#RankingSeries

Rankings See Big Shifts After Yasar Dogu

Monday, March 14, 2022 - 15:14 By Vinay Siwach

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ISTANBUL, Turkey (March 1) -- The first Ranking Series event on the calendar is in the rearview, and after the event, several wrestlers have improved their rankings, which will ultimately be used for the seedings at the 2022 Continental and World Championships. 

This year, UWW will award points according to the new ranking system. 

The top eight wrestlers who acquired the most points from the four Ranking Series events and the Continental Championships will earn a seed for September's World Championships, held in Belgrade, Serbia. 

As of now, wrestlers who competed and subsequently earned points from the Tokyo Olympic Games and Oslo World Championships fill out the top-20 in the rankings heading into Istanbul.

Updated Ranking Series Point Distribution:
1st - 8000
2nd - 6400
3rd - 5200
5th - 4000
7th - 3520
8th - 3200
9th - 2800
10th - 2480
11th - 800
12th - 100
13th - 75
14th - 50
15th - 25
16th - 13

The number of points awarded at a competition will also be impacted by the number of wrestlers entered in each bracket. In weight categories with 2-5 competitors, ranking points will be reduced in half and only the top three finishers will be awarded points. In brackets that feature 6-12 participants, no additional points will be added. For weight categories with 13-16 entries, an additional 3000 points will be given. For categories with 16+ wrestlers entered, an additional 5000 will be awarded.

Additional points:
1 participant - no ranking or additional points
2-5 participants - ranking points reduced in half and only the first three will be awarded
6-12 participants - no additional points
13-16 participants - 3000 additional points to all wrestlers
16+ participants - 5000 additional points to all wresters

Greco-Roman

55kg
There were no changes in the top-10 but gold medalist Adem UZUN (TUR) debuts at No.11 with 8000 points, while silver medalist Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) enters the rankings at No. 13 with 6400 points.

60kg
No changes in the top-10.

63kg
Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) moved up one sport after Istanbul. He went from being sixth to fifth after winning a bronze medal. He earned 5200 points, which moved him from 25000 points to 30200 points.

Gold medalist Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) entered the rankings at No.13 with 8000 points.

67kg
No changes in the top-10

72kg
Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) was ranked third with 31000 points. He moved to the second spot ahead of Sergei KUTUZOV (RWF) with a 9400-point silver-medal finish.

Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) moved from eighth to seventh with a 10th-place finish. He's earned 5480 points, enough to take him past Valentin PETIC (MDA).

Mikko PELTOKANGAS (FIN) moved into the top-10 from 12th with a fifth-place finish. He received 7000 points for his finish, bringing his tally to 15200 points.

77kg
World silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) moved to the third spot after his silver medal in Istanbul. He had 37000 points but added 9400 points, bringing his overall total to 46400 points.

Viktor NEMES (SRB) broke into the top-10 after his fifth-place finish. He was ranked 12th previously but received 7000 points.

82kg
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) are ranked first and second, respectively. The two met in the semifinals in Istanbul, with Akbudak winning the 8000-point gold, while Huseynov picked up 5200 points for bronze. The Azerbaijan wrestler remains first with 50200 points, while Akbudak is second with 45000 points.

87kg
World champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) improved his points tally from 79200 points to 85600 points with a silver medal. Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) was ranked seventh [31000 points] but is now sixth after finishing seventh and getting 3520 points.

97kg
Young star and Tokyo fifth-place finisher Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) made a big jump from 12th to sixth place with a silver medal. He scored 11400 points and moved from 23000 points to now 34400 points.

130kg
Riza KAYAALP (TUR) reached the fifth spot from seventh after he won a bronze medal. He had 34200 points, and the additional 8200-point bronze gave him 42200 points. 

Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) also moved two spots from ninth to seventh after the gold win and 11000 points. He now has 36000 points to his name.

Silver medalist and Kayaalp-slayer Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) entered top-10 at the No. 10 position with his silver medal. He had 17000 points but now has 26400 points.

Freestyle

57kg
World bronze medalist Horst LEHR (GER) missed out on earning a medal but still picked up 5100 points for finishing 12th in a bracket that had more than 16 participants. That helped him jump from his seventh position to fifth.

