Women's Wrestling Rankings

Tynybekova and Mensah Inch Closer to Locking up Top Seed at Olympics

By Eric Olanowski

*The highest number of potential points a wrestler can earn if he/she wins gold in a bracket with 20+ competitors at the continental championships (22 points) and Poland Open (18 points) is 40 points.

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (January 30) --- Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) and Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA) inched closer to locking up top seeds at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after medalling at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series tournament this month in Rome. 

Because the highest number of Rankings Series points a wrestler can earn the rest of the year is 40 (22 at continental championships and 18 at the Poland Open) defending world champions Tynybekova (62kg) and Mensah (68kg) are on the cusp of locking in their top seeds in Tokyo. The 2020 Games will be the first time wrestlers are eligible for a top-four seed seeding at an Olympics. 

Tynybekova, who took gold at the Matteo Pellicone, has amassed a comfortable 36-point lead over No. 2 Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) and will earn the No. 1 seed at 62kg in Tokyo if she earns four points at the Asian Championships February 18-23 in Delhi. Tynybekova is the defending Asian champion.

Mensah-Stock finds herself in a similar situation heading into the Pan-American Championships March 6-9 in Ottawa.

Mensah-Stock (74 points) earned 60 with her gold at the world championships last September and added another 14 after taking silver at the Matteo Pellicone. She has a 34-point advantage over Jenny FRANSSON (SWE) and can put her out of striking distance -- and become the No. 1 seeded 68kg woman at the Olympic Games -- if she scores six points at the Pan-American Championships.

Vinesh and Adekuoroye Sneak up to No. 2 Spot 
VINESH Phogat (IND) and Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) claimed gold the Matteo Pellicone and slipped into the second spot of the rankings at 53kg and 57kg, respectively.

Vinesh moved one-point ahead of Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) and four points ahead of PANG Qianyu (CHN) with her 4-0 shutout win over Luisa VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU) in the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series finals. The Indian star positioned herself to take over the No. 1 spot with a potential 20-point gold-medal finish at the Asian Championships.

Vinesh, Mukaida and Pang are all entered into the 53kg bracket in New Delhi, but the weight will be missing reigning world champion Yong Mi PAK (PRK).

Vinesh is the lone top-four wrestler with enough points to overthrow Pak with a win at the continental championships. She'd control the one-point advantage over Pak heading into the final Ranking Series event.

Adekuoroye jumped RONG Ningning (CHN) and is now the lone woman from Africa in the top two of the rankings. The Nigerian superstar trails three-time world champion and 2016 Olympic champion Risako KAWAI (JPN) by 17 points.

Alina VUC (ROU) trails Mariya STADNIK (AZE) by six points heading into the European Championships. (Kadir Caliskan)

Vuc Closes Gap with Matteo Pellicone Silver; Hildebrandt Debuts at 50kg
Alina VUC (ROU) claimed a silver medal at the Matteo Pellicone, closing the gap between her and top-ranked Mariya STADNIK (AZE). Vuc trailed Stadnik by 20 points heading into to the Matteo Pellicone but closed the Azeri’s lead to just six points after taking silver to Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) in a back-and-forth finals.

Hildebrandt, who last year was briefly top-ranked at 53kg, answered a lot of questions about her move to 50kg with her 4-2 victory in the gold medal finals of the Matteo Pellicone. The win moved Hildebrandt into No. 10 slot at 50kg with 16 points.

Epp Mäe (EST) dropped to seventh in the 76kg rankings after three wrestlers moved into the top-five with Matteo Pellicone podium finishes. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Mäe Slips to Seventh after Top-Heavy Changes at 76kg
Epp Mäe (EST) slipped three spots in the rankings after failing to reach the podium in Rome. ZHOU Qian (CHN), Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) and Erica WIEBE (CAN) finished in the top-five to move ahead of Mäe in 76kg rankings.

Mäe's costly loss in the quarterfinals in Rome moved her down to seventh while Zhou, Sydykova and Wiebe moved into the No. 4 to No. 6 spots, respectively. 

