Yianni Diakomihalis was making his second consecutive appearance at the World Championships and cruised into the final, making history in the 65kg weight class as the first Team USA wrestler since 2006 to earn a medal at the event. 

In the final, Diakomihalis came up short against Iran’s Rahman Amouzad Khalili, but making the podium was enough for a spot at Final X 2023 presented by Tezos and a shot at redemption.

Six months after wrestling for gold in Belgrade, Diakomihalis found the spotlight again, becoming the fifth wrestler to win four NCAA Division I national titles. The Cornell standout won titles in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023.

His Final X opponent will be Nick Lee, who was the 65kg champion at the 2023 U.S. Open Wrestling Championships in April.

This year’s edition of Final X will take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 10. The event will feature the top two wrestlers at every weight class in a best-of-three series, with the winners making the 2023 United States World Team. 

Subscribe to FloWrestling and the FloSports app to watch Final X Wrestling 

Gable Steveson Could Join The Most Exclusive Club In Wrestling

2023 Final X Wrestling Matchups

The world team will travel to Belgrade, Serbia, to compete at the 2023 Senior World Championships from Sept. 16-24. 

Check below for the current matchups for Final X and a brief explanation of how each wrestler qualified for the 2023 event.

Here’s what to know about Yianni Diakomihalis:

History Was Worth The Wait For Yianni Diakomihalis

Diakomihalis was a freshman phenom during the 2017-2018 collegiate season, posting a 37-1 record at 141 pounds and claiming his first NCAA title.

He was undefeated the following year (29-0) and found the winner’s circle again, before stepping away from college wrestling. He took an Olympic redshirt season for the 2019-2020 campaign, and the 2020-2021 Ivy League season was canceled due to COVID-19.

Diakomihalis was back to his All-American and All-Ivy form on the way to a 28-0 mark for the 2021-2022 season. He won the 2022 and 2023 national titles at 149 pounds and finished his collegiate career with a 115-2 record. He also was a four-time EIWA and Ivy League Wrestler of the Year.

Yianni Diakomihalis Was A Winner From The Beginning

Like his Cornell teammate Vito Arujau, Diakomihalis’ name is on the short list of wrestlers from the state of New York who have won four state titles. 

He finished his high school varsity career at Hilton High School with a 210-match winning streak, a state record, and a 243-3 record overall. 

Additional Experience For Yianni Diakomihalis

Diakomihalis picked up a gold medal at the 2020 Senior Pan American Championships and won the 2019 U.S. Open. He also was the U17 World freestyle champion in 2015 and 2016.

Yianni Diakomihalis Wrestling Ranking 

In the most recent Domestic Men’s Freestyle rankings on FloWrestling, Diakomihalis ranked first in the 65kg weight class. 

Here are the top 5: 

1. Yianni Diakomihalis 
2. Nick Lee
3. Joey McKenna
4. Matthew Kolodzik
5. Beau Bartlett

Here are the complete rankings. 

How Wrestlers Qualify For Final X Wrestling 2023

A wrestler can qualify for Final X in one of three ways.

First, all 2022 senior world medalists automatically qualified for Final X. There were seven wrestlers in men’s freestyle, six in women’s freestyle and zero in Greco-Roman who met this criterion.

Next, all champions from the 2023 US Open (held April 26-30) automatically qualified for Final X.

Finally, for the weights that didn’t have a returning world medalist, the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament (May 20-21) champion will earn a spot in Final X. 

Men’s Freestyle Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

• 57 kg: *Thomas Gilman vs Zane Richards
• 61 kg: Vito Arujau vs Nahshon Garrett
• 65 kg: *Yianni Diakomihalis vs Nick Lee
• 70 kg: *Zain Retherford vs Tyler Berger
• 74 kg: *Kyle Dake vs Jason Nolf
• 79 kg: *Jordan Burroughs vs Chance Marsteller
• 86 kg: *David Taylor vs Aaron Brooks
• 92 kg: Michael Macchiavello vs Zahid Valencia
• 97kg: *Kyle Snyder vs J’den Cox
• 125 kg: Gable Steveson vs Mason Parris

*Denotes 2022 World Medalist

Women’s Freestyle Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

• 50 kg: *Sarah Hildebrandt vs Audrey Jimenez
• 53 kg: *Dominique Parrish vs Katie Gomez
• 55 kg: Alisha Howk vs Jacarra Winchester
• 57 kg: *Helen Maroulis vs Xochitl Mota-Pettis 
• 59 kg: Michaela Beck vs Jennifer Page
• 62 kg: *Kayla Miracle vs Adaugo Nwachukwu
• 65 kg: Mallory Velte vs Macey Kilty
• 68 kg: Forrest Molinari vs Emma Bruntil
• 72 kg: *Amit Elor vs Joye Levendusky
• 76 kg: Kennedy Blades vs Adeline Gray

*Denotes 2022 World Medalist

Men’s Greco-Roman Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

• 55 kg: Brady Koontz vs Dalton Duffield
• 60 kg: Dalton Roberts vs Ildar Hafizov
• 63 kg: Hayden Tuma vs Xavier Johnson
• 67 kg: Robert Perez III vs Alejandro Sancho
• 72 kg: Justus Scott vs Patrick Smith
• 77 kg: Kamal Bey vs Aliaksandr Kikiniou
• 82 kg: Spencer Woods vs Ryan Epps
• 87 kg: Alan Vera vs Zachary Braunagel
• 97 kg: Josef Rau vs Christian Dulaney
• 130 kg: Cohlton Schultz vs Adam Coon

How To Watch Final X Wrestling 2023 

Final X will stream live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app. 

FloWresting will also serve as home of match archives and provide the latest news from Final X.