Summer slam: Poway wrestler crisscrossed globe during successful offseason

The summer of 2025 has provided a lifetime of memories and highlights for Poway High School wrestler Arseni Kikiniou and his family.

The Titans junior won two national championships and a Pan-American championship and became a two-time world medalist. He even got to share the winner’s platform at the National Championships with his brother and father, both named Aliaksandr Kikiniou.

Of all the frequent-flier miles Kikiniou logged in an amazing offseason, the highlight came when he won two medals at the U17 World Championships held from July 28 to Aug. 3 in Athens, Greece.

First, he competed in a Greco-Roman competition. The style is the specialty of his father, who made his Olympic debut wrestling for Bulgaria in the 2004 Athens Games. Arseni Kikiniou, already a two-time California State High School place winner, lost his opening match to Janes Nazaryan of Armenia. He then rallied to win three straight matches, including the bronze medal match over Yehor Tarasenko of Ukraine.

“My dad only did Greco, so I thought it would make him proud of me to earn a medal in that,” he said.

With one medal in the bag, it was on to the freestyle competition. It turned out to be as disappointing as it was historic. Two shutouts and a pair of one-point decisions put Kikiniou in the finals against defending world silver medalist Huseyn Ismayilov of Azerbaijan.

It was a defensive struggle, ending 1-1 with both wrestlers earning a point for passivity. Ismayilov was given the victory by criteria — the last points scored.

“That was his style, not to do anything, and I knew it,” Kikiniou said. “He’s so good at defense, though. … I was so close to getting a takedown. I can learn and come back from that.”

Despite the heartbreaking loss, Kikiniou became the first American to win medals at the World Championship in both disciplines, and Kikiniou’s Team USA won the title.

“That definitely pumped me up, being the first ever to do that,” he said.

The Worlds came after Kikiniou won the national title at April’s U.S. Open Championships, held in Las Vegas.

The finals of that event turned out to be a Kikiniou family affair. While Arseni was winning his title, his 19-year-old brother and father both made the finals in the senior division. His brother took second at 72 kg, while his dad took second at 77 kg.

Then came the U17 Pan-American Championships held in Rio de Janeiro in June. Kikiniou scored a 9-1 tech fall over Raul Castillo Molina of Mexico for the 65 kg freestyle gold medal.

Kikiniou’s Poway teammates were scattered all over the country in freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions. Usually the highlight each summer is the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals, held in North Dakota in July.

“We took 27 kids back to Fargo and stayed for 10 days,” said Titans coach John Meyers.

A trio of Titans came home as All-Americans after finishing in the top eight.

California state 175-pound champion Mario Carini took third at Fargo at 175 in Greco-Roman. Earlier in the summer, he took seventh in Las Vegas. Diego Valdiviezo added a fourth place in the 16U Greco-Roman and Mick Moylan, a third-place winner at the state meet this year, finished eighth at 215 in Greco-Roman in Fargo.

Valdiviezo, Matthew Oberta — who finished fifth at US Open in Greco-Roman — and Bailey Holman all participated for California at the National Duals in Virginia Beach.

Poway wasn’t the only San Diego Section team with a highlight this summer.

Imperial High School junior heavyweight Noah Larios captured the 16U heavyweight title in Fargo.

Larios, who took seventh at the state meet, was unbeaten in six matches in Fargo, including a 7-2 decision over Joe Constable of Iowa in the final.