Injuries are every athlete’s nightmare. One major injury and you could be taking an early retirement. Now imagine nine major injuries! Surely, the concerned athlete must have been retired by now? Well, not really! At just 25 years old, this American wrestler has shown unbelievable resilience to return to the mainstream wrestling competition. And not only that, the 2022 world silver medalist is also threatening his competition as he eyes a berth in the US National Team! So who are we talking about?

Well, it is none other than Yianni Diakomihalis. Better known as Yianni D, got his last and ninth surgery back in 2024. Competing against Nick Lee at the 2024 Pan Am qualifier, Diakomihalis had to forfeit match 2 for medical reasons. Consequently, Nick Lee of PSU emerged victorious. Announcing repair work on his labrum, very few fans had high hopes for the 25-year-old. But as the 2025 US Open came near, Diakomihalis was back with a thundering announcement. The wrestler confirmed his participation in the US Open- his first appearance on the mat since the Olympic trials last year- surprising the fans to the core. And now, while Diakomihalis has completed his match without any more injuries, the fans are once again surprised. But this time, it was due to the sheer dominance on the mat. 

Competing in the 70 kg category, very few people gave Yianni D a chance. Moreover, he was up against the menacing James Green in the finals. But once the match began, it was Diakomihalis all over Green. In what was one of the highlights of the match, Diakomihalis managed to carry Green and thwart him out of the mat in a sheer display of raw power! 

Winning the game 8-2, the 25-year-old stormed into the Final X. And such a performance will surely keep his opponents on red alert. Looking at Yianni D’s performance, it never appeared as if he had left. and underwent 9 surgeries on top of that. To further drive the point of his resilience home,  Diakomihalis once powered through an entire tournament with a torn ACL!

Nine Surgeries, one torn ACL, and zero quit: the story of Yianni Diakomihalis’ relentless journey

Imagine staring down surgery after surgery, knowing that each one chips away at your dream. For Yianni Diakomihalis, nine surgeries in just under eight years weren’t enough to break him. If anything, they sharpened him. The Rochester, NY native, long hailed for his unshakable resolve, turned every medical setback into a fresh reason to fight harder. And when others might have folded, Yianni found his defining moment in the pain.

The year was 2018. Yianni tore his ACL mid-season—a devastating injury that normally sidelines wrestlers for months. But instead of sitting out, he powered forward, competing with a knee that should have given him every excuse to quit. Battling through every match, he didn’t just survive—he thrived. His mantra? “It doesn’t matter. Just grit it out, do whatever you’ve got to do.”He captured an NCAA title, stunning the wrestling world and etching his name deeper into the lore of grit and heart. “Pretty soon, I’m going to run out of body parts to hurt, then you’re all in big trouble,” Yianni joked years later, a glimpse into the humor that masks his brutal resilience.

Now, after a September labrum repair—his ninth surgery—Yianni is gearing up for Final X of the US Open. Win or lose, the story remains the same. You can’t keep a fighter like Yianni Diakomihalis down for long.