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 Women's Wrestling Rankings

50kg 
1. Mariya STADNIK (AZE) - 60
2. Emilia Alina VUC (ROU) - 54
3. Oksana LIVACH (UKR) - 32
4. Valentina Ivanovna ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ) - 25
5. Ekaterina POLESHCHUK (RUS) - 25
6. Yanan SUN (CHN) - 20
7. Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) - 18
8. Yuki IRIE (JPN) - 16
9. Sarah Ann HILDEBRANDT (USA) - 16
10. Ellen RIESTERER (GER) - 14

53kg 
1. Yong Mi PAK (PRK) - 60
2. Vinesh VINESH (IND) - 41
3. Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) - 40
4. Qianyu PANG (CHN) - 37
5. Luisa Elizabeth VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU) - 32
6. Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) - 20
7. Roksana Marta ZASINA (POL) - 20
8. Lianna de la Caridad MONTERO HERRERA (CUB) - 16
9. Sarah Ann HILDEBRANDT (USA) - 14
10. Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) - 12

55kg
1. Jacarra Gwenisha WINCHESTER (USA) - 58
2. Nanami IRIE  (JPN) - 38
3. Iryna HUSYAK (UKR) - 28
4. Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) - 23
5. Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS) - 23
6. Bediha GUN TUR) - 18
7. Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) - 18
8. Anna LUKASIAK (POL) - 14
9. Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) - 14
10. Annika WENDLE (GER) - 12

57kg
1. Risako KAWAI (JPN) - 60
2. Odunayo folasade ADEKUOROYE (NGR) - 43
3. Ningning RONG (CHN) - 40
4. Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) - 25
5. Jowita Maria WRZESIEN (POL) - 20
6. Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) - 20
7. Marina SIMONYAN (RUS) - 18
8. Giullia RODRIGUES PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) - 16
9. Anshu ANSHU (IND) - 16
10. In Sun JONG (PRK) - 14

59kg
1. Linda MORAIS (CAN) - 58
2. Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS) - 38
3. Anhelina LYSAK (UKR) - 32
4. Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) - 23
5. Xingru PEI (CHN) - 23
6. Pooja DHANDA (IND) - 18
7. Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE) - 16
8. Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN) - 14
9. Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER) - 12
10. Yuliya PISARENKA (BLR) - 12

62kg
1. Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) - 76
2. Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL) - 40
3. Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) - 30|
4. Kayla Colleen Kiyoko MIRACLE (USA) - 26
5. Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) - 25
6. Yukako KAWAI (JPN) - 25
7. Marianna SASTIN (HUN) - 20
8. Jong Sim RIM (PRK) - 20
9. Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU) - 14
10. Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS) - 14

65kg
1. Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS) - 72
2. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) - 38
3. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) - 23
4. Xiaoqian WANG (CHN) - 23
5. Yuliana Vasileva YANEVA (BUL) - 18
6. Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA) - 18
7. Aina TEMIRTASSOVA (KAZ) - 16
8. Kadriye AKSOY (TUR) - 14
9. Malin Johanna MATTSSON (SWE) - 12
10. Oksana KUKHTA HERHEL  (UKR) - 12

68kg
1. Tamyra Mariama MENSAH (USA) - 74
2. Anna Jenny Eva Maria FRANSSON  (SWE) - 40
3. Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) - 30
4. Danielle Suzanne LAPPAGE (CAN) - 26
5. Anna Carmen SCHELL (GER) - 25
6. Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD (MGL) - 25
7. Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) - 20
8. Sara DOSHO (JPN) - 20
9. Agnieszka Jadwiga WIESZCZEK KORDUS (POL) - 16
10. Feng ZHOU (CHN) - 16

 72kg
1. Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) - 58
2. Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR) - 38
3. Paliha PALIHA (CHN) - 23
4. Masako FURUICHI (JPN) - 23
5. Victoria Christine FRANCIS (USA) - 18
6. Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) - 18
7. Beste ALTUG (TUR) - 16
8. Alexandra Nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU) - 14
9. Maria SELMAIER (GER) - 14
10. Komal Bhagwan GOLE (IND) - 12

 76kg
1. Adeline Maria GRAY (USA) - 60
2. Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI (JPN) - 40
3. Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) - 37
4. Qian ZHOU (CHN) - 34
5. Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) - 30
6. Erica Elizabeth WIEBE (CAN) - 30
7. Epp Mäe (EST) - 25
8. Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) - 18
9. Alla BELINSKA (UKR) - 16
10. Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU) - 12

#Grappling

Dominant Ukraine sweeps U17 World Grappling Championships

By Vinay Siwach

LOUTRAKI, Greece (November 4) -- There was little competition for Ukraine at the age-group Grappling World Championships in Loutraki, Greece as it swept the U17 team titles in Grappling Gi and Grappling No-Gi in both the men's and women's categories.

In men's, Ukraine were way ahead as it finished with 140 points while Kazakhstan was second with 94 points in Grappling Gi. It scored 132 points in Grappling No-Gi while second placed Armenia managed only 78 points to finish at the second position.

