Ranking Series

Greco-Roman Rankings Updated Following Cerro Pelado

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (March 8) -- United World Wrestling has posted updates to the 2018 Ranking Series in Greco-Roman. The rankings come after Greco-Roman wrestlers competed at the Cerro Pelado in Havana, Cuba.

Iran and Kazakhstan both have four No.1-ranked wrestlers, while Kyrgyzstan has two. 



Four wrestlers held their No.1 rankings in Greco-Roman: K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) at 60kg, Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) at 67kg, Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) at 72kg and Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) at 77kg. 

New top-ranked wrestlers in Greco-Roman include Reza KHEDRI (IRI) at 55kg, U. AMATOV (KGZ) at 63kg, Askhat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) at 82kg, Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) at 87kg, Seyedmostafa SALEHIZADEH (IRI) at 97kg and Behnam ARPATAPEH (IRI).

Winners of the Ranking Series events each received 8 points, plus an additional point for ever entry in their bracket. Placement points (plus number entries) were also awarded to the rest of the top five finishers: runner-up (6), bronze (4) and fifth place (2).

Points will be automatically uploaded on the UWW homepage following the conclusion of all Ranking Series events, continental and world championships.

In case of a points tie between two or more athletes, the following will determine the highest ranked individual:

-              Highest number of participation in the ranking events*
-              Highest number of Gold Medals in the ranking events*
-              Highest number of Silver Medals in the ranking events*
-              Highest number of Bronze Medals in the ranking events*
-              The most classification points in the ranking events*
-              The most match won by superiority in the ranking events*
-              The most technical points scored in the ranking events*

* Continental Championship and UWW Select Ranking Events of the concerned year.

Should top seeded athletes not participate in the Senior World Championships or Olympic Games the same criteria will be applied to determine which athletes move into the seeding for the event.



55kg
1. Reza KHEDRI (IRI) // 24 Points
2. Shota TANOKURA (JPN) // 22 Points
3. Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) // 20 Points
4. Kumar RAJENDER (IND) // 18 Points
5. Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) // 18 Points

60kg
1. K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) // 36 Points
2. Shinobu OTA (JPN) // 23 Points
3. Se Ung RI (PRK) // 21 Points
4. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) // 19 Points
5. Abdennour LAOUNI (ALG) // 17 Points

63kg
1. U. AMATOV (KGZ) // 30 Points
2. Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) // 21 Points
3. Mirambek AINAGULOV (KAZ) // 17 Points
4. Dokyung JUNG (KOR) // 17 Points
5. Hassan Hassan Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) // 16 Points

67kg
1. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) // 42 Points
2. Ismael BORRERO (CUB) // 24 Points
3. Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN) // 22 Points
4. Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed Ibrahi ELSAYED (EGY) // 20 Points
5. Gaoquan ZHANG (CHN) // 20 Points

72kg
1. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) // 38 Points
2. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) // 24 Points
3. Tomohiro INOUE (JPN) // 20 Points
4. Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) // 20 Points
5. Kuldeep MALIK (IND) // 18 Points

77kg
1. Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) // 38 Points
2. Bin YANG (CHN) // 24 Points
3. Akrem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG) // 21 Points
4. Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ) // 20 Points
5. Shermet PERMANOV (TKM) // 20 Points

82kg
1. Askhat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) // 22 Points
2. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) // 20 Points
3. Ahmed Hassan Aly Mahmoud AHMED (EGY) // 19 Points
4. Singh HARPREET (IND) // 18 Points
5. Jinhyeok KIM (KOR) // 18 Points

87kg
1. Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) // 29 Points
2. Hossein Ahmad NOURI (IRI) // 22 Points
3. Masato SUMI (JPN) // 20 Points
4. Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG) // 18 Points
5. Fei PENG (CHN) // 18 Points

97kg
1. Seyedmostafa Seyedghanbar SALEHIZADEH (IRI) // 22 Points
2. Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) // 20 Points
3. Hemza HALOUI (ALG) // 19 Points
4. Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) // 18 Points
5. Yerulan ISKAKOV (KAZ) // 18 Points

130kg
1. Behnam mahdizadeh ARPATAPEH (IRI) // 34 Points
2. Anton SAVENKO (KAZ) // 21 Points
3. Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) // 20 Points
4. Radhouane CHEBBI (TUN) // 18 Points
5. Xiaoming NIE (CHN) // 18 Points
 

#WrestleBaku, #WrestleParis

With Paris 2024 quotas on offer, Women's Wrestling stalwarts head to Baku

By Vinay Siwach

BAKU, Azerbaijan (April 2) -- A four-time Olympic medalist, an Olympic history-maker for Turkiye and two Olympic medalists in the same weight class. The European OG Qualifier in Baku from April 5 is going to be a huge test for some of the wrestling stars such as Mariya STADNIK (AZE), Yasemin ADAR (TUR), Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN) and Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) who take the mat in a bid to qualify for Paris Olympics.

