Iowa State announced on Tuesday that redshirt freshmen Austin Gomez will not be able to compete at the 2018 Junior World Championships due to a knee injury sustained earlier in the summer. 

Gomez won the 61kg spot at the Junior World Team Trials by defeating Vito Arujau in two straight matches, but the nagging injury will now keep him from making the trip to the World Championships.

Watch Gomez in a crazy match with Vito Arujau in the finals of the WTT:

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Read the full press release below from ISU with comments from Coach Kevin Dresser:

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State redshirt freshman Austin Gomez will sit out of the 2018 Junior World Championships. Gomez is will look to mend a minor knee injury to prepare for the upcoming wrestling season.

“Austin, his family and our staff have decided to pull him from the upcoming Junior World Championships in Slovakia,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said. “He injured his knee earlier this summer and it continues to be a nuisance so we are going to get that cleaned up. We expect Austin back and ready to roll at the beginning of October.”

Earlier this summer, Gomez qualified for the Junior World Team at the Trials held in Rochester, Minn. There, Gomez defeated Cornell’s Vitali Arujau in a best-of-three series for the spot at 61 kg. He qualified for the JWT Trials by taking first at the US Open UWW Junior Freestyle Nationals in April.

The Carol Stream, Ill., native redshirted his initial season at Iowa State. While wrestling unattached, he compiled an 8-0 record and claimed titles at the Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open, Duhawk Open and Willie Myers Open.

Gomez and the Cyclones are set to open the season on Nov. 3 in Hilton Coliseum at the annual Harold Nichols Cyclone Open.

Note: A replacement has not yet been finalized and will be announced when available.