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

#WrestleAthens

U17 World Wrestling Championships: Day 2 Highlights

By Vinay Siwach

ATHENS, Greece (July 29) -- The second day of the World U17 Championships in Athens will see five more Greco-Roman weight classes -- 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg and 92kg.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 1 RESULTS

READ THE SEMIFINALS REPORT HERE

The semifinals will begin at 17:00 hours local time and the medal bouts from Monday's weight classes will start at 18:00 hours.

15:50: Asian bronze medalist Otabek TURSUNOV (UZB) takes out European champion Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM) 5-2 in the 51kg quarterfinal.

15:45: Ionut PATRU (ROU) stuns Mamuka BIDZINASHVILI (GEO) in the 92kg quarterfinals and reaches the semifinal. Earlier in the day, he had said that he will become the world champion tomorrow.

15:30: In a match that took forever, Asian U17 champion Damir AKAN (KAZ) has been cautioned out after his second defensive four against Abolfazl ZARE (IRI) at 60kg. Akan led 7-0 as he scored from par terre and Zare fouled. But in the second period, Zare scored a turn and one foul from Akan made it 7-5. As the bout resumed in par terre, Akan made a second defensive leg foul which handed Zare the win.

15:15: Asian U17 champion Behruzbek VALIEV (UZB) defends from par terre and holds on to his 1-1 criteria lead against Hossein KAZEMI (IRI) to enter the semifinal at 71kg. Kazemi challenged for a stepout from par terre but lost it and Valiev won 2-1.

15:05: Benyamin KHEZLI (IRI) with gut-wrench from par terre and he beats Juntao LUO (CHN) 9-0 at 45kg to enter the semifinals at 45kg.

15:00: In a rematch of the European final, Abdurrahman HUSEYNLI (AZE) comes back from 6-0 deficit and beats Saba ABASHIDZE (GEO) 9-6. Abashidze hit a big four and then a turn to lead 6-0. But Huseynli scored a takedown and two arm-trap guts to make it 6-6. Another gut-wrench made it 8-6. Huseynli got par terre in second period but did score. Abashidze could not turn around the 9-6 score and lost the quarterfinal.  

14:42: Down goes European U17 champion Giorgi GOGELASHVILI (GEO) at 71kg. Yusif AHMADLI (AZE) beats the Georgian 7-2. He got going in the second period with a takedown and four-pointer.

14:35: Pavlos TSENTIDIS (GRE) with a banger of a throw to finish all hopes of Daniyar BAZARBEK (KAZ) in their 51kg match. Tsentidis was leading 5-0 when Bazarbek jumped for a big move. Tsentidis grabbed and locked him and slammed him on the mat for four! Great throw

14:25: Asian champion and returning bronze medalist Behruzbek VALIEV (UZB) with a beautiful suplex for five and then pins Radoslav PERYANSKI (BUL) at 71kg. He looks good to upgrade his bronze to gold this year.

14:15: Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM), European champ at 51kg, reaches the quarterfinals with a 8-0 quick win over Yuvraj KAMANNA (IND).

European bronze medalist Abu Bakar SAGA (NOR) takes a minute and 26 seconds to win 10-2 over Kaloyan BORISOV (BUL)

13:45: Amirsam MOHAMMADI (IRI) wins a tough battle against Said PASHAYEV (AZE) at 92kg, 6-1. Just better defense from Mohammadi as he beats Pashayev, who is actually a European champion in Freestyle.

13:30: Asian champion Damir AKAN (KAZ) rolls to a 10-0 win over RITESH (IND) at 60kg and Mika LABES (GER) blanks Imre JUHASZ (HUN) 6-0 in the next bout.

13:15: Benyamin KHEZLI (IRI) pulls off a great win over European bronze medalist Ararat AVETISYAN (ARM) 8-1 at 45kg. Another big win for Iran.

13:00: Asian champion Behruzbek VALIEV (UZB) takes 2 minutes and 48 seconds to win his 71kg bout against Matias ONNENLEHTO (FIN)

12:45: Giorgi GOGELASHVILI (GEO), European champion at 71kg, just keeps his calm and despite losing a challenge in the bout, he roars in the second period to beat Balaz UJHELJI (SRB) 7-1 

12:15: Abu Bakar SAGA (NOR) hangs on for a 6-3 win over Herman BASARAB (UKR) at 51kg. Saga won bronze medal at the European Championships in Skopje

12:00: Pavlos TSENTIDIS (GRE) sends the local crowd in a frenzy with a final-second throw against Carter SHIN (USA) and wins hi 51kg bout 3-2. USA challenge but lose it on review.

11:45: Amirsam MOHAMMADI (IRI) looks so good at 92kg! He rolls Vladislav VASYLEVSKYI (MDA) and wins his bout 8-0.

11:35: Denys SEREDIN (UKR) with a massive throw on the edge to get five points and Vasileios TSAROUCHAS (GRE) is called for leg foul as well which give two more points to Seredin. The Ukraine finishes the 60kg bout 10-3

11:25: Amangeldi YSAKBAEV (KGZ) rallies to win 11-7 against Zaven MEZHLUMYAN (ARM) after being down 7-1 at 60kg. Ysakbaev throws Mezhlumyan for a four and adds a two to lead 7-7 on criteria and when the Armenian tries a flying squirrel, Ysakbaev throws him down for four more

11:15: Asian U17 champion Damir AKAN (KAZ) was never in danger against Kodai HIHARA (JPN). Akan manages an 8-1 lead before winning his 60kg bout 8-2

11:00: Abolfazl ZARE (IRI) begins day two for Iran with a big 9-0 win over Wail BEN AISSA (ALG) at 60kg. Zare got the par terre and two exposure for the lead. He then gets the par terre in the second period as well and wins with another turn.

10:30: The repechage matches will kick off day two in Athens before we move into the qualification rounds of 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg and 92kg.