#25Under25

UWW 25-Under-25: No. 1-No. 5

By Vinay Siwach

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 19) -- For the past week, United World Wrestling brought you the top 20 wrestlers who could put on a show throughout 2022. These stars, all under the age of 25 years, have proved their mettle in the past and are likely to continue, especially with the Paris Olympics just two years away.

Now, it's time for the top five wrestlers on the list -- the number 1 to 5. All these wrestlers are already big names in the wrestling world and fans would be keen to follow going into this Olympic cycle.

These stars are not only the 'next big thing,' but they are trendsetters who can rewrite history moving forward.

Here's UWW's fifth and final segment -- No. 1 through No. 5 -- of the Top 25-Under-25 to keep an eye on.

UWW 25-Under-25: No. 21-No. 25
No. 25 - Alina AKOBIYA (UKR), 23-years-old
No. 24 - Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 24-years-old
No. 23 - Artur SARGSYAN (RWF), 24-years-old
No. 22 - TUMUR OCHIR Tulga (MGL), 24-year-old
No. 21 - Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 22-years-old

UWW 25-Under-25: No. 20-No. 16
No. 20 - Anshu MALIK (IND), 20-years-old
No. 19 - Irinia RINGACI (MDA), 21-years-old
No. 18 - Zagir SHAKHIEV (RUS), 23-years-old
No. 17 - Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), 23-years-old
No. 16 - Leri ABULADZE (GEO), 23-years-old

UWW 25-Under-25: No. 15-No. 11
No. 15 - Ernazar AKMATLIEV (KGZ), 23-years-old
No. 14 - Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI), 24-years-old
No. 13 - Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), 18-years-old
No. 12 - Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RWF), 23-years-old
No. 11 - Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), 23-years-old

UWW 25-Under-25: No. 10-No. 6
No. 10 - Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 23-years-old
No. 9 - Mohammad EL SAYED (EGY), 23-years-old  
No. 8 - Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) – 23-years-old
No. 7 - Akzhol MAKHMUDOV – 22-years-old
No. 6 - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) – 22-years-old

No. 5 - Ravi KUMAR (IND), 24-years-old (December 12, 1997)

Instagram: ravi_kumar_60

There is no doubt that Kumar is one of the most exciting wrestlers in the sport. For more than three years after winning junior silver in 2015, Kumar was sidelined with injuries. But he came back to win the silver medal at the U23 Worlds. Yet, he never was a threat at the senior level.

It all began with a bronze medal at the '19 World Championships in Nur-Sultan. A close bout with Zavur UGUEV (RWF) in the semifinal was his only loss. He followed that with Asian championship golds in 2020 and 2021, beating veterans like Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) and Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ).

By the time Tokyo Olympics arrived, Kumar was a medal threat. His style, stamina and ability to come from behind made fans talk about him being an Olympic champion. Using his exceptional pace to attack, the Haryana-native reached the final of the Olympics at 57kg and faced a familiar opponent in Uguev, who once again overcame Kumar to win the gold in Tokyo. Kumar's hopes of being India's first-ever wrestling Olympic champion were dashed. The silver medal in Tokyo left the Indian dissatisfied.

The challenge for Kumar going into the Paris cycle will be to maintain his weight at 57kg. A big year ahead will see him compete at the Asian Championships and Asian Games which could give an insight into his condition for the next two years.

No. 4 - Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI), 24-years-old (January 6, 1998)

Instagram: mohammadhadi_saravi

When it comes to the 97kg Greco-Roman weight class, Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) and Musa EVLOEV (RWF) have dominated the world for two consecutive Olympic cycles. But there is a new name that is on a mission to remove the two greats. Saravi has proven that he can be a world-beater at 97kg.

A junior world and Asian champion, Saravi won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, losing to Aleksanyan in an encounter closer than the 4-1 scoreline suggested. Two months later, he was back on the mat for the World Championships in Oslo, Norway.

