Junior Team USA girls collect 2 gold medals, 2 silver on final day at 2026 IBF World Youth Championships
July 06, 2026
Junior Team USA wrapped up competition at the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships in Malaysia on Monday. (Front row from left to right) Katelyn Abigania of San Diego, Erin Klemencic of Powder Springs, Georgia; Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois; and Elizabeth Teuber of Holly, Michigan; went out in style, winning the Girls' Team gold medal. Abigania (gold) and Brandolino (silver) also medaled in Girls' Singles while Klemencic and Teuber teamed up to take home Girls' Doubles silver.
FULL RESULTS
ARLINGTON, Texas – Junior Team USA won two gold medals and two silver Monday during the final day of the 2026 International Bowling Federation World Youth Championships in Sarawak, Malaysia.
The day’s crowning achievement at Megalanes Sarwak Bowling Centre occurred when the American foursome of Katelyn Abigania of San Diego; Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois; Erin Klemencic of Powder Springs, Georgia; and Elizabeth Teuber of Holly, Michigan; swept Singapore 2-0 (201-181, 199-189) to capture the coveted Girls’ Team gold medal for the first time since 2018. Singapore was represented by Lim Shi En, Nur Irdina Binte Hazly, Hazel Tan Wei Ning and Ashley Victoria Lok.
A few hours earlier, Abigania earned individual gold after topping Brandolino by scores of 245-237 and 247-212 during the all-American Girls’ Singles final. Brandolino walked away the event’s silver medal.
Klemencic and Teuber also will be returning to the United States with silver medals in their pockets. That’s because the Junior Team USA duo was defeated 2-0 (244-181, 207-201) by Malaysia’s Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee and Adania Mohd Redzwan in the Girls’ Doubles gold-medal match.
Despite not throwing any shots in Sarawak on Monday, Junior Team USA boys Jacob Bockstie of Nottingham, Maryland; Josh Hammons of Topeka, Kansas; Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois; and Dawson Peterson of Stewartville, Minnesota; each walked away with some hardware as well.
The foursome earned a bronze medal in Boys’ Team competition by reaching the semifinals on Thursday. Australia’s squad of Blake Walsh, Jackson Buckingham, Julian Dinham and Nicholas Rajkovic won gold by topping the Czech Republic’s Jaroslav Zapletal, Adam Haxa, Vit Jiriste and David Mojka by final scores of 240-237 and 249-192 at Megalanes on Monday.
Jordan and Peterson were awarded Boys’ Doubles bronze medals courtesy of their run to the semifinals on Sunday. Finland’s Roni Leskinen and Juho Vuoppola took gold by defeating silver medalists Abdulrahman Al Doseri and Talal Al Marri of Qatar, 232-216 and 224-199, during Monday’s finals.
Junior Team USA’s Jordan also earned bronze in Boys’ Singles. The event’s gold medal was captured by Sweden’s Emil Svensson, who outlasted Dinham in a three-game thriller, 227-212, 220-231 and 264-190. Dinham settled for silver.
The top two spots on the Mixed Team podium went to Malaysia and Finland. Malaysia’s foursome of Ethan Damien Goh, Muhammad Aiman Syahin Sulaiman, Redzwan and Syazalee topped Julia Vesanen, Tiiamari Laukkanen, Vuoppola and Leskinen, 255-180 and 222-209 in Sarawak on Monday to bring home the event title.
After the final shots had been delivered and medals conferred, the Victory Banquet officially brought the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships to a close.
Individually, the American medal count was as follows:
Girls
Abigania – 2 (gold)
Brandolino – 2 (one gold, one silver)
Klemencic – 2 (one gold, one silver)
Teuber – 2 (one gold, one silver)
Boys
Jordan – 3 (bronze)
Peterson – 2 (bronze)
Bockstie – 1 (bronze)
Hammons – 1 (bronze)
Abigania enjoyed Monday’s singles final battle against Brandolino and feels that the fact that the event’s top two spots were claimed by Americans is a testament to the hard work put in by Junior Team USA’s athletes and staff.
“I think that just shows essentially how good our coaches are and how good we are,” Abigania said. “Gianna (Brandolino) and I both knew that neither one of us was going to let the other one have it, so the match just featured that camaraderie and friendly competitiveness to push one another to be the best.”
But for as special as winning her first world singles gold medal was, according to Abigania, nothing compares to the satisfaction of winning team gold alongside Brandolino, Klemencic and Teuber.
“The team gold medal means everything to me,” Abigania said. “I truly believe people and groups are stronger in numbers. Accomplishing something bigger than just you, that’s not something everyone gets the chance to do, so this feels really good.”
Brandolino wasn’t quite sure how she felt.
“I don’t know if it’s really set in yet, but it’s definitely a surreal feeling,” Brandolino said. “This is my second time at worlds; the first time did not go well. It’s nice to have gotten the opportunity to compete again and be able to go out there and show what I have and what I can really do.”
The 2026 IBF World Youth Championships marked Teuber’s first time competing internationally for Junior Team USA, and she views her two-medal performance in Malaysia as something she can build upon moving forward.
“I have a lot to learn, but this experience is going to help give me some confidence in future events with Team USA or outside of that,” Teuber said. “This week showed me that I can do it, that I can compete with the best in the world.”
What Klemencic will cherish most is having had the opportunity to call the best in the world her teammates.
“The thing that I’m going to remember most from winning team gold is just the whole experience of bowling with this group at this level,” Klemencic said. “It was a surreal feeling getting to experience this with all of them.”