Kurachkina and Nikolova were 57kg medalists at the Tokyo Olympics, winning silver and bronze respectively. The two wrestlers met in the European Championships final in February with Kurachkina beating Nikolova to win the gold medal.

However, the qualifiers will not be the same. Apart from the two in-form wrestlers, former European champion and world bronze medalist Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) returns to the mat after nursing an injury that kept her away for 10 months.

Hrushyna missed the World Championships and will be unseeded for the tournament. While it is unknown if she will return to her top level in Baku, if she does, Hrushyna's opponents will find it difficult to stop her.

Kurachkina and Nikolova will not meet in Baku as they will be drawn on opposite sides of the bracket. The former will be seeded second while the latter at number four.

World fifth-place finisher Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR), who came in striking distance to win the Olympic spot at the World Championships, is seeded number one and Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE), a bronze medalist at the European Championships, takes the number three spot.

Tokyo Olympian Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (AIN), U20 world champion Aurora RUSSO (ITA), world bronze medalist at 59kg Othelie HOEIE (NOR) and Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU) are also entered in the draw.

Mariya STADNIK (AZE)Mariya STADNIK (AZE) has a perfect record over Oksana LIVACH (UKR). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

This may be a little easier for four-time Olympic medalist Stadnik who won her 10th European title in February. She will be the top seed at 50kg in Baku and has past wins over most of her opponents. Stadnik should sail if her performance in Bucharest is anything to go by.

Oksana LIVACH (UKR) will have the best chance to halt Stadnik as she will be seeded fourth and likely to meet her in the semifinals. The winner will earn a Paris 2024 spot. Their latest clash was at the European Championships semifinal which Stadnik won 6-0.

Kseniya STANKEVICH (AIN) and former European champion Miglena SELISHKA (BUL) will be on the other side of the bracket as seeded two and three respectively.

Yasemin ADAR (TUR)Yasemin ADAR (TUR) is the reigning European champion at 76kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Turkiye's first-ever Olympic medalist in Women's Wrestling Adar returned to the mat in February after a year's absence and won the European title at 76kg. That makes her the favorite to win a Paris Olympic quota in Baku.

Adar will be unseeded and drawn randomly in the bracket which has Catalina AXENTE (ROU) as the top seed, Rita TALISMANOVA (AIN) as the second seed, Anastasiia OSNIACH SHUSTOVA (UKR) as third and Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (AIN) as the fourth seed.

Others in the bracket include Martina KUENZ (AUT), former European champion Epp MAE (EST), Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA), Francy RAEDELT (GER), 2024 European bronze medalists Bernadett NAGY (HUN) and Enrica RINALDI (ITA).

Andreea ANA (ROU)Andreea ANA (ROU) will be dropping to 53kg in a bid to win an Paris 2024 quota. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

At 53kg, European champion at 55kg and Tokyo Olympian Andreea ANA (ROU), world medalist and Tokyo Olympian Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE), former Euro silver medalist Sztalvira ORSUS (HUN), 2024 Euro bronze medalist Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) are the few stars among others.

Orsus will be seeded number one for the qualifier with Prevolaraki getting the second seed. Natalia MALYSHEVA (AIN), who Prevolaraki pinned to win the 2024 Euro bronze, is at number three while Ana is fourth.

Yetgil will be without a seed and so are Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), Jowita WRZESIEN (POL), Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR) and Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE), all of whom can upset any of their opponents on the day.

Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) will be the top seed at 62kg in Baku. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Former world champion Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) perhaps has the best chance to earn a Paris spot at 62kg from Baku after missing out at the World Championships. As the top seed, Dudova will be a favorite. She was stunned by Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) at the European Championships and will have to forget that loss as Lindborg can be drawn in her bracket.

Veranika IVANOVA (AIN) is the second seed with Mariana CHERDIVARA (MDA) taking the third spot and Birgul SOLTANOVA (AZE) fourth.

But a few others can also go all the way. That line-up includes Alina KASABIEVA (AIN), Lydia PEREZ (ESP), Viktoria VESSO (EST) and Kriszta INCZE (ROU).

Khanum VELIEVA (AIN)Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), left, and Khanum VELIEVA (AIN) are two of the five past Olympians at 68kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Five past Olympians will try to be at the Paris Olympics at 68kg but only two will be able to confirm that in Baku. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE), Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL), Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), Ilana KRATYSH (ISR) and Khanum VELIEVA (AIN) have been to the Olympics either in Rio or Tokyo. But can they return?

Former European champion at 72kg Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU), age-group European and world medalist Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) and young star from Ukraine Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) are a few of the challengers. Skobelska was a late replacement for European silver medalist Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR).

Hanzlickova, winner of bronze at the 2024 Europeans, is seeded number one with other bronze medalist Hristova getting the second seed. Noemi SZABADOS (HUN) is number three and Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU) is fourth.

With Manolova and Velieva unseeded, the path to Paris may not be the easiest for others in the bracket.