Greco-Roman Rankings

Greco-Roman Rankings: Fumita, Borrero, Kayaalp Secure Top Billing for Olympic Games

Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 12:15 By Eric Olanowski

Share this article

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 2) – Reigning world champions Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN), Ismael BORRERO (CUB) and Riza KAYAALP (TUR) constructed insurmountable leads (greater than 18 points) over the rest of the field in their respective weight classes and assured themselves the top seed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.

In addition to Fumita, Borrero and Kayaalp, reigning world champs Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) and Musa EVLOEV (RUS) are also ranked first in one of the six Olympic weight categories. 

Nur-Sultan silver medalist Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) is the lone non-returning world champion who is ranked first at an Olympic weight. He won his sixth Ranking Series title and a silver medal at the European Championships and earned the top billing at 87kg.

In the four non-Olympic weight classes, Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), Shinobu OTA (JPN), Abuiazid MANTSIGOV (RUS) and Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) sit in the No. 1 spot heading into the final Ranking Series event.

Fumita Locks up Top-Seed at 60kg 
Kenichiro Fumita compiled a commanding 38-point lead over Sergey EMELIN (RUS) and locked up the top seed for the Olympic Games at 60kg. 

Fumita, who is looking to become the first Japanese Greco-Roman wrestler to win Olympic gold since 1984, led Emelin by 20 points after he scored the 10-5 win over the Russian in 60kg world finals. The two-time world champion extended his lead to 38 points after he claimed the Asian title in New Delhi. He beat No.15 Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) in New Delhi and assured himself the top seed for the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.

“It’s an honor,” Fumita said of the top seed. “It’s a rare thing, as there has hardly been any Japanese No. 1 going into the Olympics. For me, with No. 1 seed comes responsibility, but I will work hard to be worthy of it.”

Emelin sat out of the European Championships in Rome, which allowed the Turkish youngster Kerem KAMAL (TUR) to move within 12 points of the second-ranking.

Kamal began the year ranked 15th after his 21st place at the World Championships. He finished in fifth at the Matteo Pellicone, then captured a silver medal at the European Championships and leaped 12 spots to No.3 in the latest rankings. He’s tied with Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) with 28 points but holds criteria over the Uzbek wrestler because Bakhramov competed up at 63kg at the World Championships.

The top-20 wrestlers at 60kg all have at least 14 Ranking Series points, which means an 18-point Ranking Series gold medal could potentially catapult them into the top-four of the rankings. 

Top-Ten at 60kg
1. Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) - 78
2. Sergey EMELIN (RUS) - 40
3. Kerem KAMAL (TUR) - 28 
4. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) - 28
5. Ali Reza Ayat Ollah NEJATI (IRI) - 25
6. Mirambek AINAGULOV (KAZ) - 25  
7. Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) - 20
8. Lenur TEMIROV (UKR) - 20
9. Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) - 20  
10. Ivo Serafimov ANGELOV (BUL) - 18 

Borrero Blows Open Top Seed Race at 67kg
Defending Olympic champion Ismael Borrero blew the top off the race to the top seed and will begin his quest to win back-to-back gold medals perched atop the 67kg bracket at the Olympic Games.

The two-time world champion came into the season with a 20-point lead over Artem SURKOV (RUS). He added 20 points to his previous total with his gold-medal performance at the Pan-American Championships. 

Borrero has 80 points and owns the staggering 40-point lead over Surkov. 

Surkov sat out of the European Championships and is in jeopardy of losing his second seed. He has a slight one and two-point advantage over Mate NEMES (SRB) and Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY), respectively.  

Nemes, a world bronze medalist, started the year ranked fourth. He rose to No.3 with a seventh-place finish at the European Championships, which was worth 14-points. Nemes is one point ahead of Egypt’s Nur-Sultan fifth-place finisher, El Sayed. 

Although it was only one spot, El Sayed made the critical leap from fifth to fourth and is in prime position to earn a seed at the Olympic Games. But he's only 16 points ahead of the tenth-ranked wrestler, which means there are still at least six guys who can catch him. 

Two of those guys who are looking to add their name to the seeding consideration are Hansu RYU (KOR) and Frank STAEBLER (GER). The pair who combine for five world titles are both coming off winning continental golds and have their sights on an Olympic seed.

Ryu, a ’17 and ’13 world champion, went 4-0 in New Delhi and captured his third Asian title. He’s ranked fifth and is only two points behind El Sayed.

