PONTEVEDRA, Spain — Spain, a land of wonder and beauty… and most importantly: wrestling. And what happened in Pontevedra on September 3 will permanently go down in Mead Wrestling history.

Otto Black won silver in the Men’s U20 Greco-Roman World Championship.

“What an amazing accomplishment this was for him, the United States, his club, Top Team and Mead High School,” said MHS Head Wrestling Coach Ty Tatham, “I know he was disappointed, but to compete on that level and do well is a great testament to his hard work, dedication, and drive to be the best.”

“I’m proud of him, and I’m glad he got there,” said Trey Tatham (‘26), a current wrestler at Mead High School, “I think that’s something that’s frowned upon, [that] he got silver, but he’s still second in the world, you know? It’s pretty crazy.”

This accomplishment won’t stop here though, Otto Black still has his sights set on bigger aspirations: Olympic Gold.

“I’ve known him for a while now, since high school started and whatnot, and he’s always kind of had that goal of getting gold,” said Trey Tatham (‘26). Otto is a notorious winner. He won the 4A state title for his weight class last year, gold at the Pan-American Championship with his individual wrestling team, and had one of the best records at MHS last year—ending the season with a 52-0 record.

Coach Tatham stated that, “He is highly motivated to wrestle in the Olympics, and senior level world championships so this is just part of the process for him to get to the next level and win Olympic Gold.”

Don’t expect the Otto Black story to end there. He wants to be the best in the world, and he’s going to do just that.

In Coach Tatham’s words, “this accomplishment puts him on the path to future opportunities and success at the Olympic level.”