In women's, Ukraine edged past Poland with 97 points to 95 points to finish top of the table in Grappling Gi. It was a similar story in Grappling No-Gi as Ukraine finished first with 103 points while Poland was second with 100 points.

Grappling Gi competition saw Roman SHOSTAK (UKR) beat Nursat BAIKASSOV (KAZ), 6-4, in the 50kg final to kick start the gold rush. Soon after, Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) won 8-3 against Jakub BARDEN (POL) in the 54kg final to earn the second gold for Ukraine. At 63kg, Andrii PERZHAN (UKR) blanked Rafik ALEKSANYAN (ARM), 4-0, to win Ukraine's third gold medal.

At 69kg, Artem SHALAEV (UWW) won via submission against Illes VICTOR (HUN) in the final to win the gold medal while Aigun OMAROV (UWW) denied Ukraine a fourth gold when he defeated Artem DOTSIUK (UKR), 8-2, in the 76kg final.

Kazakhstan won a gold medal through Mansur ZHANTEMIROV (KAZ) who hung on for a close 2-2 victory over Izan RODRIGUEZ ROSA (ESP) in the 69kg final.

Ukraine had another silver medalist in Yaroslav FEDYNA (UKR) who was submitted by Mateusz KUCA (POL) in the 85kg final. Hungary won a gold medal at 110kg as Levente SZABO (HUN) won via submission against Gasan KHASAEV (UWW).

In No-Gi competition, Shostak and Dremliuha doubled up as champions, beating Baikassov and Dawid BALTRUKANIS (POL) respectively in the 50kg and 54kg finals. The third gold medal for Ukraine came through a different grappler, Andrii SHTUNDER (UKR), who defeated Aleksei SKOREV (UWW) via submission after a 6-0 lead in the 76kg final.

Kuca also struck double gold after he defeated Hurhen MKRTCHIAN (UKR), 6-4, in a thrilling 85kg final. He remained the only gold medalist for Poland in both competitions.

Szabo failed to win two golds but the 110kg gold still went to Hungary as Balazs KIS (HUN) managed to win all his bouts in the Nelson bracket to claim the top spot in the rankings and the gold medals. Szabo finished with a silver medal.

At 58kg, Kurbanali MAKHMUDOV (UWW) denied Rafik ALEKSANYAN (ARM), 5-3, in the final as the Armenian collected his second silver. Ramil ZHIROV (UWW) managed to submit Leved GRANER (HUN) in the 63kg final to win the gold medal while Gusein KHASAEV (UWW) stepped up to win a gold medal after silver as he defeated Amir KHABICHEV (UWW), 2-2, in the 69kg final.

Aleksandra PETUKHOVA (UWW)Aleksandra PETUKHOVA (UWW) won double golds at 60kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Double champs

In an unprecedented finish in women's competition, all the gold medalists in Grappling Gi also finished as champions in No-Gi. The former had seven weight categories in action while No-Gi had eight.

Ukraine did not win any golds but still managed to emerge as the best team, thanks to two silvers, three bronze and one four place finish.

In Grappling-Gi, Vasilisa SHUTOVA (UWW) defeated Karolina HYRIA (UKR), 10-0, in the 46kg final while Mariia SHMELEVA (UWW) emerged as champion at 49kg after winning all bouts in Nelson bracket.

Shantel AMBRIZ (USA) dominated her way to the 52kg gold medal after winning the Nelson bracket, which occurs when a weight class has three to six participants.

At 56kg, Oliwia GREWLING (POL) submitted Agnes KOSZTA (HUN) with ease to win gold while Aleksandra PETUKHOVA (UWW) submitted Petra SZALAY (HUN) in the 60kg final to win gold.

The gold medal at 65kg went to Anastasiia SHAROVA (UWW) who managed to submit Karolina HRYNIUK (UKR) after building a 6-2 lead. Mercedes GARCIA RODRIGUEZ (ESP) captured the gold medal in the heaviest weight class, 90kg, after winning the Nelson bracket.

In No-Gi, Shutova, Shmeleva, Ambriz, Grewling, Petukhova, Sharova, and Garcia Rodriguez, repeated. Barring these, the 43kg weight class also saw participation and Ailina GALIEVA (UWW) submitted Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR) to win gold.