Competition at the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships began on June 28 and featured world-class athletes from 34 nations who traveled to Megalanes Sarawak Bowling Centre to compete in singles, doubles, team and mixed team competitions. The tournament was contested on a 42-foot lane pattern designed specifically for the event.
CLICK HERE for more information on Junior Team USA.
FULL RESULTS
ARLINGTON, Texas – Junior Team USA won two gold medals and two silver Monday during the final day of the 2026 International Bowling Federation World Youth Championships in Sarawak, Malaysia.
The day’s crowning achievement at Megalanes Sarwak Bowling Centre occurred when the American foursome of Katelyn Abigania of San Diego; Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois; Erin Klemencic of Powder Springs, Georgia; and Elizabeth Teuber of Holly, Michigan; swept Singapore 2-0 (201-181, 199-189) to capture the coveted Girls’ Team gold medal for the first time since 2018. Singapore was represented by Lim Shi En, Nur Irdina Binte Hazly, Hazel Tan Wei Ning and Ashley Victoria Lok.
A few hours earlier, Abigania earned individual gold after topping Brandolino by scores of 245-237 and 247-212 during the all-American Girls’ Singles final. Brandolino walked away the event’s silver medal.
Klemencic and Teuber also will be returning to the United States with silver medals in their pockets. That’s because the Junior Team USA duo was defeated 2-0 (244-181, 207-201) by Malaysia’s Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee and Adania Mohd Redzwan in the Girls’ Doubles gold-medal match.
Despite not throwing any shots in Sarawak on Monday, Junior Team USA boys Jacob Bockstie of Nottingham, Maryland; Josh Hammons of Topeka, Kansas; Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois; and Dawson Peterson of Stewartville, Minnesota; each walked away with some hardware as well.
The foursome earned a bronze medal in Boys’ Team competition by reaching the semifinals on Thursday. Australia’s squad of Blake Walsh, Jackson Buckingham, Julian Dinham and Nicholas Rajkovic won gold by topping the Czech Republic’s Jaroslav Zapletal, Adam Haxa, Vit Jiriste and David Mojka by final scores of 240-237 and 249-192 at Megalanes on Monday.
Jordan and Peterson were awarded Boys’ Doubles bronze medals courtesy of their run to the semifinals on Sunday. Finland’s Roni Leskinen and Juho Vuoppola took gold by defeating silver medalists Abdulrahman Al Doseri and Talal Al Marri of Qatar, 232-216 and 224-199, during Monday’s finals.
Junior Team USA’s Jordan also earned bronze in Boys’ Singles. The event’s gold medal was captured by Sweden’s Emil Svensson, who outlasted Dinham in a three-game thriller, 227-212, 220-231 and 264-190. Dinham settled for silver.
The top two spots on the Mixed Team podium went to Malaysia and Finland. Malaysia’s foursome of Ethan Damien Goh, Muhammad Aiman Syahin Sulaiman, Redzwan and Syazalee topped Julia Vesanen, Tiiamari Laukkanen, Vuoppola and Leskinen, 255-180 and 222-209 in Sarawak on Monday to bring home the event title.
After the final shots had been delivered and medals conferred, the Victory Banquet officially brought the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships to a close.
Individually, the American medal count was as follows:
Girls
Abigania – 2 (gold)
Brandolino – 2 (one gold, one silver)
Klemencic – 2 (one gold, one silver)
Teuber – 2 (one gold, one silver)
Boys
Jordan – 3 (bronze)
Peterson – 2 (bronze)
Bockstie – 1 (bronze)
Hammons – 1 (bronze)
Abigania enjoyed Monday’s singles final battle against Brandolino and feels that the fact that the event’s top two spots were claimed by Americans is a testament to the hard work put in by Junior Team USA’s athletes and staff.
“I think that just shows essentially how good our coaches are and how good we are,” Abigania said. “Gianna (Brandolino) and I both knew that neither one of us was going to let the other one have it, so the match just featured that camaraderie and friendly competitiveness to push one another to be the best.”
But for as special as winning her first world singles gold medal was, according to Abigania, nothing compares to the satisfaction of winning team gold alongside Brandolino, Klemencic and Teuber.
“The team gold medal means everything to me,” Abigania said. “I truly believe people and groups are stronger in numbers. Accomplishing something bigger than just you, that’s not something everyone gets the chance to do, so this feels really good.”
Brandolino wasn’t quite sure how she felt.
“I don’t know if it’s really set in yet, but it’s definitely a surreal feeling,” Brandolino said. “This is my second time at worlds; the first time did not go well. It’s nice to have gotten the opportunity to compete again and be able to go out there and show what I have and what I can really do.”
The 2026 IBF World Youth Championships marked Teuber’s first time competing internationally for Junior Team USA, and she views her two-medal performance in Malaysia as something she can build upon moving forward.
“I have a lot to learn, but this experience is going to help give me some confidence in future events with Team USA or outside of that,” Teuber said. “This week showed me that I can do it, that I can compete with the best in the world.”
What Klemencic will cherish most is having had the opportunity to call the best in the world her teammates.
“The thing that I’m going to remember most from winning team gold is just the whole experience of bowling with this group at this level,” Klemencic said. “It was a surreal feeling getting to experience this with all of them.”
Competition at the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships began on June 28 and featured world-class athletes from 34 nations who traveled to Megalanes Sarawak Bowling Centre to compete in singles, doubles, team and mixed team competitions. The tournament was contested on a 42-foot lane pattern designed specifically for the event.
CLICK HERE for more information on Junior Team USA.