Vito Arujau receives delay for Final X men's freestyle 61 kg series against Jax Forrest to later date

The 2023 World champion and 2024 World bronze medalist will not compete because of medical reasons.

Vitali Arujau (United States), right, defeats Zavur Uguev (AIN) in the 2024 Senior World Championship bronze-medal match. Photo by Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling

2024 World bronze medalist Vito Arujau (Ithaca, N.Y./Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC) has requested and received a delay for his 2025 Final X best-of-three championship series against Jax Forrest (Johnstown, Pa./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) at 61 kg in men’s freestyle.

Arujau was scheduled to face Forrest at Final X on Saturday, June 14, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The date and location for their delayed Final X championship series is not yet determined.

The winner of the delayed Final X series between Arujau and Forrest will represent the United States at 61 kg at the 2025 Senior World Championships in September in Zagreb, Croatia.

According to the approved 2025 World Team Trials Qualification & Procedures - Men’s Freestyle, “only a 2024 Senior World Medalist or 2024 Olympic Medalist, who earned an automatic berth into the Final X, may request a medical delay for competing in the Final X Wrestle-Off.”

Arujau has complied with the timing requirement for the delay, in which “the request for delay must occur at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled weigh-in time.” As is also required, Arujau’s delay request was “submitted in writing to the respective Sport Committee Chair for review, to include a written certification of the injury or illness from a USA Wrestling-approved medical doctor.”

At this time, the date, time and place for their Final X series has not been set. According to the procedures, “the National Coach and athletes involved shall determine the date, time, and place for the Final Wrestle-Off. If consensus cannot be reached, the Men’s Freestyle Sport Committee shall make this determination.”

Arujau qualified for Final X by earning a bronze medal at the 2024 Senior World Championships. He accepted his berth in Final X on April 14. Arujau also won a 2023 Senior World gold medal at 61 kg. He is a two-time age-group World silver medalist and two-time Senior Pan American champion.

Forrest qualified for Final X winning the 61 kg senior men’s freestyle title at the U.S. Open in April in Las Vegas, Nev. Forrest, who is still in high school, won a silver medal at the 2022 U17 World Championships.

With the delay at 61 kg, there will be nine men’s freestyle weight classes and 10 women’s freestyle weight classes contested at Final X in Newark.

Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit

Final X will serve as the Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit, the 15th BTSNY Annual Benefit to date. These unique electrifying events help BTSNY raise more than $1 million each year to support local youth wrestling programs which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after-party will follow the conclusion of Final X.

Get Tickets

Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages (Final X plus exclusive after party celebration access), that also provide the best wrestling-event seats, are available at give.btsny.org/2025FinalX. Proceeds from Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages will directly help BTSNY serve NYC youth. For more information on ticket packages, email BTSNY Executive Director Brendan Buckley at bbuckley@btsny.org.

Event-only tickets for Final X without access to the BTSNY after-party celebration are available on Ticketmaster.

Follow Final X

FloWrestling will serve as the host broadcast partner for Final X. Fans can watch the event live or on-demand at FloWrestling.com.

Online results for Final X will be available on USA Bracketing, USA Wrestling's new best-in-class event management software.

Final X will be held in two sessions Saturday, June 14. Session I, which starts at 2 p.m., will feature round one in each best-of-three series. Session II, which starts at 5 p.m., will continue with round two and if-necessary round three matches. Match order for each session will be provided at a later date.

For more information about Final X, visit themat.com.

2025 Final X

June 14, Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.

Event Schedule

12 p.m. (ET) - Doors open

12:30 p.m. (ET) - U.S. National Team true-third matches

2 p.m. (ET) - Best-of-3 series round 1

5 p.m. (ET) - Best-of-3 series round 2, round 3 (if necessary)

Men’s Freestyle True-Third Matches

57 kg – Liam Cronin (Lincoln, Neb./Nebraska WTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Nico Provo (Stratford, Conn./California RTC)

65 kg – Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Brock Hardy (Brigham City, Utah/Nebraska WTC/Titan Mercury WC)

70 kg – Ian Parker (Charlottesville, Va./Cavalier WC) vs. Bryce Andonian (Kirtland, Ohio/Southeast RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

74 kg – Jarrett Jacques (Columbia, Mo./Tiger Style WC) vs. Joseph Blaze (Perrysburg, Ohio/Boilermaker RTC)

86 kg – Parker Keckeisen (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Panther WC-RTC) vs. Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

Women’s Freestyle True-Third Matches

53 kg – Sage Mortimer (Allendale, Mich./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Sydney Petzinger (Parsippany, N.J./Cardinal WC)

59 kg – Alexis Janiak (Plainfield, Ill./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Humble, Texas/Rise RTC)

62 kg – Alara Boyd (Muncie, Ind./Cardinal WC) vs. SaVannah Cosme (Denver, Colo./Atreus WC)

65 kg – Jennifer Page (Bellefonte, Pa./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Bella Mir (Las Vegas, Nev./Cardinal WC)

68 kg – Latifah McBryde (Buffalo, N.Y./Life) vs. Solin Piearcy (San Jose, Calif./Titan Mercury WC)

72 kg – Kaylynn Albrecht (Fort Worth, Texas/USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Skylar Grote (Newton, N.J./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)

Men’s Freestyle Matchups

57 kg – Spencer Lee (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Luke Lilledahl (Saint Charles, Mo./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Joseph McKenna (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Real Woods (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC)

70 kg – Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester, N.Y./Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. PJ Duke (Slate Hill, N.Y./KD Training Center/Titan Mercury WC)

74 kg – Mitchell Mesenbrink (Bellefonte, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. David Carr (Ames, Iowa/Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

79 kg – Evan Wick (San Gabriel, Calif./SoCal RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Levi Haines (Arendtsville, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

86 kg – Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Kyle Dake (Port Matilda, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

92 kg – Trent Hidlay (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Joshua Barr (Davison, Mich./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

97 kg – Kyle Snyder (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Hayden Zillmer (Deerwood, Minn./Gopher WC)

125 kg – Wyatt Hendrickson (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/U.S. Air Force WCAP) vs. Trent Hillger (Minneapolis, Minn./Gopher WC)

Women’s Freestyle Matchups

50 kg – Audrey Jimenez (Bethlehem, Pa./Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Erin Golston (Denton, Texas/New York AC)

53 kg – Brianna Gonzalez (Baldwin, Calif./Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Felicity Taylor (Coralville, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC)

55 kg – Cristelle Rodriguez (Fresno, Calif./Tiger WC) vs. Everest Leydecker (Phoenix, Ariz./Thorobred WC)

57 kg – Helen Maroulis (Rockville, Md./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Amanda Martinez (Riverside, Ill./Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC)

59 kg – Abigail Nette (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) vs. Jacarra Winchester (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)

62 kg – Kayla Miracle (Phoenix, Ariz./Valiant WC) vs. Adaugo Nwachukwu (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP)

65 kg – Macey Kilty (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Women's WC/Sunkist Kids WC) vs. Aine Drury (Westminster, Calif./New York AC)

68 kg – Kennedy Blades (Tiffin, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Brooklyn Hays (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)

72 kg – Alexandria Glaude (Atherton, Calif./Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Amit Elor (Walnut Creek, Calif./Titan Mercury WC)

76 kg – Kylie Welker (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Dymond Guilford (Lancaster, Calif./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)