Ranking Series

Five World No. 1 Seeds Up for Grabs at Yasar Dogu

Thursday, June 20, 2019 - 15:07 By Eric Olanowski

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VEVEY, Switzerland (July 16) – The fourth and final Ranking Series event, the Yasar Dogu, is set to have huge implications when it comes to seeding the top-four wrestlers at September's Nur-Sultan World Championships. Heading into Istanbul, 25 of the top-40 women’s wrestling seeds are still open for the taking. Combining that with freestyle's 23 top-four seeds that remain available, the Yasar Dogu could determine 48 of the 80 freestyle and women's wrestling top-four seeds. 

With three Ranking Series events and the Continental Championships in the rear-view mirror, half of the top seeds have been claimed, but the story reads much different for the second through fourth seeds. Come Nur-Sultan, there will be 40 seeded wrestlers, but only 15 wrestlers have cemented their seed heading into the Yasar Dogu. Of those 25 openings still up for grabs, there are 74 wrestlers who head into the Yasar Dogu with enough points to overthrow one of the current top-four ranked wrestlers. 

How Many Non-Seeded Wrestlers Can Still Earn A Seed?
50kg – 6 
53kg – 1
55kg – 18 
57kg – 2
59kg – 23
62kg – 3
65kg – 5
68kg – 7
72kg – 6
76kg – 3

Livach Likely to Takeover No. 1 Seed at 50kg
Oksana LIVACH (UKR) trails Yui SUSAKI (JPN) by 15 points heading into the Yasar Dogu, but barring a catastrophic meltdown in Istanbul, she’ll take over the top ranking at 50kg. Livach needs 16 points to gain the outright lead over Susaki for the top seed. 

Susaki, the weights two-time defending world champion, will sit out of Yasar Dogu because she's gearing up for her July 6 special wrestle-off against Yuki IRIE. The winner of the one match wrestle-off will represent Japan at 50kg in Kazahkstan. 

SUN Yanan (CHN) and Mariya STADNIK (AZE) round out the top four respectively at 50kg. 

Kseniya STANKEVICH (BLR) and Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) both sit within ten points from earning a seed and will both wrestle at the Yasar Dogu. 

Hildebrandt Headed to Nur-Sultan on Top of 53kg
Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) has cemented her No. 1 seed at 53kg at the World Championships, but the other three world championship seeds will be shuffled after the Yasar Dogu. The reason being, seven points separate second-seeded Haruna OKUNO (JPN) from fourth-seeded Diana WEICKER (CAN), who'll compete in Turkey next month. 

Just by showing up in Istanbul, Weicker, the reigning world bronze medalist, will move ahead of third-seeded PANG Qianyu (CHN), who she trails by two points. If the Canadian wrestler snags a medal, she'd push herself ahead of Okuno for the second spot. 

Also of note, No. 5 Luisa VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU) is entered into the Yasar Dogu. She’s five points behind Weicker but will earn the fourth seed if she makes it to the podium in Istanbul. 

Mukaida’s Departure Gives Sidakova Bump to No. 1 at 55kg
As wrestlers scatter to the six Olympic weight classes, some weights become depleted – especially with Tokyo only being 399 days away. That’s the case at 55kg. The weight lost top-ranked reigning world champion Mayu MUKAIDA after she dropped down to the Olympic weight of 53kg. 

With the departure of the Japanese hammer, Belarus’ Zalina SIDAKOVA will take over the top spot come the World Championships. Sidakova has a commanding 27-point lead over third-ranked Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) heading into the final Ranking Series event. 

Sofia MATTSSON is the third-ranked wrestler at this weight. For the time being, the Rio bronze medalist will stay at 55kg. She’s entered her name into the Yasar Dogu at 55kg, and with a placement in Istanbul, Mattsson will steal the second seed from Sedneva, who currently has a two-point advantage over the Swedish wrestlers. 

The fifth and sixth-ranked wrestlers respectively, Myong Suk JONG (PRK) and Lianna MONTERO HERRERA (CUB), have also moved to an Olympic weight. They’ve both moved up to 57kg, which means seventh-ranked Viktoriia VAULINA (RUS) will receive the fourth seed at the World Championships. 

