‘Top dog’ is the first thought that comes to mind when former ASU wrestler Zahid Valencia steps on the mat. The 184-pound ASU alumnus has taken the wrestling world by storm with statistics that seem like they are out of a video game.
Before college, he was a three-time California State Wrestling Champion out of St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Calif., and was the third-ranked recruit in the nation by FloWrestling at 182 pounds. His years at ASU have elevated his already impressive resume.
As a redshirt freshman, Valencia was the Pac-12 champion for the 174-pound weight class. He also won Pac-12 Wrestler and Newcomer/Freshman of the Year awards, becoming the only athlete to win both in the conference's history.
In Finland, he represented Team USA on the Junior World Freestyle Team, winning a silver medal and helping the team win its first title since 1984.
Valencia won the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year award again as a redshirt sophomore, making him the first athlete to receive back-to-back honors since the early 2000s. In his junior season, he completed the hat trick and earned his third consecutive.
In his senior year, multiple college wrestling media outlets, including TrackWrestling and TheOpenMat, ranked him as No.1 in the preseason poll at 184 lbs. He won the 86-kg Freestyle title at the US Senior Nationals in December.
By the time Valencia graduated in 2020, he had become a model wrestler and a model athlete for the entire wrestling program. Head coach of the ASU wrestling team, Zeke Jones, said wrestlers come to ASU not just to be the best in the country, but to become the best in the world, and Valencia is a great example.
“He epitomizes what we're trying to accomplish,” Jones said. “He is the gold standard of the program, right? He's won two national titles in college; now he's off to be a top three (wrestler) in the world.”
Most recently, Valencia brought his talents to Belgrade, Serbia, to compete in the Senior World Championships for Team USA in the 92 kg men’s freestyle.
“It’s where I am supposed to be, I’ve been doing this for a long time, and going for gold at worlds and the Olympics is a goal,” Valencia said. “It is awesome to see that I am competing with the best people in the world.”
Valencia earned bronze at the Senior World Championships. Still, gold was not far off, considering that he beat the gold medalist, Rizabek Aitmukhan, at the Budapest Ranking Series Event in July. Despite not performing how he hoped to, Valencia kept his head high and supported those around him.
“I am always happy for my competitors,” Valencia said. “They want the same thing as I do. It's just about competing and competing at my best.”
Valencia is the epitome of a well-balanced athlete, recognizing that there is both a physical and mental side to his craft. Assistant coach Eric Thompson said Valencia is a "free spirit."
“He's a passionate person,” Thompson said. “He's the kindest guy, and then he can also be the toughest guy.”
Valencia's younger brother, Cael Valencia, is a redshirt sophomore wrestler at ASU. He said that it is good that his older brother also came to ASU because he already knew the team, and having his brother in his corner only helps. Cael said that while they are brothers, they are often competing against each other.
"Just having someone, especially as good as him, being in the room, helping me out," he said.
Valencia plans to take the trip to Paris this summer to win at the Olympic level and be represented alongside other ASU's alumni. Valencia said it is essential for him to stay consistent while training for the Olympics, as has been wrestling year-round every year since his youth.
Jones said Valencia's goals have always been to compete on the world stage.
“When Zahid came to ASU, his goal wasn't just to be a national champion,” Jones said. “It was to become a world and Olympic champion.”
Edited by Vincent DeAngelis, Walker Smith and Shane Brennan.
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