BYDGOSZCZ, Poland – Richie Lewis captured the 70kg freestyle gold medal at the U23 World Championships Sunday afternoon in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The Rutgers wrestler defeated Kumar Vinod (India) by decision, 3-1, in the title bout to secure his first international championship.
Down 1-0 to Vinod after the first period, Lewis added a takedown in the final period to go up, 2-1, with two minutes remaining. Lewis added a point on a step out at the 45 second mark, and held off Vinod to earn the title.
"It's a great feeling," said Lewis after his championship match. "I'm just grateful more than anything. All glory to God. It was a tight [match]. He engaged me with the under hook, but I wasn't doing anything with it. So, I knew if he pushed me out twice, I would still win with the takedown."
The 70kg gold medal capped an impressive championships run for Lewis, who was competing in his first international tournament of his career and finished U23's a perfect 5-0. The redshirt senior advanced to the championship bout after he defeated Zulfikar Makhamatov (Kazakhstan) by decision, 7-2. Trailing 2-1 to Makhamatov midway through the second and final period of the semifinal match, Lewis registered a takedown and added four additional points for the final 7-2 advantage.
The Toms River, New Jersey, native advanced to the semifinals after his 14-7 quarterfinal victory over Muhammet Akdeniz (Turkey), who was a 2016 U23 European bronze medalist. Lewis opened the championships with a quick 10-0 tech fall over Caleb Rutner (Canada) in the first round, followed by an 11-1 tech fall against Surkho Rashytkhanau (Belarus) in the Round of 16.
In his five matches Sunday afternoon, Lewis outscored his opponents, 45-11, with three decisions and two tech falls.
Lewis qualified for the championships after he claimed the 70kg title at the U23 World Team Trials on Oct. 8 in Rochester, Minnesota. The Toms River, New Jersey, native defeated 2017 All-American Tyler Berger (Nebraska), 2-0, in the best-of-three series to claim the championship and roster spot on the U23 Team USA roster. During his title run, Lewis defeated three 2017 NCAA qualifiers, two 2017 All-Americans and last year's NCAA runner-up at 149 pounds in Lavion Mayes.
In his final season at Rutgers, Lewis is currently ranked No. 8 at 157 pounds by
Intermat. A NCAA qualifier in 2016, Lewis is 1-0 this season after he defeated Kyle Cochran of Maryland by major decision, 13-4, on Nov. 4 outside at High Point Solutions Stadium.
The Scarlet Knights return to action on Friday, Dec. 1, when they compete at Lock Haven at 7 p.m.
