World Rankings

Kayaalp Moves to No.1 in World Greco-Roman Rankings, 3 New No. 1s

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (Aug. 2) -- Three-time world champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR) moved to No.1 at 130kg after claiming a gold medal in the final Ranking Series event for Greco-Roman wrestling. 

Kayaalp, who climbed from No.5 in the rankings last month, won a gold medal at the Vehbi Emre with a 2-1 victory over Kiryl HRYSHCHANKA (BLR). It was Kayaalp's sixth Vehbi Emre title. Earlier this year he won his eighth European title.

Kayaalp was one of three new No. 1-ranked wrestlers in Greco-Roman. The other two wrestlers to move up to No. 1 in Greco-Roman were Kazbek KILOV (BLR) at 77kg and Islam ABBASOV (AZE) at 87kg.

Kilov is coming off a silver-medal performance at the Vehbi Emre. He was a gold medalist at the Grand Prix of Zagreb earlier this year. Abbasov, like Kilov, won a silver medal at the Vehbi Emre. He has had strong results this year, winning a bronze at the World Military Championships and a gold at the U23 European Championships. 

Hungary, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey have multiple top-ranked wrestlers.

Balint KORPASI (Photo/Richard: Immel)

Hungary's No. 1-ranked wrestlers are Balint KORPASI (72kg) and Balazs KISS (97kg).

Korpasi, a 2016 world champion, won gold medals at the Grand Prix of Hungary and Cerro Pelado International, and a bronze medal at the European Championships. 

Kiss, a returning world bronze medalist, won a gold medal at the Grand Prix of Hungary after picking up a bronze at the European Championships in late April. 

Kyrgyzstan wrestlers K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (60kg) and U. AMATOV (63kg) held their top ranking.  

Kanybek ZHOLCHUBEKOV (Photo: Martin Gabor)

Zholchubekov won gold medals at the Grand Prix of Hungary and Takhti Cup, and finished as a bronze medalist at the Asian Championships. Amatov has earned medals at the Takhti Cup (bronze), Asian Championships (silver) and Grand Prix of Hungary (bronze).

Other wrestlers to hold their top ranking in Greco-Roman include Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) at 55kg, Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) at 67kg and Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) at 82kg.

For more on the Ranking Series format, be sure to check out this article

View all the rankings on United World Wrestling's homepage.

55kg
1. Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) // 43 Points
2. Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) // 39 Points
3. Shota TANOKURA (JPN) // 33 Points
4. Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG) // 27 Points
5. Reza Kheirollah KHEDRI (IRI) // 24 Points

60kg
1. Kanybek ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) // 50 Points
2. Luis Alberto ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) // 35 Points
3. Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) // 29 Points
4. Sergey EMELIN (RUS) // 27 Points
5. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) // 25 Points

63kg
1. Urmatbek AMATOV (KGZ) // 41 Points
2. Hassan Hassan Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) // 29 Points
3. Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ) // 28 Points
4. Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) // 28 Points
5. Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) // 26 Points

67kg
1. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) // 52 Points
2. Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) // 47 Points
3. Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN) // 36 Points
4. Murat FIRAT (TUR) // 32 Points
5. Artem SURKOV (RUS) // 32 Points

72kg
1. Balint KORPASI (HUN) // 57 Points
2. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) // 49 Points
3. Adam KURAK (RUS) // 33 Points
4. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) // 31 Points
5. Murat DAG (TUR) // 30 Points

77kg
1. Kazbek KILOV (BLR) // 39 Points
2. Mohammadali Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI) // 38 Points
3. Ariel FIS BATISTA (CUB) // 34 Points
4. Roman VLASOV (RUS) // 34 Points
5. Viktor NEMES (SRB) // 32 Points

82kg
1. Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) // 51 Points
2. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) // 41 Points
3. Viktar SASUNOUSKI (BLR) // 40 Points
4. Emrah KUS (TUR) // 32 Points
5. Laszlo SZABO (HUN) // 31 Points

