Penn State's PJ Duke to Wrestle for Gold at U20 World Championships

Penn State freshman PJ Duke will wrestle for a world title, and redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola will compete for bronze as the U20 World Wrestling Championships are underway in Bulgaria. Duke and Mirasola opened the men's freestyle competition Sunday, leading off for a group of five Nittany Lions at the world championships.

Duke, who will join the Penn State wrestling roster next season, shined in opening-round competition in the 70 kg weight class Sunday. He opened the tournament with two technical decisions and a pin before winning a tense bout over Ebrahim Elahi Chouran of Iran in the semifinals.

After giving up an inactivity point in the first period, Duke scored the only takedown of the match. Elahi also picked up a point on a stepout to tie the match at 2-2, but Duke led on criteria. According to United World Wrestling, Elahi didn't realize that Duke held the criteria advantage and didn't attack in the final minute. Duke, who won a bronze medal at U20 worlds last year, thus advanced to the 70 kg final.

Duke has been the biggest U.S. story of the freestyle season, earning spots on three world teams. Duke also will compete at Senior Worlds in October, a spot he earned with a dramatic pin at Final X. Duke will meet Moldova’s Alexandr Gaidarli in Monday's championship match. Gaidarli, who won a 7-4 decision in the semifinals, placed fifth at the 2025 U20 European Championships.