He humbled every wrestler that came in his way to the gold, claiming his first senior world title in dominating fashion. He began with a 6-4 win over U23 world champion and friend Artur SARGSIAN (RWF). He followed that up with a technical superiority win over Giorgi MELIA (GEO), a 5-1 victory over Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), and in the final, broke Hungary's Alex SZOKE (HUN).

In 2022, Saravi needs to find a way to match the strength of Evloev and even Aleksanyan. But by the time Paris comes, Saravi's name will be in the same league as the two Olympic champions.

No. 3 - Amir ZARE (IRI), 21-years-old (January 16, 2001)

Instagram: amirhossein.zarre

Iran was without a 125kg gold medal at the World Championships for the last 32 years. Then, Zare!

The teenager not only ended that draught, but he did so in style. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Taha AKGUL (TUR) fell victims to Zare's wrath in Oslo as the Iranian wrestler did everything right. Zare defeated Akgul, 6-0, in the semifinals, and later avenged his Olympics loss to Petriashvili with a 9-2 gold-medal win, backed by the electrifying Iranian fans.

Zare shot to limelight in 2019 when he won the U23 Worlds at the age of 18 years and followed that up with a 15-11 win over Petriashvili in the Iranian league. But Mason PARRIS (USA) and Sergey KOTZEV (RWF) scored victories over Zare at the Junior Worlds and Youth Olympics to keep him under check.

The Amol-born star later qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and won a bronze at 125kg after losing his semifinal 6-4 to Petriashvili.

The stunning turnaround to beat the Georgian star only took two months and it stunned wrestling fans. With a lot of wrestling left in him, Zare could be a name that will be repeated at the medal ceremonies around the world for a long time.

No. 2 - Yukako KAWAI (JPN), 24-years-old (July 27, 1997)

Instagram: yukako_kawai27

How does it feel to win an Olympic gold medal at home with your sister? Just ask Yukako KAWAI (JPN).

Yukako and her sister Risako won gold medals at 57kg and 62kg, respectively, in Tokyo. But before being an Olympic champion, Kawai overcame a big hurdle.

Kawai's biggest hurdle was two-time world champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), who defeated her at the 2019 Asian and World Championships. She needed to avenge her loss before the Olympics rolled around so she had a psychological advantage over the Kyrgystan wrestler. She did that with a final second four-point move at the Asian Championships in 2020.

That helped her when the two met in the final in Tokyo with Tynybekova being a slight favorite to win the gold. But as the match progressed, Kawai kept her cool and took home the gold medal with a 4-3 win, ending Tynybekova's dream of becoming the nation's first-ever Olympic gold medalist in any sport.

Both Risako and Yukako would like to repeat the feat in Paris 2024 and it will be an exhibition of high-class wrestling over the next three years whenever the two are on the mat.

No. 1 - Yui SUSAKI (JPN), 22 years old (June 30, 1999) and Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), 23-year-old (December 5, 1998)

Instagram: yui106301susaki, 01096taku

When you have two wrestlers who've won the world and Olympic titles before the age of 23 years old, it's impossible to give one the top spot over the other. With that being, Susaki and Otoguro share UWW's No. 1 spot for the Top 25 Under 25!

A little to differentiate the two Japanese studs as they handled the pressure of home Olympics with ease.

Susaki won her first world title in Paris in 2017. That was also the last time she surrendered a two-point takedown. Furthermore, in the last five years, the Japanese star has only given up exposure once. That came against her rival, SUN Yanan (CHN) during the World Cup in Narita, Japan in 2019.

A mind-blowing fact upcoming: Susaki has not allowed an offensive point to be scored on her since November 2019. That is more than two years of just toying with her opponents.

It remains unclear how long she will continue to wrestle internationally, but there’s one thing that’s clear: Susaki has the talent and will to match the all-time Japanese greats like Kaori ICHO (JPN) and Saori YOSHIDA (JPN).

Otoguro became a cadet world champ in 2014 but outlasted his 65kg foes at the ’18 Budapest World Championships and became Japan’s youngest-ever senior world champion at 19 years and 10 months old.

After an uncharacteristic fifth-place finish in Nur-Sultan, Otoguro bounced back and grabbed gold at back-to-back Asian Championships before winning Tokyo Olympic gold on home soil.

