Four USA women top ranked after continental championships

Friday, May 27, 2022 - 14:48 By Vinay Siwach

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (May 26) -- In the last three months, wrestlers have been busy competing at the continental championships to attain ranking points.

With the four tournaments now over, the rankings present a clearer picture of where the wrestlers stand in terms of ranks with only three more events remaining to earn more points.

Bolat Turlykhanov Cup in Almaty, Matteo Pellicone in Rome and Zouhaier Sghaier in Tunis are the Ranking Series events that will help wrestlers earn points and get seeds for the September World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia where the top eight wrestlers will get seeded.

Women's rankings saw major changes and as the points get closer, more wrestlers are entered for the next ranking series event in Almaty.

50kg
Her Olympic bronze, World Championships silver and now the Pan-Am gold has steered Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) clear at the top spot at 50kg. The USA wrestler now has 84200 points while world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) is second with 55000 points.

Yoshimoto won the Asian title in April to move ahead of Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) who has 51000 points. The two are expected to compete against each other for a spot on Japan's World Championships team.

European silver medalist Miglena SELISHKA (BUL) takes the fourth spot with 49900 points while bronze medalist Emilia VUC (ROU) has 49100 points at the fifth position.

Yanan SUN (CHN), Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL), Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RWF) and Mariya STADNIK (AZE) occupy the sixth to ninth positions but have not competed since the Olympics or Worlds last year.

Namuuntsetseg TSOGTOCHIR won a silver medal at home at the Asian Championships to increase her points to 31000 and is 10th in the rankings followed by African champion Sarra HAMDI (TUN) [30980 points] at 11th and Pan-Am silver medalist Madison PARKS (CAN) [29200 points] at 12th.

European champion Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) broke into the top-15 with her gold and now has 21600 points.

Bolortuya BAT-OCHIR (MGL) is the top ranked wrestler at 53kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

53kg
Olympic bronze medalist Bolortuya BATOCHIR missed the Asian Championships but is still the top-ranked wrestler at 53kg with 56200 points, thanks to her gold at the Istanbul Ranking Series.

But the battle for the top five is intense as world champion Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) won her first Asian title as well and is now second with 55000 points.

European Championships bronze Iulia LEORDA (MDA) takes the third spot with 53700 points. She received 6500 points for the effort in Budapest. Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) won silver at the Pan-Am Championships and jumped to fifth spot and has 51000 points, the same as Olympic champion and fourth-placed Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN).

Qianyu PANG (CHN) has 41400 points for the sixth spot but Samantha STEWART (CAN) can overtake her soon as she has 39000 points after finishing fifth at the Pan-Ams.

World bronze medalist Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) is eighth after her bronze at the Euros with 37500 points, 2700 points more than European champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE) [34800 points]. Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BWF) rounds off the top-10 as she trails Malmgren by just 600 points at the 10th position.

From 11-16, the ranking gets even closer as Annika WENDLE (GER) has 27520 points at 11th, Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR) has 25000 points at 12th, Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) has 23200 points at 13th, Pan-Am champion Dominique PARRISH (USA) has 23200 points at 14th, while two Tokyo Olympics fifth -- Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) and Joseph ESSOMBE (CMR) -- are 15th and 16th with 23000 points each.

World champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) continues to be at the top at 55kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

55kg
World champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) continues to lead the rankings with 43000 points. However, she won her first Asian title at 57kg and is expected to stay in that weight. The next best then comes Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) with 37000 points after her silver medal at the European Championships for 8000 points.

World silver Nina HEMMER (GER) is third with 35000 points while bronze at the same tour Jenna BURKERT (USA) is fourth with 29000 points. European champion Andreea ANA (ROU) has 26200 points after her gold which helped her break into the top five.

India's PINKI (IND) is sixth with 23000 points, followed by Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RWF) [23000 points] and Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) [19000 points], Mehlika OZTURK (TUR) [18100 points] and African champion Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR) [15000 points] in the top-10.

Pan-Am champion Karla GODINEZ (CAN) debuted in the rankings with 10000 points and takes the 12th spot.

Helen MAROULIS (USA) leads the 57kg rankings with 79200 points. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

57kg
Helen MAROULIS (USA) skipped the Pan-Am Championships but her bronze at the Olympics and gold at Worlds have helped her pocket 79200 points to be number one in the rankings.

