Yianni Diakomihalis is the #3-ranked wrestler in the US at 65kg and one of the nation's top young prospects. He'll have his work cut out for him on September 17 when he takes on Olympic gold medalist Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia.

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Thursday, September 17, 2020

Yianni is no stranger to the Beat the Streets stage as he wrestled in last year's event in New York City. He beat India's Bajrang Punia who has earned both silver and bronze medals at the World Championships. Yianni, who earlier this summer expressed interest in wrestling more top international opponents, will get to take a shot at Vladimer Khinchegashvili, the 2016 Olympic Champion at 57kg.

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These two have yet to meet in their international careers, and both are capable of scoring from positions that few others in the world can. Yianni is young in his senior-level career and was the #2 man on the US ladder last year behind Zain Retherford. Khinchegashvili, while highly accomplished, has been looking to have the same success at 65kg that he has found at his previous weight of 57kg.

Since 2016, Khinchegashvili has outgrown 57kg, but he's proven he can have success as he moves up in weight. In 2017, he earned a World bronze medal at 61kg, and last year he earned a silver at the European Games. All of these accomplishments came on the heels of Khinche's Olympic silver in 2012 and his gold in 2016. Now, a year before another Olympic Games, he'll try to prove that he's still the best in the world, but this time at 65kg. So while this Yianni vs Khinchegasvili match may technically be an exhibition, it will teach us a lot about where each man stands in this Olympic year.

Earlier this month, Beat the Streets announced that it would conduct its annual fundraising event as a Virtual Telethon. The live matches will be held outdoors with no fans in an undisclosed location somewhere in the Tri-State area. The matches will be held with the safety of the participants as the first priority, following state and local health and government restrictions as well as the USA Wrestling Return to Events Guidelines.

As part of its partnership with Beat the Streets this year, FloWrestling will produce both portions of the Beat the Streets fundraiser. The Virtual Telethon will be free to view, and include live and recorded content as part of the fundraising celebration. The Virtual Telethon will have a variety of different features including prominent athletes, coaches, and celebrities. Fans will need a FloPro subscription to view the live matches.

To learn more about Beat the Streets New York, visit:
https://www.btsny.org/