61kg
Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) jumped seven places to break into the top-10 at 61kg. The former U23 world champion won a bronze medal and collected 10200 points. He was ranked 16th before the Yasar Dogu with 5400 points, but ended with 15600 points and is now ninth in the rankings.

Gold medalist Ravi KUMAR (IND), who is competing up a weight from his Tokoyo silver-medal winning weight of 57kg, added 13000 points and jumped up into the 12th spot.

65kg
World champion Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF) is the new number-one ranked wrestler at 65kg. He won a silver medal in Istanbul and overtook the top spot from Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN). He now has 56400 points as he added 11400 for his silver.

Otoguro [51000 points] has now slipped to third as Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) improved to second with a fifth-place finish. He entered the competition with 44500 points but now has 53500 points after the additional 9000 points.

Rohit ROHIT (IND) improved his ranking by one place. He grabbed 8200 points for his eighth-place finish and sit No. 8. Morteza GHIASI CHEKA (IRI) also moved from 16th to 13th with a 12th-placed finish and 5100 points.

70kg
World silver medalist Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) finished seventh in Istanbul but moved to the number-one ranking at 70kg after collecting 8520 points. He was ranked second with 37000 points but now leads world champion Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) by 520 points.

Bronze medalist at Yasar Dogu, Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO), maintained his third position with 10200 points. He now has 41400 points.

Silver medalist James GREEN (USA) improved from seventh to fifth after leaving Istanbul with 11400 points. He now has 29600 points.

Gold medalist Amir YAZDANI (IRI) debuted at 70kg with 13000 points and is now ranked 11th.

Viktor RASSADIN (RWF) won bronze and has entered the rankings at 12th with 10200 points.

The two fifth-placed wrestlers -- Levan KELEKHSASHVILI (GEO) and Aliakbar FAZLIKHALILI (IRI) -- debut at 14th and 15th with 9000 points each. Since the Georgian had more classification points than Fazlikhalili in the tournament, he is ranked above the Iranian.

74kg
Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR) broke into the top-three with a silver-medal finish in Istanbul. He was awarded 11400 points, enough to take him from the previous eighth position to third. He now has 42400 points.

86kg
Osman GOCEN (TUR) made a big leap from the 15th position to the seventh after he won the 86kg title. He now has 26500 points, adding 13000 points to his earlier total of 13000. Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA) also jumped from 14th to ninth after he finished fifth in Istanbul and picked up 9000 points. He now has 24500 points.

92kg
Ahmad BAZRIGHALEH (IRI) and Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) were the two wrestlers who improved their ranking at 92kg. Bazrighaleh debuts in this month's rankings with 11000 points for his gold medal in Istanbul.

Yaylaci, who won silver, added 9400 points to his previous 6600 points. That took him from 14th rank to ninth as he now has 16000 points.

97kg
Gold medalist at 97kg Mohammad MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) made a marginal jump of three spots from 17th to 14th despite getting 11000 points for the win. He now has 16400 points.

125kg
Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) won the gold and silver, respectively, giving them 13000 and 11400 points. They remained third and fourth in the rankings.

The Turkish wrestler now has 78200 points but is still behind number two Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) who has 78400 points. Munkhtar now has 65400 points but no change in the rank.

Bronze medalist Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) made a big jump from 22nd rank to 12th as he collected 10200 points. He had 6200 points but now has 16400 points to be placed 12th. Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ) improved from seventh to sixth with 8520 points for his eighth-place finish in Istanbul.

Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER, who was previously ranked 13th,  jumped to eighth. He started with 23200 points and was awarded 8200 points for finishing eighth in the competition.

Women's Freestyle

50kg
Emilia VUC's (ROU) gold-medal win in Turkey moved her to the fourth position. She previously sat at No. 11 with 13000 points. She now has 42600 points.

Miglena SELISHKA (BUL) [31700 points] had a chance to be fourth but she missed out on winning gold. She received 10200 points for her bronze and is now fifth with 41900 points.

It was a similar case for Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) [31000 points] and Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RWF) [31000 points]. They remain seventh and eighth, respectively, despite winning bronze and finishing eighth.