A close second is Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) with 72200 points as she won the Istanbul Ranking Series gold after her Olympic bronze and later added a European silver medal. World silver medalist Anshu MALIK (IND) won another silver at the Asian Championships to be back in the top three with 58500 points.

Iryna KURACHKINA (BWF) has 51600 points to be fourth followed by Olympic champion Risako KAWAI (JPN) [51000 points]. Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RWF) is sixth with 35200 points.

In the absence of Maroulis, Giullia DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) had a chance to win the Pan-Am gold but she ended up with a bronze which gave her only 6500 points. She now has 32180 points at the seventh spot.

Silver at Pan-Ams Alma ESCOTO (MEX) is 10th with 29300 points while Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) is 11th with 25000 points.

Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN (MGL) and Valeria KOBLOVA (ROC) were fifth at the Olympics and are 12th and 13th in the rankings with 23000 points each.

Junior world champion Nilufar RAIMOVA (KAZ) comes in at number 14 with 20500 points while Bolortuya KHURELKHUU is at 15th with 17900 points.

Second placed Sarita MOR (IND), right, has the best chance to replace world champ Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) at the top at 59kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

59kg
No one has been able to overtake world champion Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) as the top-ranked wrestler. She has 45000 points from the Worlds and still sits at the top. Silver to her at Worlds Akie HANAI (JPN) is third with 37000 points.

Separating the two is bronze medalist Sarita MOR (IND) with 38050 points. She moved past Hanai with a bronze at the Asian Championships for 3250 points. Fourth is Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) with 35000 points after her silver medal at the Asian Championships.

She was fourth at the European Championships but the 58000 points helped Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) move from ninth to fifth as she now has 28300 points, 3300 points more than sixth-placed Maya NELSON (USA). Sara LINDBORG (SWE) has 25000 points in the seventh spot while Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) has 24400 points to be eighth.

European champion Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) has 21000 points as she also won the Istanbul event. Linda MORAIS (CAN) has 18200 points to be ranked 10th.

Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (SWE) has 17000 points at 11th, Krystsina SAZYKINA (BWF) has 15500 points at 12th, Ebru DAGBASI (TUR) has 10880 points at 13th and Elif YANIK (TUR) has 10600 points at 14th.

African champion Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) debuts in the rankings at 15th with 10000 points.

Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) has 94400 points at the top at 62kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

62kg
She may not have won gold medals at Istanbul Ranking Series and Asian Championships but Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) has an enormous lead over her opponents at 62kg. She won a silver at Olympics, gold at Worlds and silver at Asians to have 94400 points at the top.

The next best wrestler is Olympic bronze and European champion Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) with 53200 points followed by World and Pan-Am silver medalist Kayla MIRACLE (USA) who has 51200 points. Yukako KAWAI (JPN) has 51000 points at fourth with Lais NUNES (BRA) at fifth with 43900 points.

Japan's new sensation at 62kg Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) is fifth with 41000 points as she won bronze at the Worlds and gold at the Asian Championships.

Two Ukraine wrestlers take the seventh and eighth spots as Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) has 34200 points while Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) has 31500 points.

World bronze medalist Gantuya ENKHBAT (MGL) has been pushed down to ninth as she has 31000 points while Pan-Am champ Ana GODINEZ (CAN) has risen to 10th with 27000 points.

African champion Marwa AMRI (TUN) added 10000 points to be 12th in the rankings as she now has 24000 points.

Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) with 21300 points is 15th in the rankings.

Pan-Am champion Forrest MOLINARI (USA) is the top ranked wrestler at 65kg. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguilar)

65kg
Forrest MOLINARI (USA) had replaced world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) at the top by winning gold in Istanbul and now she is 5000 points clear at the top with the Pan-Am title. She now has 49000 points against Ringaci's 45000 points. Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) added the Asian title to her World silver to be third with 42000 points.

The rest of the field lags behind in points as fourth-placed Malin MATTSSON (SWE) has only 31000 points followed by Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) at fifth with 25000 points. Maryia MAMASHUK (BWF) also has 25000 points but is sixth.

European silver medalist Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) has 24400 points at the seventh position while bronze medalist Kriszta INCZE (ROU) has 23220 points to be eighth. Dinara KUDAEVA (RWF) [19350 points] takes the ninth spot.

