Yianni Diakomihalis

Yianni Diakomihalis (born John Michael Diakomihalis; April 11, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms and 141 pounds. In freestyle, he is the reigning Pan American champion, the '19 US Open National Champion and a two-time age-group World Champion.[1] As a folkstyle wrestler, Diakomihalis is a two-time NCAA Division I champion out of Cornell University and was a four-time New York state champion as a high schooler.[2]

Yianni Diakomihalis

Personal information
Full name	John Michael Diakomihalis
Nationality	American
Born	April 1, 1999 Rochester, New York, United States
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	141 lb (64 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Wrestling
Event(s)	Freestyle and folkstyle
College team	Cornell Big Red
Club	Finger Lakes Wrestling Club
Coached by	Rob Koll Mike Grey
Medal record Men's freestyle wrestling Representing  United States Pan American Championships 2020 Ottawa 65 kg US Open National Championships 2019 Las Vegas 65 kg Cadet World Championships 2015 Sarajevo 65 kg 2016 Tbilisi 65 kg Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Cornell Big Red NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships 2018 Cleveland 141 lb 2019 Pittsburgh 141 lb EIWA Championships 2018 Hempstead 141 lb 2019 Vestal 141 lb

Folkstyle career

High school

Diakomihalis attended Hilton High School in Hilton, New York along with his brother Greg, who's a five-time NYSPHSAA champion.[3] He made the varsity team in eighth grade (2013) and won the Division I state championship that same year at 99 pounds, 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 eight four-time NYSPHSAA champions in the history of the New York when he walked through the competition at 138 pounds.[5] 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.[6]

College

As a high school sophomore (2014), Diakomihalis committed to Cornell University.[7] He has been the starter at 141 pounds for both of the seasons he has competed in.

2017-18

As 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.[2] 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 top-ranked Bryce Meredith, #2 Jaydin Eierman, and #6 Dean Heil.[8][9] Diakomihalis suffered a torn ACL during his quarterfinal matchup against Heil, who won the tournament the previous two years.[10]

2018-19

As 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.[11] He went on to win his second EIWA championship and earned the Outstanding Wrestler award in the process.[12] 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.[13] Post-season, Diakomihalis was named EIWA Top Wrestler and was a finalist for the Dan Hodge Trophy.[14]

Diakomihalis did not compete at the NCAA level in 2019-20, as he took an Olympic redshirt year and focused on freestyle.[15]

2020-21

After taking an Olympic redshirt year, Diakomihalis was expected to compete in this season and was added to the rankings, in where he was ranked #2 pound for pound and #1 at 141-pounds.[16][17][18] However, it was announced on November 13, 2020, that the Ivy League had cancelled all winter sports.[19]

Freestyle career

Age-group level

Diakomihalis was an accomplished cadet freestyle wrestler, he was a two-time World champion and two-time UWW National champion.[20][21] As a junior, he placed third at the 2016 UWW Nationals.[1]

2019

After opting for the Olympic redshirt, Diakomihalis attended his first senior level tournament in the US Open. He went 6-0 (three technical falls) with notable wins over Frank Molinaro, Jordan Oliver and Zain Retherford at the finals.[22]

Not long after, he competed in an exhibition match against three-time World medalist Bajrang Punia. He won the match on points (10-8).[23]

After he won the US Open championship, Diakomihalis sat out of the World Team Trials Challenge and earned himself a spot on Final X: Rutgers to face Zain Retherford.[24] In the first match, he was beaten 4-10 and the second match ended with a lot on controversy; Retherford was down 4-6 when he got a takedown for two points, Diakomihalis ended up earning two more to apparently win the match 8-6, however, there were problems with the scoring and that led to the match being scored 6-6 with an advantage to Retherford, winning the match and the Final X series.[25][26]

A month later, Diakomihalis competed at the prestigious Yasar Dogu Grand Prix. He defeated four opponents such as his Final X opponent Zain Retherford, Ali Rahimzade and Ismail Musukaev to claim the championship.[27]

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.[28]

Due to Final X' controversy, a rematch between Zain Retherford and Diakomihalis took place in a special event called Final X: Yianni vs. Zain. He lost the bout on points, losing his chance to represent the United States at the World Championships.[25]

On December, he competed at the US Nationals. He defeated three opponents before getting heavily upset by Joseph McKenna in the semifinals. He advanced to the finals of the consolation brackets but forfeited his final match.[29]

2020

In 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 '20 Big Ten Championship runner-up Sammy Sasso (Ohio) in the first round, followed up with two criteria victories over '17 World Championship runner-up James Green (New Jersey) and got a final TF over '18 NCAA All-American Tariq Wilson to help the team reach the third-place.[35]