Otoguro's growth as a wrestler was visible during the Asian Championships in 2020 as he matured after that heartbreaking loss at the World Championships in 2019.

#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar Open 2025 Ranking Series Entries

By United World Wrestling Press

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (May 19) -- The third stop of the Ranking Series will be in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The competition will kick off on May 29 and continue till June 1.

Hosts Mongolia and India dominate entry list of over 200 wrestler. The UWW wrestlers will also have a significant presence.

The competition will be live on UWW+ on uww.org and the UWW App. Follow United World Wrestling on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube.

Note: These are preliminary entries and subject to change 72 hours before the draws of each style. For real time entries, refer to arena.uww.org

Freestyle 

57kg
RAHUL (IND)
AMAN (IND)
Abdymalik KARACHOV (KGZ)
Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ)
Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX)
Davaabandi MUNKH ERDENE (MGL)
Jiguur SARANTUYA (MGL)
Batmend ZORIGOO (MGL)
Bekir KESER (TUR)
Lev PAVLOV (UWW)

61kg
Georgii OKOROKOV (AUS)
UDIT (IND)
Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ)
Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ)
Ganbayar NAMSRAI (MGL)
Enkhbold ENKHBAT (MGL)
Bolor Erdene GANBOLD (MGL)
Dzmitry SHAMELA (UWW)
Artem GOBAEV (UWW)
Anzor MAZHIDOV (UWW)

65kg
ROHIT (IND)
Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)
Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURODOV (KGZ)
Junsik YUN (KOR)
Zeneemeder BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Gantulga BATBAATAR (MGL)
Battulga RAASH (MGL)
Ahmet DUMAN (TUR)
Dzhambulat KIZINOV (UWW)

70kg
Vishal KALIRAMANA (IND)
Mohammadali AMOUZAD (IRI)
Aliakbar FAZLI (IRI)
Jin su JEON (KOR)
Usukhbayar BAATARKHUU (MGL)
Ankh Erdene ALTANGEREL (MGL)
Khangaibayar GANBOLD (MGL)
Viktor RASSADIN (TJK)
Konstantin KAPRYNOV (UWW)
Zagir SHAKHIEV (UWW)

74kg
JAIDEEP (IND)
Hossein ABOUZARI (IRI)
Yones EMAMI (IRI)
Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI)
Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ)
Burenjargal BATBAYAR (MGL)
Deleg SHINEBAYAR (MGL)
Tugsjargal ERDENEBAT (MGL)
Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR)

79kg
AMIT (IND)
Fariborz BABAEI (IRI)
Yeruult YADAMJAV (MGL)
Sukhbat GANSUKH (MGL)
Dalaitseren JAVKHLANKHUU (MGL)
Magomet EVLOEV (TJK)

86kg
ASHISH (IND)
Bekzat RAKHIMOV (KGZ)
Taegyu HWANG (KOR)
Byambadorj BAT ERDENE (MGL)
Dayanbileg GAN OCHIR (MGL)
Tamiraa TSEVEEN OCHIR (MGL)
Ganbat TSERENPUNTSAG (MGL)
Osman GOCEN (TUR)

92kg
Deepak PUNIA (IND)
Demchigdorj TUMURBAATAR (MGL)
Bayarbaatar SANJAASUREN (MGL)
Delgerdalai DEMBEREL (MGL)
Askhab SAADULAEV (UWW)

97kg
VICKY (IND)
Ahmad BAZRI (IRI)
Pureun KIM (KOR)
Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
Sarantsogt DEMUUL (MGL)
Tuvshintur GANBAYAR (MGL)
Resul GUNE (TUR)
Uladzislau KAZLOU (UWW)
Bady Maadyr SAMDAN (UWW)
Irbeg TAVGAZOV (UWW)

125kg
DINESH (IND)
Altangerel CHINBAT (MGL)
Byamba Erdene DULAMKHUU (MGL)
Narantulga DARMAABAZAR (MGL)
Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR)
Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (UWW)
Abdulla KURBANOV (UWW)