European champion Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) breaks into the top-10 at 10th with 19000 points for her title and 11th position at the World Championships.

The points she collected at the Olympics and World Championships -- 18200 -- take Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) to the 11th spot. Asli DEMIR (TUR) is 12th with 17000 points and Aina TEMIRTASSOVA (KAZ) is 13th with 15500 points.

After winning a bronze at the Istanbul Ranking event, Khadija JLASSI (TUN) won a silver medal at the African Championships to earn 14200 points and move to the 14th spot. Sofiya GEORGIEVA (BUL) rounds off the top-15 with 13280 points.

Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) has 91600 points at the top spot at 68kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

68kg
Olympic champion Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) missed the gold at World Championships and then skipped the Pan-Am Championships which allowed world champion Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) to take the top spot at 68kg with 91600 points. Mensah has 80000 points at the second position. Zhumanazarova, however, will rue the fact that she could not create a bigger cap as she missed out on gold at the Istanbul event and Asian Championships.

In Istanbul, Olympic silver medalist Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) won gold and followed that up with the African title to be ranked third with 74400 points.

Others are playing catch-up in the rankings as Khanum VELIEVA (RWF) is fourth with 49200 points followed by world silver Rin MIYAJI (JPN) with 35000 points.

Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) is sixth with 34200 points and 1000 points behind her is Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) at seventh. Tokyo Olympics fifth-placers Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD (MGL) and Sara DOSHO (JPN) take the eighth and ninth spots as both have 23000 points each. Fith at the World Championships Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) also has 23000 points and is 10th.

The top-15 places are rounded off by Feng ZHOU (CHN) [16200 points], Anastasiia LAVRENCHUK (UKR) [16200 points], Ambar FLORES (MEX) [15400 points], Anna SCHELL (GER) [13500 points] and Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU) [13500 points].

Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) remains the top ranked wrestler at 72kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

72kg
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) continues to be at the top at 72kg with 48000 points while Anna SCHELL (GER) is second with 45400 points as he moved ahead of arch-rival Buse TOSUN (TUR) 41000 points who is fourth. Separating them at third is Masako FURUICHI (JPN) who has 43000 points.

Fifth-placed Davaanasan ENKH-AMAR (MGL) is lagging behind with just 26250 points followed by Cynthia VESCAN (FRA) who has 23000 points. Divya KAKRAN (IND) takes the seventh spot with 16200 points.

Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (BWF) with 15000 points is eighth while Sofiya GEORGIEVA (BUL) is ninth with 13500 points. Junior world champion Kylie WELKER (USA) tops off the top-10 as she has 12300 points.

Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) has 10200 points at 11th, Kseniia BURAKOVA (RWF) is 12th with 9400 points, Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK) has 7000 points at 13th, Kendra DACHER (FRA) takes the 14th spot with 6500 points.

Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) has 6500 points to finish in the top-15 rankings at 72kg.

Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), blue, can overtake world champion Adeline GRAY (USA) at the top at 76kg. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

76kg
Adeline GRAY (USA) will not be at the World Championships which means Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) has the opportunity to take the top rank and seed. Gray still leads the ranking with 86400 points but Medet Kyzy has 77000 points and has three tournaments to go past Gray.

World bronze and African champion Samar HAMZA (EGY) will also fancy her chances for the top seed as she has 61100 points at third. But it will a big task for her. Moreover, European silver medalist Epp MAE (EST) has 60000 points at fourth and can go past Hamza.

Olympic champion Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) has 51000 points for her gold but is retired and cannot move up. But bronze medalist in Tokyo and European champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR) can break into the top three as she has 44200 points at the sixth spot.

Qian ZHOU (CHN) is number seven with 34200 points and is likely to get a seed at Worlds if she is registered in September.

Anastasiia SHUSTOVA (UKR) and Kiran GODARA (IND) have 25000 points each to take the eighth and ninth positions respectively while Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN) rounds off the top-10 with 23000 points.

Francy RAEDELT (GER) has 21500 points at 11th, Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) has 19700 points at 12th and Zagardulam NAIGALSUREN (MGL) has 18200 points at the 13th position.

Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN) takes the 14th spot with 17000 points while Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ) is 15th with 16700 points.