Vaulina isn’t expected to compete at the Yasar Dogu which will put her potential fourth seed in jeopardy. Bediha GUN (TUR), the ninth-ranked wrestler at 55kg, will wrestle in her home country, and with two additional Ranking Series points, will pass the Russian wrestler for the fourth spot. 

Rong Remains Atop 57kg with Most Points in the World
Reigning world champion RONG Ningning (CHN) has amassed 96 points and will be the top seed at the Nur-Sultan World Championships. Rong won’t be headed to Turkey but there’s a list of heavy hitters who sit just outside the top-four that entered into the Yasar Dogu with aspirations of improving their seed. This’ll cause some fluctuation from the second through the fourth spot. 

As it sits, Grace BULLEN (NOR), Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), and Pooja DHANDA (IND) sit in the second through fourth spots respectively. 

But it’s fifth-ranked Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) and sixth-ranked Emese BARKA (HUN) who are six points behind Dhanda. Both wrestlers have an opportunity to leap into the third slot if they are able to reach the top of the podium next month. 

Kawai’s Move Down to 59kg Will Slide Yesilirmak to No. 1
Japan’s defending 59kg world champion Risako KAWAI dropped down to the Olympic weight of 57kg, which will eventually move Elif YESILIRMAK into the top spot at 59kg. Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS) is the third-ranked wrestler and can sit out of the Yasar Dogu and still keep her top-three seed. 

Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN) is the fourth-ranked wrestler, but there are 23 wrestlers who can still overthrow her for the fourth spot with a win in Turkey. Of those 23 wrestlers that can grab the fourth spot, India’s Kumari MANJU is the only wrestler that’s entered into the Yasar Dogu. Manju is ranked ninth and sits eight points behind Inagaki.

Yusein Enters World Championships as Top Seed at 62kg
The first two ranked wrestlers at 62kg haven't changed since the Budapest World Championships. Reigning world champion Taybe YUSEIN, who is tied with Rong Ningning for most the most Ranking Series points in the world (96 points), will be the top seed at 62kg come September’s World Championships. Yukako KAWAI (JPN), the Budapest silver medalist, is ranked second at 62kg. 

Though Mallory VELTE (USA) is ranked third in the latest rankings right now, she lost her starting spot last weekend and won’t compete in the World Championships. This’ll move Brazil’s Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA into the third spot and Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) into the fourth position.

Olli Locks up First Seed at 65kg
Finland’s first-ever women’s wrestling world champion Petra OLLI is going to end the year just how she started it -- in the top spot at 65kg. Olli has 88 Ranking Series points, which is 46 points from her nearest competitor, Mariia KUZNETSOVA (RUS) who has 42 points. 

Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) made the move to 68kg and will vacate her third-ranking, moving Forrest MOLINARI (USA) and Henna JOHANSSON (SWE) into the third and fourth spots respectively. 

But Molinari, who sits two points behind second-ranked Kuznetsova, can overthrow the Russian wrestler for the second spot with a placement at the Yasar Dogu. Right now, Molinari is the only wrestler that can improve her seed that’s entered into the Istanbul Ranking Series event. 

Cherkasova Starts and Ends Year as 68kg Top-Ranked Wrestler 
Ukraine’s defending world champion Alla CHERKASOVA has had a target on her back for the last twelve months, and that’ll remain there as she heads into Nur-Sultan looking to defend her title from Budapest. Cherkasova, with her 92 points, has a 19-point lead over second-ranked Tamyra MENSAH (USA) and has sealed up the 68kg top seed. 

Mensah-Stock, the three-time Ranking Series champion, has also locked up her World Championship seed. She’ll be the second seed with her 73 points. 

SORONZONBOLD Battsetseg (MGL) and ZHOU Feng (CHN) round out the top-four of the 68kg top-four respectively. 

Seven women still have their eyes on a top-four seed, but tenth-ranked Divya KAKRAN is the only one entered into the Yasar Dogu. Kakran will bring 24 points into Istanbul and trails fourth-seeded Zhou by 17 points. She’d need to reach the top of the podium for her to reach a top-four seed. 

Di Stasio Moving to 76kg, Tosun to Eventually Take Over Top Spot at 72kg 
Reigning world champion Justina DI STASIO (CAN) sits atop the 72kg rankings, but she’s moving up to the Olympic weight of 76kg. Buse TOSUN (TUR) will transition into the No. 1 spot and will likely remain there until the World Championships. The reason being, Tosun is the only wrestler in the top four who is entered into the final Ranking Series event. 

