freestyle rankings

Tokyo 2020 Qualifiers Bajrang, Kaisanov, Micic Improve Freestyle Rank in January

By Eric Olanowski

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (January 28) -- Bajrang PUNIA (IND), Stevan MICIC (SRB), and Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) moved one step closer to sealing up seeds for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after the trio medaled at this month’s Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series tournament in Rome. 

Ranking Series points are important to Olympic-qualified wrestlers because the top four competitors in each Olympic weight category (from qualified nations) will earn a seed in their bracket, thereby delaying matchups with other top wrestlers until the semifinals and finals. The top three point-earners in each style are also awarded prize money at the end of the season.

Indian superstar Bajrang had the most successful outing in Rome -- earning gold and taking home 16 points -- while Kaisanov and Micic each earned 12 points for taking bronze. In the 65kg finals, Bajrang upended Jordan OLIVER (USA) 4-3 to catapult himself from No. 4 to No. 2 in the rankings. He now trails  No. 1 Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) by 19 points and sits ahead of No. 3 Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) by one point. All three are expected to compete in their respective continental championships this February and can earn up to an additional 22 points.  Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) jumped to No. 5 at 65kg where he now trails No. 4 Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) by a single point.


Stevan MICIC (SRB) moved up to No. 3 after getting a bronze at Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series tournament (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Micic, a surprise place-winner at the 2019 World Championships at 57kg, took bronze at the Ranking Series tournament and pushed himself into a No. 3 ranking, dropping Kumar RAVI (IND) to No. 4 and Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) to No. 5. 
 
Kaisanov jumped to No. 3 with his  bronze-medal finish at 74kg. Kaisanov’s medal dropped Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) and Jordan BURROUGH (USA) to No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. 


Two-time defending 79kg world champion Kyle DAKE (USA) debuted at No. 9 in the 74kg rankings after defeating Soener DEMIRTAS (TUR) 10-0 to win gold and collect 16 points. The United States has qualified the weight for the Olympic Games with Burroughs’ bronze medal finish at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
  
Two-time world champion and 2016 Olympic champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) held onto his No. 3 ranking at 97kg. The American wrestler took bronze worth 15 Ranking Series points and now trails No. 2 Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) by one point. Iran’s Mohammad MOHAMMADIAN, who upset Snyder in the quarterfinals, took gold at 97kg and earned 18 points to enter the rankings at No. 8. 

Iran did not earn an Olympic license at 97kg during the world championships and will seek to qualify during the Asian Qualification tournament in March. 
 
Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) finished in second at 97kg and debuted at No. 10 with 16 points.
 
James DOWNEY (USA) took bronze at 86kg, nabbing 12 points and climbing six spots to No. 3. The American, who has yet to qualify his weight category for Tokyo 2020, leads Artur NAIFONOV (25 points) by one point and trails Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (60 points) and India’s Deepak PUNIA (40 points). 

Amir ZARE (IRI) gets his hand raised after winning gold at the Matteo Pellicone (Photo/Kadir Caliskan)

At 125kg, Amir ZARE (IRI) was the lone change in the top-ten of the rankings. The Iranian youngster defeated Bilial MAKHOV (RUS) for the gold medal at the Matteo Pellicone and entered this month’s rankings at No. 9 with his 16 points.

The next Ranking Series tournaments will be the continental championships held in February and early March. Gold medal winners are eligible for 12 points plus a bonus based on the number of entries in their weight category. Please go to UnitedWorldWrestling.org for the updated competition calendar and guidelines for accumulating points during the Ranking Series. 
 
Top-Ten Freestyle Rankings

57kg
1. Zavur UGUEV (RUS) - 60
2. Suleyman ATLI (TUR) -  40
3. Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB) - 32
4. Kumar RAVI (IND) -  25
5. Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ)- 25
6. Reza ATRINAGHARCHI (IRI) - 20
7. Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL) - 18
8. Givi DAVIDOVI (ITA) - 16
9. Thomas Patrick GILMAN (USA) - 16
10. Oscar Eduardo TIGREROS URBANO (COL) - 14

61kg
1. Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) - 60
2. Magomedrasul IDRISOV (RUS) - 40
3. Rahul AWARE (IND) - 25
4. Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) - 25
5. Tyler Lee GRAFF  (USA) - 20
6. Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB) - 20
7. Rassul KALIYEV (KAZ) - 18
8. Kerim HOJAKOV (TKM) - 16
9. Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) -14
10. Kumar RAVI (IND) - 14

65kg 
1. Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) - 60
2. Bajrang PUNIA (IND) - 41
3. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) - 40
4. Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV  (HUN) - 25
5. Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) - 24
6. Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) - 20
7.  Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) - 20
8.  Haji ALI (BRN)  - 18
9.  Alexander SEMISOROW (GER) - 16
10. Jong Chol SON (PRK) - 14

70kg 
1. David BAEV (RUS) - 60
2. Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) - 40
3. Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI) - 25
4. Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) - 25
5. Nicolae COJOCARU (GBR) - 20
6. Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) - 20
7. Kojiro SHIGA (JPN) - 18
8.  Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) - 16
9. Ali Pasha Ruslanovich UMARPASHAEV (BUL) - 14
10. Elaman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ) - 12

74kg 
1. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) -  60
2. Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) -  40
3. Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) - 32
4. Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) - 25
5.  Jordan BURROUGHS  (USA) - 25
6. Mao OKUI (JPN) - 20
7. Kamil RYBICKI (POL) -  18
8. Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) - 16
9. Kyle DAKE (USA) - 16
10. Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) - 14

