2023 UWW World’s Preview: 79k MFS, 77k GR, 62k WFS

Photos: Chance Marsteller will compete in his first World Championships after beating Jordan Burroughs at Final X in men’s freestyle, while Kayla Miracle looks to improve on her 2022 silver medal in women’s freestyle and Kamal Bey, a former Junior World champ, who is among the Americans who could medal in Greco-Roman. (Photos by Tony Rotundo/WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

The 2023 World Championships, held Sept. 16-24 in Belgrade, Serbia, are now less than two weeks away and WIN Magazine is continuing its previews of all 30 weight classes, examining one weight class per style through Sept. 11.

Today’s preview focuses on Chance Marsteller, who upset seven-time World/Olympic champ Jordan Burroughs in men’s freestyle at Final X, as well as past World Team members Kamal Bey in Greco-Roman and Kayla Miracle in women’s freestyle.

WIN Magazine will also provide comprehensive coverage of this year’s World Championships in our next issue, printed Sept. 28. Click here or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe.

Men’s Freestyle: 79k/174 lbs — Chance Marsteller (NYCRTC / NJRTC / TMWC)

Competes Sept. 17-18

Age: 28 (born July 9, 1995); Hometown: York, Pa.

Beat Jordan Burroughs at Final X (after losing to the seven-time World/Olympic champ in the 2022 Final X).

International Experience: This is his first Senior-level World/Olympic experience, but he was seeded No. 4 in UWW’s preliminary seedings. He finished fifth in the 2012 Cadet World Championships.

Other: The four-time Pennsylvania state champ first wrestled at Oklahoma State before transferring to Lock Haven where he was a two-time NCAA All-American (fourth in 2018 and third in 2019). Marsteller also is the brother of John Stefanowicz, who made the 2020 Olympic Team in Greco-Roman.

Top International Competition: Iran’s Mohammad Nokhodilarimi, who finished second to USA’s Jordan Burroughs a year ago and is the only returning medalist at this year’s non-Olympic weight, could be considered a favorite at this year’s Worlds. Georgia’s Vladimeri Gamkrelidze, who won a gold medal in last year’s U23 World Championships, is also expected to place in this year’s Senior Worlds.

Greco-Roman: 77k/169.5 lbs — Kamal Bey (U.S. Army WCAP)

Competes Sept. 21-22

Age: 25 (born Jan. 3, 1998); Hometown: Bellwood, Ill.

Beat Aliaksandr Kikiniou at Final X

International Experience: This marks Bey’s third Senior-level World tournament after he won two of three matches and finished seventh in the 2018 Senior Worlds before he went 0-1 in the 2022 Worlds. Before this, he won a Junior World championship in 2017 and competed in both the 2016 and 2018 Junior Worlds.

Other: After wrestling for Oak Park River Forest High School, he left his senior year to train full-time at the Olympic Training Center. He spent the 2020-21 season serving a one-year suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Top International Competition: Kyrgyzstan’s Akzhol Makhmudov and Hungary’s Zoltan Levai, who were the top two finishers in 2022 are back in 2023; as are last year’s bronze medal winners Yunus Basar of Turkey and Malkhas Amoyan of Armenia. Serbia’s Viktor Nemes, who defeated Bey in last year’s Worlds, has won a World championship in 2017 after earning an Olympic bronze medal in 2016.

Women’s Freestyle: 62k/136.5 lbs — Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids WC)

Competes Sept. 20-21

Age: 27 (born April 26, 1996); Hometown: Bloomington, Ind.

Beat Adaugo Nwachukwu at Final X

International Experience: Miracle, who has now qualified for her fourth World Team, is coming off consecutive silver-medal performances in 2021 and 2022 after also representing Team USA at the 2019 Worlds. She was the only American in this year’s Worlds to earn a No. 1 seeding. Miracle also wrestled in the 2020 Olympics (held in Tokyo in 2021). Overall, her record is 7-4 (7-3 in the Worlds and 0-1 in the Olympics). She competed in three U23 Worlds: fifth in both 2017 and 2018 and won a silver medal in 2019.

Other: While wrestling for her father, Lee, she won four WCWA championships for Campbellsville.

Top International Competition: With last year’s World champ Nonaka Ozaki expected to move up to 65 kilos, Miracle was the favorite, but also look out for the likes of Kyrgyzstan’s Aisuluu Tynybekova, a 2019 and 2021 World champ, China’s Xiaojuan Luo, who defeated Miracle 6-4 in last year’s World Cup in Coralville, Iowa.