2021

To start off the year, Diakomihalis wrestled two-time and reigning Pan American champion (70kg) 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 Geogian, 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]

Freestyle record

Age-group freestyle record

Junior level

Cadet level

NCAA record

Stats

Awards and honors

2020

• Pan American Championships (65 kg)

2019

• Final X: Rutgers & wrestle-off (65 kg)
• U.S Open Championship (65 kg)
• BTS: Grapple at the Garden Dual (65 kg)
• NCAA Division I (141 lbs)
• Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (141 lbs)

2018

• NCAA Division I (141 lbs)
• Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (141 lbs)

References

1. "Biography - Yianni Diakomihalis, NY". www.usawmembership.com. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
2. "Yianni Diakomihalis - 2020-21 - Wrestling". Cornell University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
3. Johnson, James. "Hilton's Greg Diakomihalis sets Section V record with fifth state wrestling title". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
4. Johnson, James. "Diakomihalis leads trio of champions". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
5. BV (2016-03-03). "#4 & #1: Yianni & Greg Diakomihalis Both Win NYS Titles for State Champion Hilton". New York Wrestling News. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
6. Johnson, James. "Yianni Diakomihalis' high school wrestling career is over". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
7. "Hilton's Yianni Diakomihalis commits to Cornell". USA TODAY High School Sports. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
8. "Three Crowned EIWA Champs, Big Red Takes Second Overall". Cornell University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
9. Lipari, Andy. "Hilton grad Yianni Diakomihalis wins NCAA Division I wrestling championship for Cornell". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
10. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/college/2018/03/25/yianni-diakomihalis-torn-acl-injury-cornell-knee-wrestling-hilton/456932002/
11. LLC, ACS. "Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) Profile". www.wrestlestat.com. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
12. Smith, Earl (2019-03-10). "2019 EIWA Championships Final Results & Automatic Qualifiers". The Open Mat. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
13. "NCAA wrestling championships: Penn State wins 2019 national title | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
14. "Diakomihalis Unanimously Repeats as EIWA Top Wrestler". Cornell University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
15. "College wrestling: The 2020 Olympic redshirt factor, broken down | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
16. "Yianni Diakomihalis Will Wrestle For Cornell Next Season". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
17. "P4P". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
18. "141". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
19. Mirna Alsharif. "Ivy League sports competitions canceled for fall and winter". CNN. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
20. "UPDATE: Diakomihalis wins gold, Webster wins bronze in freestyle at UWW Cadet Worlds". Retrieved May 19, 2020.
21. "Diakomihalis, Steveson make USA Wrestling history; Americans finish second at Cadet World Championships". Retrieved May 19, 2020.
22. "Diakomihalis Wins US Open, Honis Earns Second". Cornell University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
23. "2019 Beat the Streets Grapple at the Garden Results". Retrieved May 19, 2020.
24. "Final X: Rutgers men's freestyle championship series preview". Retrieved May 19, 2020.
25. "Zain Retherford Beats Yianni Diakomihalis in Wrestleoff, Makes 2019 World Team". Roar Lions Roar. 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
26. Smith, Earl (2019-08-15). "Arbitrator Rules in Yianni/Zain Controversy". The Open Mat. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
27. "Dieringer and Diakomihalis earn titles at Yasar Dogu, bringing total gold medal count to three". Retrieved May 19, 2020.
28. "Diakomihalis claims gold in thrilling finals match at Ziolkowski Memorial". Retrieved May 19, 2020.
29. "Wrestling's Diakomihalis and Arujau Qualify for Olympic Team Trials". Cornell University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
30. "Men's freestyle wins six gold medals and team title on last day of Pan Am Championships in Canada". Retrieved May 19, 2020.
31. Scott, Roxanna. "USA Wrestling postpones Olympic trials due to coronavirus concerns". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
32. "Yianni vs Khinchegashvili is headline bout at Beat the Streets". Team USA. September 9, 2020.
33. "See the results for the 2020 Beat the Streets Matches Live wrestling event on FloWrestling.org". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
34. "RTC Cup Lineups | Virginia Tech Wrestling Board". Virginia Tech Wrestling Board. November 18, 2020.
35. "See the results for the FloWrestling: 2020 RTC Cup Presented by Titan Mercury Wrestling Club wrestling event on FloWrestling.org". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
36. "Spartan Combat RTC Throwing Down On Jan 8!". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
37. "Dake, Diakomihalis, Dean, Arujau win Main Card bouts on Spartan Combat Wrestling I". Team USA. January 8, 2021.
38. Eric. "Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France Preliminary Entries". United World Wrestling. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
39. "Snyder, Dake, Diakomihalis and Suriano win gold, four others earn medals at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix". Team USA. January 16, 2021.