RESULTS

U17 Men's Grappling Gi

50kg
GOLD: Roman SHOSTAK (UKR) df. Nursat BAIKASSOV (KAZ), 6-4

BRONZE: Ronan PALLARES (FRA) df. Ayoub SI ALI (FRA), 9-3
BRONZE: Rustam KIM (KAZ) df. Georgios TERSENIDIS (GRE), via submission

54kg
GOLD: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Jakub BARDEN (POL), 8-3

BRONZE: Darrington DE LA CRUZ (ESP) df. Jivan ARAKELYAN (ARM), via submission (15-2)
BRONZE: Julen TRUJILLO HERNANDEZ (ESP) df. Yerkanat NARIMAN (KAZ), via submission (5-6)

58kg
GOLD: Artem SHALAEV (UWW) df. Illes VICTOR (HUN), via submission (6-0)

BRONZE: Vanik SARGSYAN (ARM) df. Artem KULYK (UKR), 9-2
BRONZE: Aleksandr NOVOSELTSEV (UWW) df. Daniel CABRERA PORTELA (ESP), via submission (2-1)

63kg
GOLD: Andrii PERZHAN (UKR) df. Rafik ALEKSANYAN (ARM), 4-0

BRONZE: Leved GRANER (HUN) df. Dimitrios THOMOS (GRE), via submission (1-2)
BRONZE: Danylo TERESHCHENKO (UKR) df. Kalman SAJCZ (HUN), 9-3

69kg
GOLD: Mansur ZHANTEMIROV (KAZ) df. Izan RODRIGUEZ ROSA (ESP), 2-2

BRONZE: Leonard HRUSA (GER) df. Zisis SVANAS (GRE), via submission (6-3)
BRONZE: Gor SAHAKYAN (ARM) df. Baron NELSON (USA), 5-5 (overtime)

76kg
GOLD: Aigun OMAROV (UWW) df. Artem DOTSIUK (UKR), 8-2

BRONZE: Andrii SHTUNDER (UKR) df. Heorhi HLAZKO (UWW), 5-1
BRONZE: Roman NAZAROV (UWW) df. Ivan KUCHYNSKI (UWW), 15-5

85kg
GOLD: Mateusz KUCA (POL) df. Yaroslav FEDYNA (UKR), via submission

BRONZE: Shynggyskhan ABDIROV (KAZ) df. Hurhen MKRTCHIAN (UKR), via disqualification

110kg
GOLD: Levente SZABO (HUN) df. Gasan KHASAEV (UWW), via submission (3-2)

BRONZE: Maksym ILIN (UKR) df. Alexios ALEXOPOULOS (GRE), via submission (3-0)
BRONZE: Artem BIKMURZIN (UWW) df. Amirlan ABAKHANOV (KAZ), 10-2

U17 Women's Grappling Gi

46kg
GOLD: Vasilisa SHUTOVA (UWW) df. Karolina HYRIA (UKR), 10-0

49kg
GOLD: Mariia SHMELEVA (UWW)
SILVER: Sylwia WELC (POL)
BRONZE: Daria HORDIIENKO (UKR)

52kg
GOLD: Shantel AMBRIZ (USA)
SILVER: Daria KHAMETOVA (UWW)
BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL)

56kg
GOLD: Oliwia GREWLING (POL) df. Agnes KOSZTA (HUN), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Vladyslava SMILIANSKA (UKR) df. Eirini PAPADOPOULOU (GRE), via submission (13-0)
BRONZE: Sonia RUBIO HERGUIJUELA (ESP) df. Yana PAVLIUK (UKR), (2-2)

60kg
GOLD: Aleksandra PETUKHOVA (UWW) df. Petra SZALAY (HUN), via submission (9-2)

BRONZE: Susana GONZALEZ GONZALEZ (ESP) df. Anastassiya KRASNOLUTSKAYA (KAZ), via submission (7-2)
BRONZE: Mariia SUSKA (UKR) df. Texenery TEJERA GARCIA (ESP), 8-4

65kg
GOLD: Anastasiia SHAROVA (UWW) df. Karolina HRYNIUK (UKR), via submission (6-2)

BRONZE: Anais MORANTA ALBRECH (ESP) df. Zhasmin KAIRAT (KAZ), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Malgorzata SALAMON (POL) df. Efthymia PANAGIOTOPOULOU (GRE), 6-3

90kg
GOLD: Mercedes GARCIA RODRIGUEZ (ESP)
SILVER: Karolina KARALUS (POL)
BRONZE: Elena ZAIMIDOU (GRE)

