TUCSON, Ariz. — Between 2015 and 2018, there was no high school wrestler in Arizona better than Sunnyside's Roman Bravo-Young.
Now, Bravo-Young will get a chance to show he is one of the world's best wrestlers at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Bravo-Young, who will be representing Mexico at the Olympics, qualified by winning the freestyle 57 kg class at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament on Friday, which was held in Acapulco, Mexico. He defeated wrestlers from Peru, Colombia and Venezuela to earn a spot in Paris.
"I'm an Olympian," Bravo-Young posted on X, along with an emoji of the Mexican flag.
Despite being born in Tucson, the 25-year-old can represent Mexico as his grandparents are from Mexico. Bravo-Young represented the United States internationally starting in 2016 but switched to Mexico last year.
He has won two international tournaments (the 2023 Mexico Grand Prix and the 2024 Grand Prix of France) while representing Mexico.
High School Career
Bravo-Young went 182-0 in his four years (2015-18) at Sunnyside High School in Tucson. He is one of just 41 wrestlers in Arizona history to win four straight state championships and one of just two to do so while never losing a match along with Apache Junction's Wayne McMinn, who did so from 1985-88.
He still holds the record for most consecutive wins in state history.
Bravo-Young won four Division I individual state championships (106 lbs. in 2015, 120 lbs. in 2016 and 132 lbs. in 2017 and 2018). He also led Sunnyside to three Division I runner-up finishes (2015-17) and a state championship in 2018.
The Blue Devils have won every Division I team state championship since 2018 and now have 37 team state championships, which is the most in Arizona history.
College Career
After graduating from Sunnyside, Bravo-Young went to Penn State, where he competed at 133 lbs. and won three Big Ten Championships (2021, 2022 and 2023) and two national championships (2021 and 2022).
Bravo-Young is a four-time All-American and was a finalist for the Hodge Award in 2021, which is presented to the nation's top college wrestler.
The Paris Olympics will open on Friday, July 26. Wrestling will be held from Aug. 5-11.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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