Nwachukwu Wins 62-Kilogram World Title in Astana
Army's Spc. Adaugo Nwachukwu took the gold medal at the United World Wrestling Senior World Championships after a 12-11 final win over Japan's Nonoka Ozaki.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Wrestling
Spc. Adaugo Nwachukwu won the 62-kilogram gold medal at the United World Wrestling Senior World Championships on October 29 in Astana, Kazakhstan, defeating Japan's Nonoka Ozaki 12-11 in the final. Sgt. Abby Nette took silver at 59 kilograms, and Team USA won its first women's freestyle senior world title since 1999.
Why it matters
The result marks the first time two women's freestyle wrestlers from Army WCAP have medaled at the same world championships. Team USA's team title ended a 27-year gap in the women's freestyle senior world championship.
Nwachukwu defeated Bulgaria's Bilyana Dudova 5-2 in the semifinal before winning the final 12-11, and Team USA's 137-135 win over Japan ended a 27-year title drought.
The players
Adaugo Nwachukwu
A U.S. Army soldier and member of the Army World-Class Athlete Program who won the 62-kilogram senior world title.
Abby Nette
A U.S. Army sergeant in the World-Class Athlete Program who took silver at 59 kilograms at the Senior World Championships.
United World Wrestling
The international governing body that organizes the Senior World Championships and other world wrestling competitions.
The details
Nwachukwu won two matches by technical superiority before her semifinal win. In the final, Ozaki rallied from a 9-4 deficit with seven straight points, but Nwachukwu scored a takedown in the closing seconds to secure the gold.
Timeline
October 28: Nwachukwu beats Bulgaria's Bilyana Dudova in the semifinals.
October 29: Nwachukwu wins the 62-kilogram senior world title over Ozaki in Astana.
October 30: Nette loses the 59-kilogram final to India's Manisha Bhanwala 8-6.
Season Trajectory
Team USA's 137-135 team title in Astana ends a 27-year drought that began with its 1999 women's freestyle senior world championship. The result also positions the Army WCAP program as a source of multiple medalists at a single world championship for the first time.
Team USA's team title makes the women's freestyle program a source of medal contention at future world championships. Nette said the team hopes to build on the result next year.
The takeaway
Team USA's 2026 women's freestyle result shows a depth of medal contenders across weight classes. Readers following the sport can track how the program builds on this title in future competitions.
Further reading
For more on the sport's top events, see Wrestling.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Army.