Sarra HAMDI (TUN) finished 10th, which gave her 7480 points. That took her from 16th to 13th. She now has 20980 points.

53kg
Olympic bronze medalist Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) managed to topple Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) from the weight's No. 1 by winning the gold in Istanbul. She had 43200 points but an additional 13000 points brought her total to 56200, enough to move past Mukaida's 51000 points.

World silver medalist Iulia LEORDA (MDA) won a bronze and improved from sixth to fourth adding 10200 points to her previous 37000 points.

Junior world champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE) moved from 15th to 11th thanks to her ninth-place finish and 7800 points. Annika WENDLE (GER) moved from 17th to 12th as she finished seventh and got 8520 points.

55kg
Mehlika OZTURK (TUR) moved from tenth to seventh after collecting 8520 points for her eighth-place, while gold medalist Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) is 11th with 11000 points.

57kg
Olympic bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) added 13000 points for her gold medal and consolidated her second position in the rankings. She now has 64200 points. Tokyo silver medalist Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) was fifth with 41400 points but is now third after her 10200-point bronze.

Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RWF) moved from eighth to sixth after winning a bronze medal and 10200 points. She now has a total of 35200 points.

59kg
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE), previously ranked tenth, moved to seventh with a bronze medal. She had 14300 points before the tournament but now has 22500 points.

Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) broke into the top-10 with a bronze medal and 8200 points. She is now ranked tenth from her earlier 12th as she now has 16400 points.

62kg
Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), who had 34200 points, jumped to the third-ranking after she collected 9000 points. She now has 43200 points, the same as fourth-ranked Kayla MIRACLE (USA), but is ranked third because the USA wrestler is yet to participate in a Ranking Series event this year.

Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) was ranked eighth-ranked with 29600 points but is now fifth with 37400 points as she finished ninth and collected 7800 points.

Veranika IVANOVA (BWF) entered top-10 from No. 15 with a fifth-place finish and 9000 points. She had 15500 points but is now at 24500 points, 500 points shy of ninth place.

65kg
Forrest MOLINARI (USA) improved to the second rank at 65kg after she won the gold. Her points jumped from 31000 to 44000.

Dinara KUDAEVA SALIKHOVA (RWF) moved from tenth to seventh as she earned 5050 points for her 14th place finish. She now has 19350 points.

Kriszta INCZE (ROU) entered top-10 after a seventh-place finish. She picked up 8520 points which took her tally from 8200 points to 16720 points.

Silver medalist Mallory VELTE (USA) debuts at 13th place with 11400 points, while two bronze medalists Khadija JLASSI (TUN) and Emma BRUNTIL (USA) enter at 14th and 15th, respectively, with 10200 points.

Jlassi grabbed four extra classification points pushing her ahead of Bruntil.

68kg
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) is now the top-ranked wrestler at 68kg. Despite winning the silver in Istanbul, the 6400 points were enough to take her tally to 83600 points, 3600 points more than Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA), who has 80000 points.

Olympic silver medalist Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) won gold but remains third with 64400 points.

Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) moved from 10th to seventh with a bronze medal and 5200 points. She now has 28200 points.

72kg
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) won the gold for 8000 points, tying her with top-ranked Masako FURUICHI (JPN). But as Furuichi finished with gold at the World Championships and Bakbergenova silver, the Kazak wrestler remains second.

World bronze medalist Anna SCHELL (GER) retained her third place with a silver medal, while Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR) fumbled her shot at jumping to No. 3 in the rankings after she finished fifth on home soil.

Kseniia BURAKOVA (RWF) moved from 13th to 11th with 4000 points for her fifth-place finish.

76kg
Second-ranked Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) closed the gap against top-ranked Adeline GRAY (USA) [86400 points] after winning a gold and 13000 points in Istanbul. She now has 67000 points

World bronze medalist Samar HAMZA (EGY) had 43300 points and needed to finish ninth or better to overtake Olympic champion Aline FOCKEN (GER) for the fourth spot. She finished ninth and took home 7800 points, moving past Focken for the fourth rank.

Francy RAEDELT (GER) won a bronze medal and jumped from 18th to 12th, thanks to the 10200 points. She now has 18400 points.