#WrestleTirana

Bondar caps off remarkable year with U23 Worlds gold

Saturday, October 26, 2024 - 11:03 By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (October 25) -- Iryna BONDAR (UKR) was at her home in Zhytomyr, watching her teammate Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) win the silver medal at the 62kg weight at the Paris Olympics. Bondar was inspired by her senior and vowed to make the Olympic team for 2028 Los Angeles Games. However, the 20-year-old will have to beat Koliadenko to make that team as both compete in the 62kg weight class.

"We train together and even matches during training," Bondar said. "She wins but with a close score. It is possible for me to win against her. She has won two medals at the Olympics, her hard work brings the results."

On her journey in the new Olympic cycle, Bondar has established herself as one of the biggest stars in 62kg with 2024 being one of the most remarkable years for her.

After finishing eighth in the Zagreb Ranking Series, Bondar has won gold medals at the U23 European Championships, Budapest Ranking Series, U20 World Championships and on Friday, she won the U23 World Championships gold medal, upgrading her silver from last year.

"It was a very intense year," she said. "The main goal for me was to complete the year with the U20 World gold, since this is my last Junior year. I did it."

With two world titles in a one-month span, Bondar is slowly coming to terms with her achievement. Despite coming to Tirana as a heavy favorite, Bondar says she was nervous and still cannot believe that she is a world champion.

"I am always a bit nervous at competitions," she said. "If there is no nervousness, then there is no competition. There is no difference what kind of competition it is. I came up with the idea that I had to win, because I already have two U23 silver medals, and I was coming here for gold only."

In the final, Bondar met two-time world medalist Macey KILTY (USA) who had dominated her competition till the final. An close final was expected by Bondar had different ideas. She used her quick offense and Kilty slumped to a 12-3 loss.

"I know that I have a very experienced opponent in the final but I prepared to wrestle her," Bondar said.

With three more years of U23 eligibility, Bondar may set a unique record of winning the most level at U23 World Championships. However, she said that she will be focused on senior level as well.

"At the end of November we will have qualifiers for the European Championships," she said. "I will be wrestling there but it's still hard to believe that I have won."

U.S. wins team title

While Kilty lost, the U.S. performance was good enough to win it their first-ever U23 team title. U.S. won five medals including three golds to outperform Japan which finished second. U.S. finished with 136 points while Japan had 129 points. Ukraine was third with 124 points.

Kylie WELKER (USA) added another age-group world title after she defeated Vianne ROULEAU (CAN) via fall in the 72kg final. She also has a U20 world title from 2021. Since then, Welker has wrestled at 76kg. For this tournament, she dropped down to 72kg and it proved dividends for her.

Ringaci defends

Paris Olympian and one of the biggest stars in Tirana, Irina RINGACI (MDA) returned to the mat after her medalless campaign at the Paris Olympics. She ended the season by defending her U23 world gold medal at 65kg, beating Alina KASABIEVA (AIN), 10-3.

At one point, Ringaci led only 4-3 and Kasabieva had locked her for a suplex. However, Ringaci used her trademark whizzer and scored a four-pointer. Kasabieva challenged for a stepout but lost, making it 9-3 for Ringaci.

"I came here to win the gold medal because this is my last year competing at the U23 age group," Ringaci said. "I really wanted to win this World Championships to recover from the missing Olympic medal."

Ringaci suffered a 10-6 opening round loss against Pak Sol Gum (PRK) in Paris and returned without a medal.

"My preparation for the Olympic Games was really good," she said. "Days before my first Olympic bout, I got seriously ill. I was taking antibiotics, that’s why I was feeling bad. I was so disappointed because all the preparation stages went perfectly, but something we couldn’t control happened."

"I was wrestling on the first day at the Games, and at first I didn’t realize the Olympics were over for me. Only after the Olympic Games were over, I realized that it had all come to an end. I was completely devastated, because I expected much more. I still can’t recover from that defeat. But this U23 medal has cheered me up a bit and given me a little power."

Aliyeva first for Azerbaijan

Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) became the first-ever U23 world champion in women's wrestling by beating Ruka NATAMI (JPN) 10-8 in the 57kg final. She had won the silver medal last year after losing the final to Sara NATAMI (JPN), Ruka's older sister.

