Sparring on the mat, junior Arseni Kikiniou knows he is ready to push the wrestling team into success after his experiences in Brazil this summer.“At the beginning of summer, I won the Pan Am championship in Brazil,” Kikiniou said.
where he was a USA wrestling 16U nationals champion this year in Greco-Roman wrestling. Kikiniou was the first American to win a medal in both Greco-Roman and freestyle in the same year. His team made a monumental comeback run on the final day of the tournament with seven medalists and four champions to overtake Iran for the team title.
He plans on attending Cornell to continue his passion for wrestling. Head wrestling coach John Meyers speaks highly of Kikiniou. “He brings his own motivation to practice and is always training hard,” Meyers said.
Kikiniou wants to continue traveling after his incredible experience in Greece. Kikiniou’s desire for wrestling comes from his dad, because he admires him and thinks he’s a strong worker, and he strives to make him proud. At the 2025 U17 World Championships in Brazil at the end of July, Kikiniou advanced to the semifinals with a strong opening performance. He played in a strenuous match against the 17-year-old Indian competitor Gourav Punia and won 5-4.
Kikiniou said he has had multiple matches where he has won by a long shot and a couple of close calls. Kikiniou has achieved multiple titles and was named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare. He plans on continuing to wrestle in the future for Team USA in the Olympics and has high hopes for his upcoming wrestling season at PHS.