Staebler, on the other hand, began the year ranked third, but has since dropped to No. 8. The three-time world champion bumped up to 72kg, where he cruised past Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) in the finals and grabbed his second European title. 

After his finals match in Rome, Staebler announced that this was his last time he'd compete at the continental championships. "This was the last European Championships of my career. I am very happy to end the European cycle with a gold medal. The next stop is the Tokyo Olympic Games for an Olympic medal." 

Top-Ten at 67kg
1. Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) - 80 
2. Artem SURKOV (RUS) - 40 
3. Mate NEMES (SRB) - 39
4. Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed Ibrahi ELSAYED (EGY) 38
5. Hansu RYU (KOR) - 36
6. Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) - 34 
7. Ashu ASHU (IND) - 26
8. Frank STAEBLER (GER) - 25 
9. Morten THORESEN (NOR) - 22 
10. Anthony Javier PALENCIA PUENTES (VEN) - 22

Pair of Hungarians Ranked Inside Top Four at 77kg
The Hungarian duo of Tamas Lorincz and Zotlan LEVAI (HUN) are both ranked inside the top four of the lastest rankings at 77kg. 

But, reigning world champion Lorincz received the nod to represent his nation at the Olympic Games – which will ultimately remove fourth-ranked Levai from top-four seeding contention.

Pavel LIAKH (BLR), who is ranked fifth right now, will receive the one spot bump once Levai departs the rankings. Without Levai, Liakh has the potential to be the fourth-seeded wrestler at 77kg when Tokyo rolls around. 

Top-ranked Lorincz commanded a 20-point lead over Sweden’s Alex KESSIDIS to start the season. But the Hungarian has been absent all season, which allowed his world finals opponent to move to within two points of stealing the No.1 ranking. 

Kessidis, who became Sweden’s first GR world finalist since 2011 (Jimmy LIDBERG), fell to Levai in the opening round of the European Championships. He clawed his way back to a bronze-medal finish, which was worth 18 points. Kessidis moved to within two points of earning the top seed at the Olympic Games. 

Third-ranked Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) scored wins over former world champion Viktor NEMES (SRB) and fifth-ranked Liakh at the European Championships. Although he fell to eventual champion Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), Chalyan still finished with a bronze medal. 

The top 11 athletes at the weight are still within striking distance of Liakh and have a shot at earning an Olympic seed with an 18-point gold-medal finish at the final Ranking Series event. 

Top-Ten at 77kg
1. Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) - 60
2. Alex Michel BJURBERG KESSIDIS (SWE) - 58
3. Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) - 38
4. Zotlan LEVAI (HUN) - 36
5. Pavel LIAKH (BLR) - 26
6. Wuileixis de Jesus RIVAS ESPINOZA (VEN) - 26
7. Mohammadali Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI) - 25
8. JALGASBAY BERDIMURATOV (UZB) - 25
9. Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) - 22
10. Askhat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) - 20

Lorincz Moves Past Beleniuk for No. 1 Spot at 87kg
Viktor Lorincz entered the European Championships four points shy of overthrowing reigning world champion Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) for the No.1 spot at 87kg. Despite losing to Ukrainian youngster Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) in the gold-medal match of the European Championships, Lorincz earned the 18-point silver medal and moved 14-points ahead of Beleniuk.  

Lorincz, who has a perfect 23-0 record in Ranking Series events, only needs to finish top-five at the final Ranking Series event to assure himself the No. 1 seed that he's so desperately chasing. "I want to win the [European Championships and Poland Open] because it will help my seed for the Olympic Games," said Lorincz, the defending world silver medalist at 87kg. “I will also be in the lead for the Ranking Series again.”

Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB), a world bronze medalist, is ranked third. He’s 23 points behind second-ranked Beleniuk after finishing in fifth place at the Asian Championships.

Kumar SUNIL (IND) rounds out the top four at 87kg. He started the year ranked 33rd in the world but leaped 29 spots after winning gold at the Asian Championships and silver at the Matteo Pellicone. He sits five points from overthrowing Assakalov for the No. 3 spot. 

Top-Ten at 87kg
1. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) - 74
2. Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) - 60
3. Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) - 37
4. Kumar SUNIL (IND) - 32
5. Daniel GREGORICH HECHAVARRIA (CUB) - 30
6. Azamat KUSTUBAYEV (KAZ) - 28
7. Josef Patrick RAU (USA) - 28
8. Denis Maksymilian KUDLA (GER) - 25
9. Luis Eduardo AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN) - 24
10. Mikalai STADUB (BLR) - 20

Evloev and Aleksanyan Tied Atop 97kg Rankings
Musa EVLOEV (RUS) and Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) are tied atop the rankings at 97kg heading into the final Ranking Series event. The two are only separated by the Russian’s criteria-breaking higher finish at the World Championships. 