#WrestleZagreb

World Championships 2025: Day 6 GR 55kg, 77kg, 82kg, 130kg Highlights

Thursday, September 18, 2025 - 08:31 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 18) -- Greco-Roman day at the World Championships in Zagreb. Four weight classes -- 55kg, 77kg, 82kg and 130kg -- are in action with Olympic champion Nao KUSAKA (JPN) and Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) are expected to meet in 77kg quarterfinals.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 5 RESULTS

77kg semifinals
SF 1: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) vs. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI)
SF 2: Nao KUSAKA (JPN) vs. Robert FRITSCH (HUN)

14:55: In the most anticipated match of the session, Nao KUSAKA (JPN) repeated his victory Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) from the final at the Paris Olympics to advance to the 77kg semifinals as he pursues a first world gold. Kusaka got the first chance at par terre, but it was Zhadrayev who came out with the points. Kusaka went to his usual cross body lock, but Zhadrayev used the momentum and timed it perfectly to launch a throw himself. Although Kusaka got behind for reversal, it left Zhadrayev ahead 2-2 on criteria. In the second period, a quick charge at the whistle sees Kusaka gain a stepout that is awarded on challenge. Kusaka adds another stepout, then fends off the pressure from Zhadrayev while avoiding getting flagged for passivity and advances with a 4-2 victory. Next up for Kusaka will be Robert FRITSCH (HUN), from the country where the Japanese went to train prior to his triumph in Paris.

14:54: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) blocks Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) as the Turkiye tries to turn Amoyan from par tarre to get the two points for danger position. There is no way back for Yilmaz as Amoyan, the Olympic bronze medalist, wins 3-1 to enter the semifinals at 77kg.

14:53: The Iranian win-rush continues as the country puts all four wrestlers in the semifinals with Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) beating Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), 3-1, at 77kg. Abdevali turned Suleymanov from par terre to take the lead and the win.

14:50: Robert FRITSCH (HUN) spoils the bid of local hero Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) to make the 77kg semifinals, scoring a stepout in the first period that proves the difference in a 2-1 victory.

55kg semifinals
SF 1: Emin CAKIR (TUR) vs. Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO)
SF 2: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) vs. Payam AHMADI (IRI)

14:42: European bronze medalist Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) is into the world semifinals with a 3-2 victory over Denis MIHAI (ROU). A stepout from Lolua made the difference as he held criteria at 2-2. A lost challenge from Mihai gives another point to Lolua

14:40: In a battle between a 30-something and a teenager, experience wins out, which is not surprising given it involves four-time 55kg world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE). Azizli scores a takedown and gut wrench in the first period against 18-year-0ld Jayden RANEY (USA), who gets his chance on top in par terre in the second, but cannot budge the Azeri, who wins 5-1 to advance to the semifinals.

14:35: Emin CAKIR (TUR) upsets former world bronze medalist Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) at 55kg, with a 9-0 technical superiority win.

14:31: Payam AHMADI (IRI) quickly joins the Iranian parade into the semifinals, needing just 25 seconds to bull Artiom DELEANU (MDA) down to the mat and execute three quick-fire rolls for an 8-0 victory at 55kg.

82kg semifinals
SF 1: Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) vs. Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
SF 2: Karlo KODRIC (CRO) vs. Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI)

14:28: A match for the ages as Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), a former world U17 champion and recent world U20 bronze medalist, beats European champion Gurban GURBANOV (AZE), who is cautioned out of the match. Gurbanov had a 6-2 lead but Yoshida, a powerhouse, keeps pressuring Gurbanov who is struggling with conditioning. A slew of stepouts and Yoshida makes it 8-6. On the stepout with 16 seconds left, Gurbanov receives his third caution and is disqualified from the match, giving Yoshida the win.

14:22: Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) thought he had it covered but Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) scores two turns from the third passivity par terre to beat Tiuliubaev 5-4 and enter the semifinals at 82kg.

14:20: Karlo KODRIC (CRO), perhaps charged up by a vocal block of home fans in the stands nearby, steps over for 2 on a gut wrench attempt by Mihail BRADU (MDA), giving him a 4-1 lead midway through the second period of their 82kg quarterfinal. Kodric gives up a late stepout, but walks off a 4-2 winner.