87kg
1. Islam ABBASOV (AZE) // 45 Points
2. Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) // 37 Points
3. Masato SUMI (JPN) // 36 Points
4. Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) // 33 Points
5. Bekkhan OZDOEV (RUS) // 31 Points

97kg
1. Balazs KISS (HUN) // 44 Points
2. Orkhan NURIYEV (AZE) // 42 Points
3. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) // 38 Points
4. Luillys Jose PEREZ MORA (VEN) // 34 Points
5. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) // 33 Points

130kg
1. Riza KAYAALP (TUR) // 45 Points
2. Balint LAM (HUN) // 42 Points
3. Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) // 40 Points
4. Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) // 36 Points
5. Behnam Aliakbar MEHDIZADEH ARPATAPEH (IRI) // 34 Points
 

#development

Guinea Bissau Hosts Successful REDT as Part of Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics Preparation

By United World Wrestling Press

BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (April 17) -- As part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen wrestling development in Africa and in preparation for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the Regional Education and Development Tournament (REDT) for West Africa was successfully held in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, from April 6 to12, 2026.

Olympic Solidarity and United World Wrestling worked with the Guinea-Bissau Wrestling to organise the event that brought together 10 National Federations from the region: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and host nation Guinea-Bissau.

The REDT tournament was designed as a multi-dimensional development platform, combining education, capacity building, and competition.

Prior to the competition phase, a series of structured activities were implemented including a training camp for wrestlers, aimed at improving technical performance. Educational sessions for coaches and administrators, delivered by UWW Development Officer Vincent AKA and a referee course, conducted by UWW Educator Charles VILLET, were also conducted.

These initiatives contributed to the harmonization of technical standards and reinforced the operational capacity of participating federations.

GBS

Competition

The competition included Men's and Women's Freestyle and Beach Wrestling across U17 and Senior categories at two different locations. Freestyle was conducted at National School of Physical Education and Sports (ENEFD) and Beach Wrestling was held at the Lino Correia Stadium.

The tournament was conducted in accordance with UWW regulations, with approved competition mats and the use of the Athena system for registration and licensing.

Impact

A few crucial outcomes were achieved through the tournament including identifying and developing young talent ahead of Dakar 2026, strengthening regional cooperation among National Federations, capacity building for coaches, referees, and administrators and promotion and integration of Beach Wrestling as a strategic discipline.

Despite the success of the event and the strong performances of athletes, the need for enhanced institutional and financial support remains a key priority. The President of the Guinea-Bissau Wrestling Federation João SOARES emphasized the importance of sustained investment to ensure continued progress and international competitiveness.

The presence of national authorities, including the Prime Minister Ilidio VIEIRA TE and National Olympic Committee President Fernando ARLETE, highlighted the recognition of wrestling as a strategic sport contributing to national development and visibility.

The REDT tournament represents a significant milestone in the regional roadmap toward Dakar 2026. The next steps include continued preparation for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, participation in upcoming African Wrestling Championships, expansion of Beach Wrestling development initiatives and further implementation of UWW education and development programs.

The successful organization of the REDT West Africa Tournament in Bissau demonstrates the effectiveness of UWW’s development strategy in the region. By combining education, capacity building, and competition, the event has contributed to building a strong foundation for the future of wrestling in Africa.

GBS

Results

The host nation, Guinea-Bissau, delivered an outstanding performance, finishing first overall with a total of 25 medals - 17 Golds, 4 Silvers and 4 Bronzes.

Freestyle (Both Men's & Women's)

15 medals (12 Golds, 2 Silvers, 1 Bronze)

Team Rankings:
1st place: Guinea-Bissau
2nd place: Benin
3rd place: Ghana

Beach Wrestling

10 medals (5 Golds, 2 Silvers, 3 Bronzes)

Team Rankings:

1st place: Guinea-Bissau
2nd place: Senegal
3rd place: Benin