Evloev secured his second consecutive 97kg world title after Aleksanyan pulled out of the gold-medal match at the World Championships due to an injury. The Russian sat out of the Matteo Pellicone and European Championships, but still owns the No. 1 spot with his 60 points.

Aleksanyan has competed twice this year and won each tournament he's entered. He returned to the mat in early January, where he won gold at the Grand Prix de France HenriDeglane. He made his second appearance of the year at the European Championships, where he earned his fifth European title. 

Aleksanyan forged a rock-solid 7-1 finals victory over tenth-ranked Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) and claimed his fifth career European championship title. 

But Aleksanyan said he isn't worried too much about his rankings. "I am not interested in what number I am in the rankings. The most important is that I got the license for the Olympics. There will be 16 athletes, and I will be one of them wrestling for the Olympic gold."

The Rio Olympic champion had two goals coming into the year, and he checked one of those off with his European championship gold-medal performance. "My first goal was to become a five-time European champion. The Olympics are ahead and I want to become a two-time Olympic champion in Tokyo." 

Turkey’s Rio Olympic bronze medalist Cenk ILDEM is ranked third at the weight. He finished in third place at the World and European Championships and 19 points behind Evloev and Aleksanyan. 

Asian champion Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) is ranked fourth at 97kg. The Iranian is five points behind Ildem but has less than an 18-point over the next nine wrestlers. 

Top-Ten at 97kg
1. Musa EVLOEV (RUS) - 60
2. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) - 60
3. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) - 41
4. Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI) - 36
5. Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) - 36
6. Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) - 32
7. Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA) -32
8. Artur OMAROV (CZE) - 30
9. Gabriel Alejandro ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUB) - 30
10. Mélonin NOUMONVI (FRA) - 26

Kayaalp Seals No. 1 Seed at 130kg
Despite failing in his quest to win a tenth European title, Turkey’s Riza Kayaalp amassed a 22-point lead over second-ranked Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) and sealed up the No. 1 seed at 130kg at the Olympic Games. 

Kayaalp downed Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) in the 130kg finals at the World Championships and won his fourth world title belt. Thanks to his winning efforts in Nur-Sultan, the Turkish big man started the year with 60 points. He tacked on 12 points after a disappointing seventh-place finish at the European Championships. But, through it all, Kayaalp somehow constructed a 22-point lead over second-ranked Mohamed and now has the luxury of sitting out of the final Ranking Series event and still keeping his top seed. 

Egypt’s Mohamed made arguably the most significant leap in the rankings since the year started. He went from unranked to No. 2 heading into the final Ranking Series event after winning the Matteo Pellicone and the African Championships. Mohamed is ten points ahead of Pino Hinds, but with the reemergence of the Cuban giant Mijian LOPEZ (CUB), Pino Hinds will be removed from the rankings as Lopez attempts to win an unprecedented fourth Greco-Roman Olympic gold medal. 

Moises Salvador PEREZ HELLBURG (VEN) and Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) will each receive bumps from Pino Hinds’ absence and will be ranked third and fourth, respectively.

Perez Hellburg jumped from 18th to fourth with top-three finishes at the Matteo Pellicone and Pan-American Championships. The Venezuelan fell to second-ranked Mohamed in the finals of the first Ranking Series event, then went 2-1 at the continental championships and finished with a bronze medal. 

Abdullaev will ultimately move into the No. 5 slot once Pino Hinds is removed from the rankings. The Uzbek wrestler started the year ranked fourth and slipped one spot after a bronze-medal finish at the Matteo Pellicone. 

Every wrestler in the top-20 is still within distance of catching Abdullaev for the No. 4 spot. 

Top-Ten at 130kg
1. Riza KAYAALP (TUR) - 72
2. Abdellatif mohamed ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) - 50
3. Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) - 40
4. Moises Salvador PEREZ HELLBURG (VEN) - 28
5. Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) - 26
6. Adam Jacob COON (USA) - 26 
7. Heiki NABI (EST) - 25
8. Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) - 25
9. Eduard POPP (GER) - 20
10. Amir Mohammadali GHASEMIMONJEZI (IRI) - 20

#WrestleZagreb

Kougioumtsidis gives Greece historic world gold as 1st male champion

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

Share this article

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