Two Huskers Competing at U20 World Wrestling Championships

Nebraska wrestling fans won’t have to wait for the college season to see some of their young talent on a big stage. Two redshirt freshmen have traded Husker red for the international singlets this week.

They are competing at the U20 World Wrestling Championships in Samokov, Bulgaria. LJ Araujo is representing Brazil at 79 kg, while Omar Ayoub is competing for Puerto Rico at 61 kg. Together, they’re bringing the Huskers’ growing influence onto the global mat.

LJ Araujo and Brazil’s U20 Hopes

For LJ Araujo, this trip is familiar territory. A five-time North Dakota state champion and a returning U20 World bronze medalist from 2024, he entered the 2025 championships determined to improve on last year’s podium finish. That determination was clear from the moment he stepped onto the mat, but wrestling at this level rarely comes easy.

Araujo drew Kazakhstan’s Yerkhan Abil in his opening match. It was a tough opponent who managed to restrain his offense throughout the bout. In a grinding contest, Abil earned a 6-0 win, knocking Araujo into a wait-and-see situation. 

For Araujo to remain on the mat, Abil needed to advance to the finals and pull him back into the repechage bracket. Instead, Abil fell in his next match to William Henckel of the United States, officially ending Araujo’s 2025 World Championship run. It wasn’t the ending he hoped for, but Araujo’s international resume already speaks volumes about his talent. 

In 2024, he fought through the repechage after an opening loss and stormed back with three straight wins. They included an 11-0 technical superiority over China and a dramatic 5-4 decision against top-seeded Russian Said Saidulov to capture bronze. 

He also owns U20 Pan American hardware, with a bronze medal in 2024 and a silver in 2025. That silver came in another meeting with Henckel, proving just how small the wrestling world can be at the top.