79kg
1. Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA) - 60
2. Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE) - 40
3. Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) - 25
4. Gadzhi NABIEV (RUS ) - 25
5. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) - 20
6. Galymzhan USSERBAYEV (KAZ) - 20
7. Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM) - 18
8. Jitender JITENDER (IND) - 16
9. Gombodorj DORJVANCHIG (MGL) - 14
10. Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) - 14

86kg
1. Hassan YAZDANICHARATI  (IRI) - 60
2. Deepak PUNIA (IND) - 40
3. James DOWNEY III  (USA) -  26
4. Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) - 25
5.  Stefan REICHMUTH ( SUI) - 25
6. Myles Nazem AMINE  (SMR) - 20
7. Carlos IZQUIERDO MENDEZ (COL) - 20
8. Ahmed DUDAROV (GER) - 18
9. Taimuraz FRIEV NASKIDAEVA (ESP) - 16
10. Zahid VALENCIA (USA) - 16

92kg
1. J'Den COX (USA) - 58
2. Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI  (IRI) - 38
3. Irakli MTSITURI  (GEO) - 23
4. Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (RUS) -  23
5. Georgii RUBAEV (MDA) - 18
6. Nurgali NURGAIPULY  (KAZ) - 18
7. Parveen PARVEEN (IND) - 16
8. Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR) - 14
9. Liubomyr SAGALIUK (UKR) - 12
10. Takuma OTSU (JPN) - 10

97kg
1. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) - 60
2. Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) - 40
3. Kyle SNYDER (USA) - 39
4. Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD) - 25
5. Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) - 20
6. Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) - 20
7. Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) - 18
8. Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) - 18
9. Nicolai CEBAN (MDA) - 16
10. Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) - 16


125kg
1. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) - 60
2. Taha AKGUL (TUR) - 40
3. Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR) - 25
4. Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB) - 25
5. Badzha KHUTABA (SYR) - 20
6. Zhiwei DENG (CHN) - 20
7. Egzon SHALA (KOS) - 18
8. Yadollah MOHEBI (IRI) - 16
9. Amir ZARE (IRI) - 16
10. Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) - 14

#WrestleParis

Wrestling at Paris 2024: Tazhudinov wins gold; Kiyooka, Kagami continue Japan's dominance

By Vinay Siwach

PARIS (August 11) -- The final day of wrestling at Paris 2024. Repechages round and then the medal bouts of Freestyle 65kg and 97kg and women's wrestling 76kg.

LIVE MATCH ORDER | PARIS 2024 DAY 6

14:00: Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) is an Olympic champion! The world champion beats Kennedy BLADES (USA) 3-1 in the 76kg weight class and clinches the top medal for Japan. It's first-ever for Japan in the heavyweight.

13:45: Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) hangs on! She takes the bronze medal with a 2-1 win over Genesis REASCO (ECU). Colombia's third medal in women's wrestling at the Olympics.

13:30: Cuba won its second women's wrestling medal at this Olympics! Milaimy MARIN (CUB) stuns world silver medalist Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) 6-0. That is the second Olympic loss for Medet Kyzy in bronze-medal bouts at the Games.

13:10: Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) is an Olympic champion! The world champion pins Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) in a minute and 52 seconds to win the gold at 97kg. First-ever Olympic champion for Bahrain in wrestling.

12:55: Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) claims the bronze medal at 97kg after he shuts down Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR). He wins the bout 10-0. The second bronze goes to Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) who gets three stepouts in his 4-1 win over Kyle SNYDER (USA). This is the first time Snyder has not won a medal at a World Championships or Olympics since 2015.

12:30: Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) is an Olympic champion! What a win for the young star. After beating Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) in the domestic playoff, Kiyooka beats Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) 10-3 in the 65kg final to keep the gold medal with Japan. Amouzad with the first point but Kiyooka goes lace after takedown and makes it 10-1 at the break. A takedown in the second period but Amouzad has nothing left in him to attack. Kiyooka wins gold.

12:15: Islam DUDAEV (ALB) with a buzzer-beating one point to beat world champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) 13-12 for the bronze medal at 65kg. Muszukajev fell behind 12-8 but hit a front headlock four to lead 12-12 on criteria. However, Dudaev with a reversal and one point with 3 seconds left.

12:00: The first bronze medal of the day goes to Sebastian RIVERA (PUR)! He comes back in the final 10 seconds to beat Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) 9-8. Tumur Ochir gave up a takedown in the second period and Rivera turned him two times to lead 8-4. Tumur Ochir hit his filthy underhook to headlock four to lead 11-8 on criteria but Rivera with a takedown late. Initially, it is not scored but Rivera wins on challenge. 

11:42: Genesis REASCO (ECU) has given a chance to Ecuador to win two medals in wrestling in Paris. She hangs on to beat Tokyo bronze Yasemin ADAR (TUR) 3-1 in the 76kg repechage. She will take on Tatiana RENTERIA (COL).

11:30: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) sets up a bronze medal bout against Kyle SNYDER (USA) after the Iranian beat Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) 10-0 in the repechage at 97kg

11:20: History was on line had Nicolaas DE LANGE (RSA) had pulled off one takedown against Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR). De Lange was down 2-2 on criteria but got a leg attack and tried exposing Mchedlidze. The Ukrainian somehow blocked De Lange and threw him off balance to take two points and win 5-3. He will wrestle for bronze

11:10: Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) opened a 4-0 lead over Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) in the 65kg repechage bout but Rivera in the second period puts on 14 points and wins 14-4. He will wrestle Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) for the bronze

11:00: Welcome to the final day of wrestling at the Paris 2024 Olympics. After five repechage bouts, we move into the medal bouts. Zain RETHERFORD (USA) and Catalina AXENTE (ROU) are injured and there will be one fewer repechage bouts in 65kg and 76kg.