
Win 5–1 Myles Amine MD 15-5 March 16–18, 2017 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win 4-1 Zac Brunson Fall
Loss 3-1 Mark Hall 3-4
Win 3-0 Myles Amine 14-8
Win 2–0 Christian Brucki MD 12-3
Win 1–0 Christopher Pfarr MD 19-5

Stats

Season Year School Rank Weigh Class Record Win Bonus
2020 Senior Arizona State University #1 (DNQ) 184 20-0 100.00% 85.00%
2019 Junior #2 (1st) 174 31-2 93.94% 78.79%
2018 Sophomore #1 (1st) 32-0 100.00% 78.13%
2017 Freshman #1 (3rd) 38-1 97.44% 71.79%
Career 121-3 97.85% 78.43%

[67]

References

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  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  61. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  62. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  64. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  65. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  67. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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