Syosset’s Vito Arujau led by one over Russia’s Abasgadzhi Magomedov with 17 seconds left within the closing spherical.
Arujau knew all he needed to do in the course of the closing seconds was stand in the course of the mat and hand struggle with Magomedov to safe the 10-9 win on the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, final Sunday.
Time expired. The room opened up past the mat for Arujau as he pointed to the roaring U.S. fan part and took a bow. Arujau, 24, was the 61 kg freestyle world champion.
“I’m unsure it’s fairly totally set in but, the implications of what it actually means now that I’m [a] world champ,” Arujau stated. “… I feel I simply made myself [the] primary goal on the earth.”
Arujau has had fairly the 2023.
He gained the folkstyle 133-pound NCAA nationwide title for Cornell in March. The following month, he gained the 61kg freestyle gold medal on the U.S. Open in Las Vegas, placing him in each Remaining X and the Pan American Video games. He gained gold on the Pan American Video games, his second on the occasion, in Argentina in Could and beat Nahshon Garrett at Remaining X in Newark in June to earn a spot on Group USA for the world championships.
At worlds, Arujau gained 5 matches in two days to win the gold – three within the morning session on the primary day, the semifinal that night time and the ultimate the night time later.
“I used to be able to go on the market and win it, and on the similar time, I used to be able to tackle the title and all of the issues that include it,” Arujau stated. “So simply because it is new and I’ve by no means performed this earlier than, [it] does not imply I am not prepared for no matter’s to return.”
Arujau is a second-generation world champion. His father, Vougar Oroudjov, gained two 48 kg freestyle gold medals – one in 1991 representing the Soviet Union in Varna, Bulgaria, and one in 1995 representing Russia in Atlanta. Oroudjov additionally gained a bronze medal for the Unified Group on the 1992 Summer time Olympics in Barcelona.
“It’s a legacy. We each work arduous for this,” Oroudjov stated. “As a dad, each wrestler desires his child to wrestle. He’s simply so glad he wrestled. However in a while, you see he needed extra. But it surely’s [a] good connection. I’m very glad for him.”
Arujau referred to as his father a task mannequin and one of the best wrestler he had ever met as he was rising up. Oroudjov’s accomplishments have molded Arujau’s final objective of successful two world championships and an Olympic medal, maybe one-upping his father with a gold or silver.
“As a toddler you are at all times advised to set unobtainable targets, in order that was my objective after I was wrestling after I was little,” Arujau stated. “So it is positively very cool to see that I am getting nearer, and it’s lifelike and it’s obtainable. And throughout the subsequent couple of years, I’ll have it.”
Arujau, who graduated from Syosset Excessive Faculty in 2017, began on the varsity degree as an eighth grader. He went 216-1 in 5 seasons, together with a 173-match win streak to finish his highschool profession, and gained 4 state titles. He’ll end his collegiate profession at Cornell this upcoming season.
The win at worlds routinely certified Arujau for the semifinals of April’s U.S. Olympic Group Trials. He’ll transfer right down to 57 kg and swap completely from the folkstyle of school wrestling to freestyle, bringing him one step nearer to equaling his dad.
“Each father or mother needed his child to be higher than him,” Oroudjov stated. “I’m wishing he’ll do it, and I imagine he’s gonna do it.”