Batres denied chance to compete at U23 championships due to eligibility ruling
The Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, host of the U23 world championships. (David Pastoriza photo courtesy of USA Wrestling)
Milford’s Kayla Batres didn’t compete in Wednesday’s U23 world championship meet at 50 kilograms (110 pounds) in Las Vegas due to an eligibility issue.
Batres, who is a senior at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, was set to take the mat to represent Guatemala. But she was ruled ineligible because there wasn’t another Guatemalan girl in the U23 tournament.
“I put in the work, was on weight and was at the scale this morning ready to represent Guatemala,” Batres wrote in an Instagram post. “Unfortunately, I won’t be competing at the U23 world championships due to an eligibility ruling.”
Since Batres is an American and is representing Guatemala, she is considered a transfer or naturalized wrestler by United World Wrestling (UWW), the international governing body for freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.
UWW rules state that in 2026 a naturalized wrestler can compete provided that the country enter the same number of national wrestlers per style, per age category and per event.
Another Guatemalan woman scheduled to compete but her visa to enter the United States was not approved, according to Jack Conroy, head coach at South Side Wrestling Club and Greens Farms, who accompanied Batres to Las Vegas.
In August, Batres competed for Guatemala at 50 kg at the U20 world championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, and finished tied for fifth place. She went 2-2 in the U20 event and advanced to the semifinals.
According to The Times of India, nine Indian wrestlers were denied visas earlier this month by the U.S. Embassy and could not compete in the tournament. Officials from the Wrestling Federation of India told The Times of India that the wrestlers were denied visas because U.S. officials said they were under the age of 20 and unemployed.
Three more athletes with Connecticut ties are due to compete at the U23 world championships. Danbury’s Matty Lopes, a junior at Lehigh University, will be competing for Brazil in men’s freestyle beginning on Friday at 61 kg (134.4 pounds).
Stephen Burrell, Jr., who wrestled at GFA in high school, will be competing for Jamaica at 92 kg (208.8 pounds) in men’s freestyle with Donell Young, who wrestled at Fairfield Ludlowe in high school, competing for El Salvador in men’s freestyle at 79 kg (174.1 pounds)
American Mikey Altomer, who trains at South Side Wrestling Club in Bridgeport, advanced to the quarterfinals in Greco-Roman (87 kg) on Monday before being eliminated.
This is the ninth U23 world championship tournament hosted by the UWW and the first U23 championship event to be held in the United States.