PJ Duke Senior Worlds results: Penn State freshman won't make medal stand
Penn State wrestler PJ Duke will not make the medal stand at his first Senior World Championships, which started on Saturday morning in Zagreb, Croatia. The Nittany Lion freshman is part of the 10-man Team USA contingent in the men’s freestyle division that also includes junior teammate Levi Haines and Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member Kyle Snyder.
Duke was one of the first members from it to take the mat. Wrestling in the 70-kilogram (154.3 pounds) division, his tournament started in the qualification rounds at 4:30 a.m. ET. He beat Shuang Chen of China by technical fall in the first round. However, in Round 2, a 4-0 first-period lead for the Penn State standout did not hold up. Reigning Senior Worlds 70-kilogram champ Nurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan came back to win by decision, 11-7, to advance to the quarterfinals. Kapianov went on to win his quarterfinal match. But, he lost to Tulga Tumir-Ochir of Mongolia in the semifinals. That fact eliminates Duke from the repechage tournament, which the winner of takes a bronze medal.
See a full recap of day one of Senior Worlds below. Penn State is back in action at 4:30 a.m. Sunday when senior Levi Haines competes for Team USA in the 79-kilogram bracket.
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Two final notes
09/13/2025 01:10:47 PMThe first is on Team USA: Zahid Valencia is into the finals at 86 kilograms. Those are at 1 p.m. ET tomorrow.
From a Penn State perspective, the Lions are back on the mat Sunday at 4:30 a.m. ET. Levi Haines kicks off action then in the 79-kilogram bracket opposite Khidir Kurban A Saipudinov of Bahrain.
PJ Duke will not hit the medal stand
09/13/2025 12:51:57 PMFor PJ Duke to have a chance to win bronze after losing to Nurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan in Round 2, he needed Kaipanov to make it to the finals to qualify for the repechage tournament. But, it is the defending champ who will instead go for third on Sunday. He lost to Tulga Tumir-Ochir of Mongolia in the semifinals, 5-2. That eliminates Duke from the tournament.
Duke finishes his first Senior Worlds with a 1-1 record. He beat Shuang Chen of China by technical fall in Round 1 before falling to Kaipanov.
Jax Forrest’s fantastic run ends in the semi
09/13/2025 12:15:43 PMHigh school senior and Team USA member Jax Forrest falls to Russia’s Zavur Uguev 10-3 in one 61-kilogram semi. It was 2-2 at the end of one, and then Uguez put together a scoring run that gave him an 8-3 lead. A late shot by Forrest was countered by Uguez for two to reach the margin of victory.
Forrest will wrestle for bronze tomorrow.
Senior Worlds semis start at 1 p.m. ET
09/13/2025 11:49:31 AMSemis start in 13 minutes. They are all on one mat. Jax Forrest is up first for Team USA at 61 kilograms. The 70-kilogram semi between Kaipanov and Tumur Ochir, which obviously has PJ Duke implications, is fourth. If Kaipanov wins, Duke is pulled back into repechage with a chance to win bronze Sunday. If he loses, the Penn State wrestler’s tournament is over.
Zahid Valencia’s semi then closes out the session for both Team USA and the last Saturday session. All semis are on one mat, which is Mat B, if you’re watching on FLO.
PJ Duke remains alive for repechage
09/13/2025 06:51:27 AMNurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan, who knocked out Penn State freshman PJ Duke in Round 2, beat Mexico’s Austin Gomez 10-8 in the 70-kilogram quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. If he wins that match, he will go for gold tomorrow, which would pull Duke into the repechage tournament on Sunday, where he’d have the chance to wrestle for bronze.
The semifinals start at 1 p.m. ET today. Our next update will come around that time.
Team USA results so far
09/13/2025 05:53:21 AMFour of Team USA’s 10 men’s freestyle wrestlers are in action today. Two are in the quarterfinals. Zahid Valencia won his first two matches at 86 kilograms by technical fall to advanced to the quarters. And, Jax Forrest is also 2-0 at 61 kilograms. Both will wrestle for a spot in the semifinals later this morning.
