John Michael "Yianni" Diakomihalis (born April 11, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms and 149 pounds.[1] In freestyle, he is the 2022 World silver medalist, a two-time US World Team member (2021 and 2022), the 2020 Pan American champion, the 2019 US Open national champion, and a two-time age-group World champion.[2] As a collegiate wrestler, Diakomihalis was a four-time NCAA Division I champion and four-time EIWA champion out of Cornell University.[1]
 Diakomihalis at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, Norway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | April 11, 1999 Rochester, New York, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | 143 lb (65 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Cornell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Spartan Combat RTC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | USA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Rob Koll Mike Grey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Folkstyle career
editHigh school
editDiakomihalis attended Hilton High School in Hilton, New York, along with his brother Greg, who would go on to become a five-time NYSPHSAA champion.[3] He made the varsity team in the seventh grade and won the Division I state championship at 99 pounds as an eighth grader, defeating future Cornell teammate Vito Arujau in the finals. As a freshman, he also won the state title now at 113 pounds and that was repeated at 120 pounds as a sophomore.[4] As a junior, he became one of the ten four-time NYSPHSAA champions in the history of the state of New York when he walked through the competition at 138 pounds.[5][6] As a senior, he found himself unable to compete at the state championships after he suffered an injury that led him out of the tournament. He graduated in 2017 as a four-time NYSPHSAA champion with a 243–3 record on a win streak of 210 victories.[7]
College
editAs a high school sophomore (2014), Diakomihalis committed to Cornell University.[8]
2017–2018
editAs a freshman, Diakomihalis won the Bearcat Open, New York State Intercollegiate, and the Cliff Keen Invitational and compiled a record of 28-1 during the regular season.[1] Post-regular-season, he won the EIWA championships and later went on to win the NCAA championship, joining Kyle Dake as the only Big Reds to do so in their "true freshman" year of competition and earning notable victories over #1 Bryce Meredith, #2 Jaydin Eierman, and two-time NCAA champion Dean Heil.[9][10] Diakomihalis suffered a torn ACL during his quarterfinal matchup against #6 Heil.[11]
2018–2019
editAs a sophomore, Diakomihalis won the Mat Town Open I and the South Beach Individual and capped a perfect 13–0 record in dual matches, ending the regular season unbeaten.[12] He went on to win his second EIWA championship and earned the Outstanding Wrestler award in the process.[13] At the NCAA championships, he most notably defeated the #2, #3, and #5 ranked wrestlers in Jaydin Eierman, Joseph McKenna and Dominick Demas to claim the national title.[14] Diakomihalis was named EIWA Top Wrestler and was a finalist for the Dan Hodge Trophy.[15]
2019–2020
editDiakomihalis did not compete at the NCAA level in 2019–2020, as he took an Olympic redshirt year and focused on freestyle.[16]
2020–2021
editYianni planned to return to college wrestling in 2020–2021; however, the Ivy League announced the cancellation of all winter sports on November 13, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]
2021–2022
editAfter 975 days, Diakomihalis finally returned to the mat for the Big Red on November 20, 2021, defeating Stanford's Jaden Abas at 149 pounds. He finished 28-0 and won his third NCAA title (his first at 149 pounds).[18]
2022–2023
editDiakomihalis finished his college career with his fourth title at the NCAA tournament in Tulsa (his second title at 149 pounds) with a 4-2 victory over Sammy Sasso of Ohio State University. Diakomihalis became the fifth wrestler in NCAA history, and the second from Cornell University, to win four NCAA titles.
Freestyle career
editAge-group level
editDiakomihalis was an accomplished cadet freestyle wrestler, he was a two-time World champion and two-time UWW National champion.[19][20] As a junior, he placed third at the 2016 UWW Nationals.[2]
Senior level
edit2019
editAfter opting for the Olympic redshirt, Diakomihalis attended his first senior level tournament at the US Open in April. He went 6–0 (three technical falls) with notable wins over Frank Molinaro, Jordan Oliver and Zain Retherford in the finals.[21] Not long after, he competed in an exhibition match at the Beat the Streets charity event against multiple World medalist Bajrang Punia. He won the match on points (10–8).[22]
After winning the US Open championship, Diakomihalis sat out of the World Team Trials Challenge, having earned himself an automatic spot at Final X: Rutgers with the US Open victory; US Open finalist Retherford won the World Team Trials Challenge to earn the other spot at Final X in June.[23] In the first match of the best-of three series, Diakomihalis fell 10-4. The second match ended controversially. Retherford was down 4–6 late in the match when he got a takedown for two points, while Diakomihalis was awarded two points for a back exposure to apparently win the match 8-6, as time expired while the wrestlers were still grappling. Retherford's corner challenged the points awarded to Diakomihalis and won the challenge, resulting in a final score of 6–6 with criteria advantage to Retherford, giving him a 2-0 lead in the series and an apparent victory at Final X.[24] However, subsequent to the tournament, Diakomihalis initiated an arbitration challenging the scoring change. Diakomihalis ultimately prevailed in the arbitration with a finding that the scoring review was conducted improperly.[25] The arbitrator awarded Diakomihalis a rematch of the second match in the series.