14:15: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) fights off a whizzer by Ramon BETSCHART (SUI) to secure a takedown, then traps an arm and executes four exposures to advance to the 82kg semifinals with an 8-0 victory in 1:05.

130kg semifinals
SF 1: Darius VITEK (HUN) vs Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW)
SF 2: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) vs Wenhao JIANG (CHN)

14:07: Wenhao JIANG (CHN) with a pair of stepouts and he's into the 130kg quarterfinals with a 4-1 win over Jello KRAHMER (GER).

14:05: Darius VITEK (HUN) is the beneficiary of the new Greco-Roman rule in which the wrestler with first passivity point win. He beats Mykola KUCHMII (UKR), 1-1, at 130kg.

14:03: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) with an over-under throw for four over Hamza BAKIR (TUR) in the 130kg quarterfinals. Bakir tries to come back with a double-arm lock throw but Hlinchuk blocks and secures the fall.

14:01: Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) surprisingly throws world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) for 4 with an arm throw in their 130kg quarterfinal, but any joy is gone in milliseconds as the Iranian rolls through the move and puts Kuosmanen on his back. Mirzazadeh doesn't waste the opportunity and secures the fall in 1:13.

Quarterfinals will begin at the same time

13:47: Olympic champion Nao KUSAKA (JPN) books an Olympic final rematch with Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) with a 7-0 victory over Ihor BYCHKOV (UKR) at 77kg. He scored all his points in the first period and somehow there were no points in the second period.

13:43: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) caps a one-sided 10-0 victory over Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) with a 4-point throw in the second period to secure his berth in the 77kg quarterfinals.

13:37: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) used his head, and not in a good way, and it cost him a shot at a gold medal. Gutu was leading FRITSCH (HUN) 2-0 in their 77kg bout when he was hit with a 2-point penalty for a head butt, which also put him behind on criteria. Fritsch then received a passivity point, and he held on for a 3-2 victory. Ironically, Gutu suffered a head cut from his own action and had to have treatment, including a bandage around his head, which he ripped off and tossed in anger after the match.

13:30: Aleksa ILIC (SRB) almost pulls off a huge upset over Olympic silver medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) at 77kg. Ilic led 5-1 at the break but Zhadrayev, who for the par terre, scored a turn to make it 5-4 but a stepout gave a point to Ilic. Zhadrayev hits a big four-pointer against a tired Ilic his place in the quarterfinal with an 8-6 win.

13:21: World bronze medalist Denis MIHAI (ROU) with a takedown and roll, then a 4-point takedown against an overmatched Alexander CUEVAS (SGP) and he's into the 55kg quarterfinals with an 8-0 victory in just over a minute.

13:10: World U20 champion Payam AHMADI (IRI) gets his debut on the senior level off to an impressive start, manhandling Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ) in a 9-0 win to advance to the 55kg quarterfinals.

13:07: Young Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), the 2024 Asian champion, extricates himself from a 4-point hole, scoring five points in the second period to top Alexander JOHANSSON (SWE) 6-5 at 82kg. Yoshida, who gave up a 4-point arm throw in the first period, pressures Johansson down for two takedowns, then gets a stepout with :54 left to take the lead for the first time.

13:05: Gurban GURBANOV (AZE)  gets the first of the two passivity calls, and with no other scoring, that makes him a 1-1 winner over Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) at 82kg.

13:04: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) with powerpacked 8-0 technical superiority win over world silver medalist Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) at 82kg. Szilvassy was never allowed to settle down by Farokhi

13:00: Four-time world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) with a 22-second technical superiority over Anil MOR (IND) at 55kg.

12:58: A stepout with 33 seconds left, Hamza BAKIR (TUR) beats Oscar PINO (CUB) 3-1 at 130kg. Bakir led 1-1 on criteria as he was given the first par terre position. But As Pino tried to score a stepout late in the second period, Bakir turned it around and managed to force Pino to put the hand before Bakir himself did. Cuba challenged the call but lost it.

12:52: With calls of 'Karlo! Karlo!' and the banging of drums reverberating throughout the arena, Karlo KODRIC (CRO) is through to the 82kg quarterfinals with a 5-0 victory over Bekzat ORUNKUL UULU (KGZ).