As noted below, PJ Duke awaits a chance to wrestle for a medal tomorrow via repechage based on how much further Nurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan goes today. Wyatt Hendrickson finds himself in a similar spot at 125 kilograms after losing his first round match.
PJ Duke Senior Worlds results so far
09/13/2025 05:50:03 AMPJ Duke – 70 kilograms (154.3 pounds):
R1: WIN vs. Shuang Chen of China, 11-0
R2: LOSE vs. Nurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan, 11-7
Repechage: TBD
Duke drops his second match at Senior Worlds
09/13/2025 05:37:22 AM2024 Senior Worlds champ Nurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan erased a 4-0 PJ Duke first period lead to beat the Penn State freshman 11-7. He will remain alive for repechage based on how far Kaipanov goes. If Kaipanov again makes the finals, then Duke will have a chance to compete for bronze on Sunday. Kaipanov next has a quarterfinal with Mexico’s Austin Gomez, who previously wrestled at Michigan. That match will be in an hour or so. The winner goes to the semifinals, which start at 1 p.m. ET.
Duke scored the match’s first four points to take a lead into the break. Kaipanov quickly cut the deficit to 4-2 early in the second. He then outscored the Penn State wrestler 9-3 from there to advance. Leading 7-4 with 1:32 to wrestle, Duke scored to pull within 7-6. But, he’d never get any closer than that again.
It should be noted that Duke pushed the reigning world champ, who is eight years his elder, to the limits in this match. He has nothing to be ashamed of as he waits to see how his tournament will conclude.
Duke is now on deck on Mat B
09/13/2025 05:19:09 AMWe’d be surprised if he isn’t on the mat by about 6:30 a.m. ET. And, it’ll likely be sooner than that.
How is the rest of Team USA doing?
09/13/2025 04:39:10 AMDuke isn’t the only one off to a fast start in Croatia. Jax Forrest and Zahid Valencia both won their openers by technical fall at 61 and 86 kilograms, respectively. Wyatt Hendrickson is the fourth and final Team USA member in action today. However. $3 fell by technical fall, 14-4, in Round 1.
PJ Duke’s second round match time update
09/13/2025 04:32:48 AMDuke’s bout is now six matches away on Mat B. We’re merely estimating here, but it should take place in roughly 35-40 minutes, give or take some fast or slow matches before it. If you wanted to play it safe, checking back in around 6 am ET seems reasonable.
When is Duke’s next match?
09/13/2025 04:09:30 AMAs a point of reference, Duke’s next match is bout No. 37. That should be on Mat B, which is currently on match 28 as of 5:08 am ET. So, it’ll be a bit until his next match.
Duke cruises to his first Senior Worlds win
09/13/2025 03:54:13 AMDuke was every bit of the favorite we thought he was for his opener opposite China’s Chen. Three step outs, a takedown, and an exposure point equaled an 7-0 first period lead. The Nittany Lion would not need long from there to end it. A takedown and two-point turn early in the second period equaled an 11-0 win by technical fall.
After a break, Duke will face 2024 Senior World champ Nurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan in Round 2.
Early thoughts on Duke’s draw
09/11/2025 07:42:55 PMPenn State freshman PJ Duke will start his tournament in the 70-kilogram division against Shuang Chen of China. He finished 17th in the 2nd Ranking Series event in Albania back in February. The Nittany Lion will likely be the favorite in that matchup. But, regardless of who wins, either will be a heavy underdog in a Round 2 matchup with 2024 Senior World champ Nurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan.
If there is any consolation to that fact, Kaipanov being a potential finalist will keep whoever he beats along the way alive for repechage and the chance to wrestle for third. Of course, he has to hold up his end of the deal for that to be the case, starting with a Round 2 win over either Chen or Duke.
Where to find live results beyond Penn State freshman PJ Duke
09/12/2025 09:09:36 AMUnited World Wrestling is posting live scores as matches unfold throughout the morning. You can click here to follow more than just Duke during today’s action.