Aliyeva was running with the final and at one point she led 10-4. However, with less than a minute to go, Natami mounted a comeback but she failed to get a final turn as time ran out.

Sakamoto's golden debut

Yu SAKAMOTO (JPN) had never competed at any World Championships and when she did, she made sure she won gold. The former U20 Asian champion made her debut in Tirana and won the 53kg gold medal with a resounding 11-0 victory over Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN).

While the final was one-sided, Sakamoto survived a scare in the semifinal against Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL), scoring a takedown in the last five seconds to win 4-4.

"I was injured this past year," Sakamoto said. "I overcame that and the semifinal was a lot harder for me. There were a few times when I couldn't get through the tackle. The Mongolian wrestler was really strong. I didn't move very well, but I was able to seize some chances and make the final tackle, so I'm glad."

Sakamoto suffered an ACL tear last year and had to operate, making her miss a few tournaments. She returned to competition during the selection trials for the World Championships. During her recovery, she realised that returning to 50kg would be a big ask so she moved up to 53kg.

"During the injury period, I thought a lot about my weight. In 50kg, I reduced weight but my strength increased," she said. "I felt like I wasn't using my strength in the competition, so I tried 53kg. I don't cut weight now."

Last month, Sakamoto followed her younger brother and moved to the U.S. While her brother is at Oklahoma State University, Sakamoto chose Northern Michigan University. But she will continue to appear for trials in Japan.

"I wish I could challenge myself through wrestling," she said. "I heard that my younger brother was going to college in the United States, so I thought I'd give it a try as well. So I decided to go to America because there were more matches there and I thought it would be a better fit for me, so I thought I could stick to my favorite style."

RESUTLS

53kg
GOLD: Yu SAKAMOTO (JPN) df. Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN), 11-0

BRONZE: Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) df. Xiaomin XIE (CHN), 10-8
BRONZE: Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL) df. Zeinep BAYANOVA (KAZ), 12-2

57kg
GOLD: Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) df. Ruka NATAMI (JPN), 10-8

BRONZE: Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) df. Sofia MACALUSO (USA), 8-4
BRONZE: Neha SHARMA (IND) df. Mingyue ZHANG (CHN), 5-2

62kg
GOLD: Iryna BONDAR (UKR) df. Macey KILTY (USA), 12-3

BRONZE: Olha PADOSHYK (POL) df. Hanying ZHANG (CHN), via fall
BRONZE: Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR) df. Viktoria VESSO (EST), 10-0

65kg
GOLD: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Alina KASABIEVA (AIN), 10-3

BRONZE: Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU) df. Karolina POK (HUN),
BRONZE: SHIKSHA (IND) df. Rin TERAMOTO (JPN), 6-3

72kg
GOLD: Kylie WELKER (USA) df. Vianne ROULEAU (CAN), via fall

BRONZE: Viktoryia RADZKOVA (AIN) df. Olesia BEZUGLOVA (AIN), via fall (4-0)
BRONZE: Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) df. Haticenur SARI (TUR), via fall (11-0)

Freestyle Semifinals

61kg
GOLD: Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN) vs. Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE)

SF 1: Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE) vs. Abhishek DHAKA (IND), 11-1
SF 2: Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN) df. Ebrahim KHARI (IRI), 10-0

74kg
GOLD: Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) vs. Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN)

SF 1: Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN), 5-1
Sf 2: Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) df. Ismail KHANIEV (AIN), 1-1

86kg
GOLD: Arslan BAGAEV (AIN) vs. Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE)

SF 1: Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) df. Yudai TAKAHASHI (JPN), 2-1
SF 2: Arslan BAGAEV (AIN) df. Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA), 8-1

92kg
GOLD: Jacob CARDENAS (USA) vs. Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI)

SF 1: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Fatih ALTUNBAS (TUR),
SF 2: Jacob CARDENAS (USA) df. Musza ARSUNKAEV (HUN),

125kg
GOLD: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) vs. Alen KHUBULOV (BUL)

SF 1: Alen KHUBULOV (BUL) df. Aydin AHMADOV (AZE), 10-0
SF 2: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) df. Lucas STODDARD (USA), 10-0

Four USA women top ranked after continental championships

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Bondar caps off remarkable year with U23 Worlds gold