After receiving bumps from Di Stasio’s departure, Tosun, OCHIRBAT Nasanburmaa (MGL), Tatiana KOLESNIKOVA MOROZOVA (RUS), and Samar HAMZA (EGY) will round out the top four at the World Championships. 

Adar Closing in on Gray for No. 1 Seed at 76kg
Yasemin ADAR (TUR) trails four-time world champion Adeline GRAY (USA) by two points heading into the Yasar Dogu and will likely take over the top spot at 76kg after closing out the regular season in her home country of Turkey. That is if Gray doesn’t compete. 

Germany’s Aline FOCKEN will be making her fourth Ranking Series appearance of the year. In her three appearances, she finished with a bronze medal each time. If she stays the course and Gray doesn’t compete, she could end up earning the second seed in Nur-Sultan.

Japan’s Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI is ranked fourth, but Olympic champion Erica WIEBE is only two points behind the Japanese wrestler. Wiebe will compete at the Yasar Dogu, but Minagawa Suzuki won’t, leaving the Canadian with a great shot of jumping into a top-four seed of arguably the most stacked weight class in the world.

#WrestleZagreb

Kougioumtsidis gives Greece historic world gold as 1st male champion

Monday, September 15, 2025 - 20:27 By Ken Marantz

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 15) -- For all of Greece's history in the sport of wrestling-- one of the current styles even bears the country's name -- it had never produced a male world champion.

Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) rectified that situation with a determined performance, defeating Levi HAINES (USA) 3-2 in the 79kg final on Monday night, the third day of the World Championships in Zagreb when four freestyle golds were up for grabs.

"I'm very proud," Kougioumtsidis said. "I'm the first one who won a gold medal at the World Championships. It's my dream come true. I failed at the Olympics last year. I think this year is a good achievement. I achieved my goal."

In other finals, Chongsong HAN (PRK) gave his country its first world gold since 2019 with a come-from-behind victory at 57kg, while Japan and the United States each picked up their second golds of the competition, with Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) winning at 74kg under sad circumstances and Trent HIDLAY (USA) putting on a comeback for the ages to triumph at 92kg.

Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) scores a stepout against Levi HAINES (USA) in the 79kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The 23-year-old Kougioumtsidis came to Zagreb flying under the radar for title favorites. He was a two-time European U23 champion, and won the senior gold in 2022, but had lost in the first round at 74kg at the Paris Olympics and was third at this year's Budapest Ranking Series.

But he steadily battled his way through the rounds to advance to final, where he wrestled a solid and sensible match that took advantage of opportunities while keeping his American foe at bay.

After receiving an activity point, Kougioumtsidis got in on a single that led to a stepout and a 2-0 lead at the break. He repeated the move again in the second period and, although he surrendered a takedown with :02 left, it wasn't enough to deter him from his appointment with destiny.

"He's a very offensive wrestler, I know that," Kougioumtsidis said. "He has very good conditioning. My condition is also good. I was a bit tired from yesterday because of four matches. But I won, that's what matters most."

Kougioumtsidis said that after his disappointment in Paris, he took some time off, then spent time training in Georgia.

"After the Olympics I had maybe five months off because I wasn't feeling very good," he said. "I had very good training. This year, I mostly was in Georgia for camp and thanks to my sparring partners from Georgia that helped me. I achieved the biggest goal here."

Until Kougioumtsidis' victory, the lone Greek to ever step to the top of the medal podium at the World Championships was Sofia POUMPOURIDOU (GRE), who won the women's 51kg gold in 2002 on home soil in Chalkida, Greece.

Only three times has a Greek man ever even advanced to a world final (Giorgios ATHANASSIADIS (GRE) did in twice), all in freestyle, but never did they come away with a gold. The last time was in 1991.

"I'm very lucky also that I am Greek," Kougioumtsidis said. "So I feel like I made all Greeks proud. I am Greek and I love my country."

Chongsong HAN (PRK)Chongsong HAN (PRK) works on a gut-wrench against Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) during the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 57kg, things could hardly have gone worse for Han in his gold-medal match with Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ), which was a rematch of their semifinal clash at the 2023 Asian Games, which Han won 4-2.