In July, Diakomihalis competed at the prestigious Yasar Dogu Grand Prix in Istanbul, Turkey. He defeated four opponents such as his Final X opponent Zain Retherford, Ali Rahimzade and Ismail Musukaev to claim the championship.[26]
Two weeks later he went on to compete in the Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial at Warsaw, Poland. He defeated four opponents (two technical falls) including Ismail Musukaev (by forfeit) to claim the championship.[27]
In September, the rematch between Retherford and Diakomihalis took place in a special event called Final X: Yianni vs. Zain in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Diakomihalis lost the bout on points, 2-1, losing his chance to represent the United States at the World Championships.[28]
In December, he competed at the US Nationals. He defeated three opponents before getting upset by Joseph McKenna in the semifinals. He advanced to the finals of the consolation brackets but forfeited his final match.[29]
2020
editIn his first tournament of the year, Diakomihalis competed at the Pan American Championships. He defeated four opponents including Agustín Destribats and NCAA Division II champion Jose Rodriguez to claim the championship.[30]
Diakomihalis was scheduled to compete at the US Olympic Team Trials on April 4–5 at State College, Pennsylvania.[29] However, the event and the Olympics were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving him and all the qualifiers unable to compete.[31]
After more than half a year without stepping on the mats, Diakomihalis wrestled at the annual Beat The Streets event against the heavily accomplished Vladimer Khinchegashvili on September 17.[32] He lost the competitive and close match by criteria.[33]
Diakomihalis represented the Spartan Combat Wrestling Club at 65 kilograms in the FloWrestling: RTC Cup on December 4–5.[34] He tech'd 2020 Big Ten Championship runner-up Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) in the first round, followed up with two criteria victories over 2017 World Championship runner-up James Green (New Jersey) and got a final TF over 2018 NCAA All-American Tariq Wilson to help the team reach the third-place.[35]
2021
editTo start off the year, Diakomihalis wrestled two-time and reigning Pan American champion (70 kg) Anthony Ashnault on January 8, at the SCRTC I.[36] After scoring two two-point takedowns and a step-out, he scored a five-point slam, driving Ashnault to a technical fall.[37] Diakomihalis then competed at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France on January 16.[38] After advancing to the semifinals with two wins, Diakomihalis faced World and Olympic champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili in a rematch from their BTS match, and was able to avenge his lone 2020 loss when he dominantly tech'd the Georgian, advancing to the finals, where he flawlessly defeated James Green, in a rubber match from their series at the RTC Cup, to claim gold.[39]
Diakomihalis then competed at the America's Cup on February, defeating DI All-Americans Mitch McKee (twice) and Pat Lugo to help the Team Kenny Monday reach sixth place.[40] On March, he defeated Matt Kolodzik in a dual match against the NJRTC.[41]
In April 2–3, he competed at the rescheduled US Olympic Team Trials as the second seed, in an attempt to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[29] After defeating the defending US Olympic Team Member Frank Molinaro, he was upset by third-seeded and 2019 US National champion Jordan Oliver, ending Diakomihalis' win streak.[42] He came back to wrestle for third–place after defeating Mitch McKee, but was once again defeated, now by 2021 NCAA champion Nick Lee, placing fourth.[43]
After his loss at the Olympic Trials, Diakomihalis came back at the prestigious Poland Open, where he was the defending champion, on June 9.[44] In the second round, he was knocked off by Iszmail Muszukajev in a frenetic rematch from their also frenetic match in 2019.[45] Next, he most notably dominated recently crowned Pan American Continental champion Joseph McKenna to a technical fall and defeated the same opponent he defeated in his first match, 2018 University World Champion Eduard Grigorew, winning the championship without getting the rubber match with Musukaev as Musukaev forfeited out of the tournament after their earlier match.[46]