Kerem KAMAL (TUR)
European champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) will be at 63kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling Federation / Kostadin Andonov)

Greco-Roman

55kg
Anil MOR (IND)
Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ)
Davaabandi MUNKH ERDENE (MGL)
Sumiyabazar MUNKHZAYA (MGL)
Alexander CUEVAS (SGP)

60kg
SURAJ (IND)
Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ)
Kurmanbek ZHAPAROV (KGZ)
Ganbayar NAMSRAI (MGL)
Enes BASAR (TUR)

63kg
CHETAN (IND)
Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI)
Doolotbek CHOIBEKOV (KGZ)
Hanjae CHUNG (KOR)
Aref MOHAMMADI (QAT)
Kerem KAMAL (TUR)

67kg
NEERAJ (IND)
Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ)
Murat FIRAT (TUR)

72kg
Ankit GULIA (IND)
Danial SOHRABI (IRI)
Yryskeldi KHAMZAEV (KGZ)
Zandanbat BATSAIKHAN (MGL)
Mehmet SAHIN (TUR)

77kg
Nishant PHOGAT (IND)
Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ)
Orgil NYAM ERDENE (MGL)
Lkhagvasuren DASHJAMTS (MGL)
Sumiyabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL)
Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR)

82kg
PRINCE (IND)
Bekzat ORUNKUL UULU (KGZ)
Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT)
Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)

87kg
Karan KAMBOJ (IND)
Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ)
Batbayar TSOGTBAATAR (MGL)
Alperen BERBER (TUR)

97kg
NITESH (IND)
Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ)

130kg
PREM (IND)
Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ)
Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL)
Turbat BATBAYAR (MGL)
Hamza BAKIR (TUR)

Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) will wrestle at 62kg for Mongolia. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Women's Wrestling

50kg
NEELAM (IND)
Oyundari GANBAT (MGL)
Purevtungalag MUNKHBAT (MGL)
Amar Orchlon AMGALANTUGS (MGL)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Natalia PUDOVA (UWW)
Aiana UKHEEVA (UWW)

53kg
ANTIM (IND)
Namuuntsetseg TSOGT OCHIR (MGL)
Tsovoo GANKHUYAG (MGL)
Oyunbileg RENDOO (MGL)
Ariunzaya ODONCHIMEG (MGL)
Aysun ERGE (TUR)
Natalia MALYSHEVA (UWW)

55kg
PUSHPA (IND)
Otgontuya BAYANMUNKH (MGL)
Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Dulguun MUNKHBOLD BOLORMAA (MGL)
Tumendemberel NYAMDAVAA (MGL)

57kg
Ana PEREIRA (BRA)
NEHA (IND)
Enkhtuvshin BALJINNYAM (MGL)
Erdenebolor LKHAGVASUREN (MGL)
Munkhchimeg URJIN (MGL)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)

59kg
MUSKAN (IND)
Anudari BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Khorolgarav BOLDBAATAR (MGL)
Bayasgalan MONGOLKHUU (MGL)
Bediha GUN (TUR)

62kg
MANISHA (IND)
Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL)
Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)
Saruul ERDENEBILEG (MGL)
Alina KASABIEVA (UWW)

65kg
SHIKSHA (IND)
Maitsetseg BAYARAA (MGL)
Odgerel ERDENE OCHIR (MGL)
Narkhajid NYAMSUREN (MGL)
Ekaterina KOSHKINA (UWW)
Valeriia DONDUPOVA SUVOROVA (UWW)

68kg
MONIKA (IND)
Balqis TAAIBIN (JOR)
Davaajargal ALTANSUKH (MGL)
Gantsetseg BATSUKH (MGL)
Batsuren MYAGMARSUREN (MGL)

72kg
HARSHITA (IND)
Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL)
Naidansuren BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Tsogzolmaa DORJSUREN (MGL)
Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (UWW)

76kg
REETIKA (IND)
Tselmuun OTGONBAT (MGL)
Urtnasan GAN OCHIR (MGL)
Suvd Erdene KHURELCHULUUN (MGL)