Tirana, Albania – All-American Nebraska wrestler Brock Hardy earned the freestyle bronze medal at 65 kg at the 2023 U23 World Championships after posting a 4-1 record.
Hardy dominated his first two matches, defeating Puerto Rico’s Samuel Eddie Alvarez Jr. 12-7 and Ukraine’s Artem Kryvenko 11-0. He then faced Azerbaijan’s Ziraddin Bayramov in the quarterfinals where he battled but fell 14-11. Hardy was then pulled back in and topped Moldova’s Pavel Graur 7-4 in the wrestle-backs to advance to Wednesday morning’s bronze medal match.
In the third-place match, Hardy faced Georgia’s Goga Otinashvili. After trailing 4-0, Hardy came back to win 8-5 and claim the bronze.
Hardy’s Road to the Bronze Medal at 65 kg
First Round: Hardy (USA) def. Samuel Eddie Alvarez Jr. (Puerto Rico), 12-7
Second Round: Hardy (USA) def. Artem Kryvenko (Ukraine), 11-0
Quarterfinals: Ziraddin Bayramov (Azerbaijan) def. Hardy (USA), 14-11
Repechage #2: Hardy (USA) def. Pavel Graur (Moldova), 7-4
Bronze Medal Match: Hardy (USA) def. Goga Otinashvili (Georgia), 8-5