Ahead 1-0 in the second period, Almaz Uulu stopped an arm throw attempt -- which, if challenged, could possibly have been overturned as a slip -- then added two 2-point exposures to go up 7-0.

Han determinedly fought on, and a scramble that he initiated with a front headlock roll gave him six points to cut the lead to 9-6. He then scored a takedown and added two gut wrenches to notch a 12-9 victory.

Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN)Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) and Chermen VALIEV (ALB) wrestle in the 74kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 74kg, Takahashi won by injury default after his opponent in the final, Olympic bronze medalist Chermen VALIEV (ALB), suffered a serious knee injury and, after trying to soldier on for a short time, was forced to give up the fight.

"It leaves a bit of a bad aftertaste, but I feel like I won the world title with the tackle that works best for me, so I'm happy," Takahashi said.

Takahashi, the 2024 world U23 champion, had a 3-2 lead when Valiev tried to counter a single-leg attempt 35 seconds into the second period by going over the top.

Takahashi had Valiev's left leg at an acute angle and his own action caused the knee to pop, after which he immediately sank to the mat in pain.

"When I got in on the single, I tried to get my head out and finish it off as I always do," said Takahashi, who scored off an identical move in the first period. "It was all but done, I thought. But the opponent was entangled deeper than I thought, and I heard a snap."

Valiev's leg was taped and he limped into the circle, but it was obvious it would be almost an impossible task to continue, much less win. Takahashi scored a stepout, then got a takedown that Valiev initially countered -- much to everyone's surprise -- but could not continue the move. Another takedown finally proved to Valiev that it was futile to go on and the match was ended at 4:07.

While Takahashi did not deliberately target the injured leg, nor did he let up on Valiev, which he said would have been disrespectful to such a high-level competitor. He also recalls not being given any special treatment when he suffered a similar injury himself while winning last year's U23 title.

"He's a strong competitor, and once you take the mat, you can't let your guard down," Takahashi said. "I thought to just give everything I had. When I had my injury a year ago, the opponent came right at me without thinking about it. Conversely, it would be rude to have eased up."

Takahashi's victory comes at what is increasingly looking like a golden era for Japan in freestyle. Following up on the two golds and a silver at the Paris Olympics, Japan got one of the first golds in Zagreb when Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) won the 70kg title on Sunday. And earlier Monday, Olympic champion Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) advanced to the 65kg final.

"At the Olympics, Japan really did amazingly well, so there were high expectations for this [competition]," Takahashi said. "Instead of feeling pressure or nerves, we want to show 'Japan is strong' and that actually gives us more confidence."

Looking ahead, which could include a direct clash with Paris silver medalist Daichi TAKATANI (JPN), Takahashi has his eyes firmly set on 2028.

"I'm really happy to be the world champion, but what I am aiming for is the Los Angeles Olympics," he said. "The Olympics is a stage where you can be a champion just once every four years. I will work on sharpening my tackles."

In the last bout of the evening, Hidlay was being tossed around like a rag doll by Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW), only to rally from an eight-point deficit through sheer persistence and determination. When the dust cleared, Hidlay had himself a 13-10 win and a gold medal in his senior world debut.

"It wasn't my best wrestling match as I wrestle a lot better and cleaner than that," the 26-year-old Hidlay said. "But I would say nothing probably describes my wrestling style and career better than being down by eight points and figuring out a way to win within a short time."

Gadzhimagomedov, a relative unknown on the scene, relied almost solely on a counter lift and throw that he used to great effect early on, scoring a pair of 4-pointers to take a 10-2 lead. When he tried a third one that could have ended the match, Hidlay managed to hold his position enough to get an exposure, which, with an unsuccessful challenge, cut the gap to 10-5 at the break.

In the second period, Gadzhimagomedov didn't seem to have the energy to get the necessary height to complete the move, and Hidlay finished off a pair of double-leg takedowns to pull within one with a minute to go. Then he hit the coup de grace, a 4-point takedown with :15 left to complete the miracle.

"I think the work I put in in the first period, I wasn't scoring, but it was taking it out of him a little bit," Hidlay said. "It was just a matter of time before I was able to get to my scores."

Hidlay, the 2022 world U20 silver medalist at 86kg, called being a senior world champion "surreal" and said that it hadn't fully sunken in yet.