Diakomihalis then competed at the 2021 US World Team Trials from September 11 to 12, intending to represent the country at the World Championships.[47] After dropping All-American Luke Pletcher to make the finale, Diakomihalis faced Joseph McKenna in a best-of-three match.[48] After losing a razor-close first bout, he won the next two, including a dominant technical fall in order to become the 2021 US World Team member.[49]
Diakomihalis represented the United States at the 2021 World Championships on October 3 in Oslo, Norway.[50] After a dominant first round win over Italy, he was eliminated by 2020 Individual World Cup winner Vazgen Tevanyan on points.[51]
2022
editIn May, at the 2022 World Team Trials Challenge tournament, Diakomihalis defeated Luke Pletcher and Ian Parker, both by 10-0 technical superiority, to advance to Final X against Evan Henderson.[52]
At Final X in June at Madison Square Garden, Diakomihalis defeated Henderson 11-9 and 14-4 to win the best-of-three series and earn his second straight spot on Team USA for the World Championships.[53]
At the 2022 World Championships in Belgrade, Diakomihalis made history as the first 65 kg US wrestler to earn a medal at the World Wrestling Championships since Bill Zadick in 2006. He advanced to the finals with three straight wins. He began with a 4-0 win over Vazgen Tevanyan of Armenia, avenging his loss at the 2021 World Championships. He followed that with a 10-0 win by technical superiority over Vladimir Dubov of Bulgaria. In the semifinals, he defeated Bajrang Punia of India by technical superiority, 10-0 to advance to the finals.[54] His semifinal victory guaranteed him a silver medal and clinched the team title for the United States.[55] In the finals, Diakomihalis was defeated by Rahman Amouzad of Iran by a score of 13-8, thereby claiming the silver medal.[56]
2023
editIn May 2023, Diakomihalis represented Team USA at the Pan American Championships, going 4-0 and earning the gold medal.[57]
His silver medal at 2022 Worlds entitled Diakomihalis to skip the preliminary qualifying rounds for Team USA and advance directly to Final X.[58] At Final X, he lost consecutive matches to Nick Lee, 7-6 and 8-8 (criteria).[59]
Freestyle record
edit
NCAA record
editStats
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Yianni Diakomihalis - 2020-21 - Wrestling". Cornell University Athletics. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ a b "Biography - Yianni Diakomihalis, NY". www.usawmembership.com. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, James. "Hilton's Greg Diakomihalis sets Section V record with fifth state wrestling title". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, James. "Diakomihalis leads trio of champions". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ BV (March 3, 2016). "#4 & #1: Yianni & Greg Diakomihalis Both Win NYS Titles for State Champion Hilton". New York Wrestling News. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "NYSPHSAA Record Book". nysphsaa.org. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, James. "Yianni Diakomihalis' high school wrestling career is over". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Hilton's Yianni Diakomihalis commits to Cornell". USA TODAY High School Sports. November 11, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Three Crowned EIWA Champs, Big Red Takes Second Overall". Cornell University Athletics. March 3, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Lipari, Andy. "Hilton grad Yianni Diakomihalis wins NCAA Division I wrestling championship for Cornell". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Torn ACL? No biggie. Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis won an NCAA wrestling title with one".
- ^ LLC, ACS. "Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) Profile". www.wrestlestat.com. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Earl (March 10, 2019). "2019 EIWA Championships Final Results & Automatic Qualifiers". The Open Mat. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "NCAA wrestling championships: Penn State wins 2019 national title | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Diakomihalis Unanimously Repeats as EIWA Top Wrestler". Cornell University Athletics. April 2, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "College wrestling: The 2020 Olympic redshirt factor, broken down | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Mirna Alsharif (November 13, 2020). "Ivy League sports competitions canceled for fall and winter". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ "Diakomihalis Named EIWA Wrestler of the Year, Runner-Up for Hodge Trophy".