U17 Men's Grappling No-Gi

50kg
GOLD: Roman SHOSTAK (UKR) df. Nursat BAIKASSOV (KAZ), 8-4

BRONZE: Yerkanat NARIMAN (KAZ) df. Ilkin GULIEV (UWW), 7-6
BRONZE: Jivan ARAKELYAN (ARM) df. Oinatz IRUSTA GARCIA (ESP), 8-1

54kg
GOLD: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Dawid BALTRUKANIS (POL), via submission (14-1)

BRONZE: Jakub BARDEN (POL) df. Julen TRUJILLO HERNANDEZ (ESP), via submission (9-0)
BRONZE: Amir SHURDUMOV (UWW) df. Athanasios TAGKALAKIS TSAKOPOULOS (GRE), 15-0

58kg
GOLD: Kurbanali MAKHMUDOV (UWW) df. Rafik ALEKSANYAN (ARM), 5-3

BRONZE: Lohan DURANDET (FRA) df. Artem KULYK (UKR), via submission (11-0)
BRONZE: Daniel CABRERA PORTELA (ESP) df. Adam KARAMANOLIS (GRE), via submission

63kg
GOLD: Ramil ZHIROV (UWW) df. Leved GRANER (HUN), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Shermat ZHAMALBEK (KAZ) df. Yanis ANGELOSANTO (FRA), 4-4
BRONZE: Danylo TERESHCHENKO (UKR) df. Edgar SIMONYAN (ARM), via submission (3-0)

69kg
GOLD: Gusein KHASAEV (UWW) df. Amir KHABICHEV (UWW), 2-2

BRONZE: Gor SAHAKYAN (ARM) df. Antoni BLACH (POL), 2-1
BRONZE: Mansur ZHANTEMIROV (KAZ) df. Leonard HRUSA (GER), via submission (5-2)

76kg
GOLD: Andrii SHTUNDER (UKR) df. Aleksei SKOREV (UWW), via submission (6-0)

BRONZE: Heorhi HLAZKO (UWW) df. Ivan KUCHYNSKI (UWW), via submission (10-1)
BRONZE: Donat HOLLOSY (HUN) df. Aldiyar KARIMOV (KAZ), via submission (2-1)

85kg
GOLD: Mateusz KUCA (POL) df. Hurhen MKRTCHIAN (UKR), 6-4

BRONZE: Yaroslav FEDYNA (UKR) df. Shynggyskhan ABDIROV (KAZ), 3-2

110kg
GOLD: Balazs KIS (HUN)
SILVER: Levente SZABO (HUN)
BRONZE: Gasan KHASAEV (UWW)

U17 Women's Grappling No-Gi

43kg
GOLD: Ailina GALIEVA (UWW) df. Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR), via submission

46kg
GOLD: Vasilisa SHUTOVA (UWW) df. Karolina HYRIA (UKR), 15-0

49kg
GOLD: Mariia SHMELEVA (UWW)
SILVER: Sylwia WELC (POL)
BRONZE: Tomiris ZAGIDULLINA (KAZ)

52kg
GOLD: Shantel AMBRIZ (USA) df. Daria KHAMETOVA (UWW), 2-1

BRONZE:  Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL) df. Amina ZHEKSHENBEKOVA (KGZ), 9-2

56kg
GOLD: Oliwia GREWLING (POL) df. Vladyslava SMILIANSKA (UKR), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Yana PAVLIUK (UKR) df. Vivien SZABO (HUN), 6-2
BRONZE: Safiya UALIAKHMETOVA (KAZ) df. Eleni TOLIA (GRE), 12-8

60kg
GOLD: Aleksandra PETUKHOVA (UWW) df. Petra SZALAY (HUN), via submission (9-3)

BRONZE: Susana GONZALEZ GONZALEZ (ESP) df. Laila DAVIS (GER), via submission (9-1)
BRONZE: Texenery TEJERA GARCIA (ESP) df. Daria HLADUN (UKR), 5-3

65kg
GOLD: Anastasiia SHAROVA (UWW) df. Malgorzata SALAMON (POL), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Anais MORANTA ALBRECH (ESP) df. Sohane EDDAMI (FRA), via submission (14-0)
BRONZE: Efthymia PANAGIOTOPOULOU (GRE) df. Gulzhaina SULTANOVA (KAZ), via submission (9-0)

90kg
GOLD: Mercedes GARCIA RODRIGUEZ (ESP)
SILVER: Karolina KARALUS (POL)
BRONZE: Tetiana TKACHYK (UKR)