12:45: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) comes back from 3-1 down to beat Razmik KURDYAN (ARM) 4-3, thanks for a successful challenge from Hlinchuk at the end.

12:42: Defending 130kg champion and Olympic bronze medalist Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)  gets two gut wrenches off par terre for a 5-0 lead over Marko KOSCEVIC (CRO), much to the dismay of the home crowd. In the second period, Mirzazadeh adds a stepout, then scores a takedown for an 8-0 win with just over two minutes left.

12:36: Four-time Asian medalist Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) rns out of a gas about two minutes to soon, giving Mykola KUCHMII (UKR) two easy takedowns in the second period and a 6-4 win at 130kg.

12:35: Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) pulls off the biggest surprise of the session so far, scoring a late takedown to topple Sergei SEMENOV (UWW) 3-3 at 130kg. In the first period, Semenov counters a throw attempt for a 2-point takedown, with an additional point for an unsuccessful challenge, but Kuosmanen strikes back with a stepout to make it 3-1 at the break. In the second period, a mighty shove sends Semenov down to the mat, and Kuosmanen pounces to secure the takedown and the shocking victory.

12:12: Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN) gets the first par terre position in the 77kg bout against Olympic silver medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) and he scores from a throw in which the Kazakhstan wrestlers lands outside the zone. Sarkkinen leads 2-0. Just before the break, Zhadrayev gets a stepout to make it 2-1 Zhadrayev got the par terre in the second period to take a 2-2 criteria lead before getting a exposure for two points. Finland challenges the call. The two points are confirmed and Zhadrayev lead grows to 5-2, which remains the winning score.

12:09: Paris Olympic bronze medalist Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM), a former world champion with three world medals, was about to become the beneficiary of the new rule giving the wrestler who scores the first point in a Greco bout that ends 1-1 the victory, but a late challenge over a last-second move instead makes him a 2-1 winner over Kamal BEY (USA).

12:05: Two-time world U23 champion Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) gets off to an awesome start, throwing Lai Hsing YAO (TPE) twice with spectacular four and five pointers to start his campaign at 77kg with a 12-0 win.

11:57: A welcome win for the home team. Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) rips off four rolls from par terre and he advances with a 9-0 victory over Hyeonjin KANG (KOR) at 77kg.

11:55: Olympic champion Nao KUSAKA (JPN) warms up with an 8-0 technical superiority win over AMAN (IND) at 77kg. He is expected to meet Olympic silver medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) in the quarterfinals if the seeds hold.

11:40: Taiga ONISHI (JPN), whose younger sister Sakura won the women's 59kg gold on Tuesday night, gets a quick takedown, only to have Huoying SHI (CHN) reverse in their opening match at 55kg. Shi goes ahead in the second period with an exposure off an arm throw attempt, then hits a back suplex that is good for another 2. Shi resists a throw attempt and gets another 2, giving him a 7-2 win.

11:19: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI), winner of the Ranking Series event here in Zagreb, has no need to go to par terre. He alternates three takedowns with two stepouts, then gets a point for a denied challenge to defeat Qingzhe LI (CHN) 9-0 in precisely two minutes at 82kg.

11:15: Four-time world medalist Oscar PINO (CUB), his nation's heir apparent at 130kg to legendary five-time Olympic champion Mijain LOPEZ (CUB), easily executes a gut wrench from par terre, then is a rock when put on the bottom and he's through with a 3-1 victory over Jacob LOGAARD (SWE).

11:05: Pavel HLINCHUK  (UWW), who won 2023 world u23 gold at 97kg, is now at 130kg. He begins his first World Championships at this weight with a 9-0 victory over Sulkhan BUIDZE (GEO).

11:00: Sergei SEMENOV (UWW), a two-time former Olympic bronze medal who has a world gold from 2018, gets a pair of rolls from par terre and, although Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA) managed a reversal after the second one, safely posts a 5-2 victory at 130kg to start the Greco action on Mat D.

10:55: Alexander JOHANSSON (SWE) gets a big win for Sweden as he defeats former European champion and young star Alperen BERBER (TUR) 2-1, at 82kg. Berber is coming back after an injury he suffered at the Mongolian Ranking Series.