- ^ "UPDATE: Diakomihalis wins gold, Webster wins bronze in freestyle at UWW Cadet Worlds". Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Diakomihalis, Steveson make USA Wrestling history; Americans finish second at Cadet World Championships". Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Diakomihalis Wins US Open, Honis Earns Second". Cornell University Athletics. April 27, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "2019 Beat the Streets Grapple at the Garden Results". Retrieved May 19, 2020.[dead link]
- ^ "Final X: Rutgers men's freestyle championship series preview". Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Zain Retherford Beats Yianni Diakomihalis in Wrestleoff, Makes 2019 World Team". Roar Lions Roar. September 3, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Earl (August 15, 2019). "Arbitrator Rules in Yianni/Zain Controversy". The Open Mat. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Dieringer and Diakomihalis earn titles at Yasar Dogu, bringing total gold medal count to three". Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Diakomihalis claims gold in thrilling finals match at Ziolkowski Memorial". Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Willis, Mike (September 2, 2019). "Retherford Earns 65 KG World Team Spot Over Diakomihalis In One Match Wrestle-Off". TeamUSA.org. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Wrestling's Diakomihalis and Arujau Qualify for Olympic Team Trials". Cornell University Athletics. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Men's freestyle wins six gold medals and team title on last day of Pan Am Championships in Canada". Archived from the original on May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Scott, Roxanna. "USA Wrestling postpones Olympic trials due to coronavirus concerns". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Yianni vs Khinchegashvili is headline bout at Beat the Streets". Team USA. September 9, 2020.[dead link]
- ^ "See the results for the 2020 Beat the Streets Matches Live wrestling event on FloWrestling.org". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ "RTC Cup Lineups | Virginia Tech Wrestling Board". Virginia Tech Wrestling Board. November 18, 2020.
- ^ "See the results for the FloWrestling: 2020 RTC Cup Presented by Titan Mercury Wrestling Club wrestling event on FloWrestling.org". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "Spartan Combat RTC Throwing Down On Jan 8!". www.flowrestling.org. January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ^ "Dake, Diakomihalis, Dean, Arujau win Main Card bouts on Spartan Combat Wrestling I". Team USA. January 8, 2021. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021.
- ^ Eric. "Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France Preliminary Entries". United World Wrestling. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "Snyder, Dake, Diakomihalis and Suriano win gold, four others earn medals at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix". Team USA. January 16, 2021. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021.
- ^ "Team Simon Roberts defeats Team Lloyd Keaser to claim America's Cup title, 4–2". Team USA. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021.
- ^ "Yianni Diakomihalis dec Matt Kolodzik 9-6". twitter.com. March 5, 2021.
- ^ OlympicTalk (April 2, 2021). "Olympic wrestler Frank Molinaro retires at Trials by leaving shoes on mat". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ "Former OSU Wrestler Jordan Oliver Claims Olympic Team Trial Championship". Oklahoma State University Athletics. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ Eric. "Poland Open Entries (June 9–13)". United World Wrestling. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "Gwiazdowski and Diakomihalis advance to the Poland Open finals, while three Americans will wrestle for bronze". teamusa.org. June 9, 2021. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021.
- ^ "Diakomihalis takes gold, Gwiazdowski silver and McKenna and Jackson earn bronze as men's freestyle concludes at Poland Open". teamusa.org. June 9, 2021. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021.
- ^ "Who's Registered For World Team Trials So Far? - FloWrestling". www.flowrestling.org. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ "Men's Freestyle Finals Results In Lincoln". InterMat. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ "Diakomihalis Earns Spot On Senior National Team, Will Represent USA At World Championships". September 13, 2021.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Diakomihalis Earns Spot On Senior National Team, Will Represent USA At World Championships". Cornell University Athletics. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ "Snyder qualifies for semifinals, Green falls in quarterfinals at Senior Worlds in Norway". teamusa.org. October 4, 2021. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021.
- ^ "32 Wrestlers In 16 Weights Win World Team Trials Challenge Tournament Semifinals and Advance to Final X". TeamUSA.org. May 22, 2022. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022.
- ^ "Final X New York wrestling results: 14 athletes qualify for world team". nj.com. June 8, 2022.
- ^ "DIAKOMIHALIS, SNYDER ADVANCE TO FINALS, GROSS TO GO FOR BRONZE, U.S. GETS RECORD EIGHT FINALISTS AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS". TeamUSA.org. September 17, 2022. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022.
- ^ "Tweet from Jon Kozak". twitter.com. September 17, 2022.
- ^ "2022 World Wrestling Championships Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
- ^ Kozak, Jon (May 6, 2023). "Results For Team USA At The 2023 Pan-Am Wrestling Championships". flowrestling.org. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ "Yianni Diakomihalis Accepts Bid To Final X". flowrestling.org. April 14, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ Bray, David (June 11, 2023). "6 First-Time World Team Members For US Men's Freestyle". flowrestling.org. Retrieved December 23, 2023.