"I just had so many emotions kind of flood over you in that moment and you kind of just go blind to the world," he said. "Just for a couple of seconds, you just feel like you're floating.

"It's just something I've worked for my entire life, my entire career. To have it all come together in that fashion is just pretty incredible."

Harutyunyan denies Mexico first-ever world medal

Earlier, Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) came an agonizing few centimeters from giving Mexico its first-ever world medalist.

That was the distance Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) kept his knee off the mat, preventing what would have been a last-second winning takedown in their 57kg bronze-medal match.

With a denied challenge giving him a final point, four-time European champion Harutyunyan secured a 7-4 win and a fourth world medal in five years.

Harutyunyan looked to be cruising to victory when he added a takedown and exposure to an activity point for a 5-0 lead going into the second period. But Bravo Young, a collegiate star in the United States, launched a comeback, sandwiching two takedowns around a Harutyunyan stepout to cut the gap to 6-4.

With the clock ticking down, Bravo Young deftly deked his way behind Harutyunyan, but the Armenian resisted as the Mexican did all he could to get his opponent's knee to hit the mat.

The other 57kg bronze went to Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), who was on the activity clock when he scored a second-period takedown to give him a 3-1 victory over Vladimir EGOROV (MKD). With the victory, Abdullaev adds the world bronze to his Olympic bronze from last year in Paris.

Former Olympic and three-time world champion Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW) assured he wouldn't leave Zagreb empty-handed, and he did it with a dramatic last-second victory over David CARR (USA) at 74kg.

Sidakov received an activity point in the first period, but he was on the clock in the second when Carr scored a stepout. Seconds later, the activity point was added to Carr's tally to put him ahead 2-1.

It looked like that was how it was going to end, but the cagey Sidakov managed to slip behind and force Carr over the edge for a stepout with :05 left to secure a 2-2 win on criteria.

Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) earned the other 74kg bronze with a 3-1 victory over Yones EMAMI (IRI), securing the decisive points with a second-period takedown for his fourth career world medal.

Iran picked up two bronze medals, with 2024 Asian champion Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) taking home one at 79kg and reigning Asian champion Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) winning the other at 92kg.

Nokhodi, the 2024 Asian champion, took home his fifth world medal -- alas, still no gold -- when he scored a takedown and stepout in the first period and held on for a 4-2 victory over Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) at 79kg.

Firouzpour quickly finished off Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ), latching onto a cradle as he defended against a takedown attempt, then rocking backward to put the Kazakh onto his back and secure a fall in 1:49 for his first senior world medal.

The other 79kg bronze was claimed by Asian silver medalist Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN), who was trailing Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) until the last minute when he went on a point-scoring spree, including a 4-point pancake, for a 9-2 victory.

European silver medalist Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) broke open a close match in the second period to beat Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) 5-1 for the other 92kg bronze, upping his tally of world medals to four.

Day 3 Results

Freestyle

57kg (31 entries)
GOLD: Chongsong HAN (PRK) df. Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ), 12-9

BRONZE: Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df. Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX), 7-4
BRONZE: Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Vladimir EGOROV (MKD), 3-1

65kg (34 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) df. Peiman BIABANI (CAN), 5-0
SEMIFINAL: Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB), 5-0

74kg (35 entries)
GOLD: Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Chermen VALIEV (ALB) by Inj. Def., 4:07 (8-2)

BRONZE: Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW) df. David CARR (USA), 2-2
BRONZE: Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Yones EMAMI (IRI), 3-1

79kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) df. Levi HAINES (USA), 3-2

BRONZE: Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) df. Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE), 4-2
BRONZE: Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN) df. Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL), 9-2

92kg (26 entries)
GOLD: Trent HIDLAY (USA) df. Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW), 13-10

BRONZE: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 5-1
BRONZE: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ) by Fall, 1:49 (4-0)

97kg (29 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) df. Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN), 5-2
SEMIFINAL: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Arash YOSHIDA (JPN), 9-1

Women's Wrestling

55kg (18 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) df. Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) by Fall, 1:06 (4-0)
SEMIFINAL: Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) df. Andreea ANA (ROU), 5-3

59kg (22 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) df. Altjin TOGTOKH (MGL), by Fall, 1:22 (6-0)
SEMIFINAL: Maria VYNNYK (URK) df. Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN), 10-5