Women's wrestling rankings released

Wednesday, March 22, 2023 - 11:23 By Vinay Siwach

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (March 22) -- With the continental championships beginning next month, United World Wrestling released rankings that will determine the seeds of those tournaments and will offer more ranking points to the participating wrestlers.

Women's rankings in all 10 weight classes show that the top-ranked wrestlers at the start of the year are keen on keeping it as we head towards the World Championships in the second half of the year.

While the continental championships will have four seeds, the World Championships will have eight seeds. The tournament in Belgrade will also offer Paris Olympics qualifying spots.

Here's the breakdown of the rankings in 10 women's wrestling weight classes after the Ranking Series events in Zagreb and Alexandria which offered points.

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50kg
Yui SUSAKI (JPN) returned to the Ranking Series event for the first time in five years and won gold. At the start of the year, she had 45000 points but the gold took her total to 58000 points, 12800 points clear of the second-placed Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) who has 45200 points. Anna LUKASIAK (POL) has jumped one place to third with the 5050 points she received for finishing 10th in Zagreb.

Emilia VUC (ROU) has added 5800 points for her ninth-place finish in Alexandria which pushed her to the fifth spot. Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) is sixth with 29320 points as she finished seventh in Zagreb and 11th in Alexandria. She collected a total of 12320 points.

She was 10th at the start of the year but Madison PARKS (CAN) has jumped to seventh with a 10th place finish in Zagreb and fifth in Alexandria. She collected 14480 points in the two tournaments and now has 28780 points.

The new entrant in the top 10 is Ziqi FENG (CHN) who has 27000 points. She finished third in Zagreb for 16000 points and won the gold in Alexandria for 11000 points more.

Miesinnei GENESIS (MGR), earlier sixth with 25000 points, has now slipped to 10th.

Dominique PARRISH (USA) remains number one in 53kg weight class. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

53kg
She may not have won any medals in Zagreb and Alexandria but world champion Dom PARRISH (USA) continues to lead the rankings with 50800 points. World silver medalist Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) remains second with 45520 points, 8520 points more than her 37000 points at the start of the year.

Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) and Jonna MALMGREN (SWE), the two wrestlers who finished fifth at World Championships, are now third and fourth respectively. Yepez won the gold medal in Alexandria for 13000 points and also has 5800 points for her 11th place finish in Zagreb. Malmgren now has 33200 points, thanks to the 8200 points she collected for her eighth-place finish in Alexandria.

Iulia LEORDA (MDA) and Li DENG (CHN) broke into the top 10 after the two ranking events. Leorda has 17680 points in the eighth spot while Deng has 16475 points at the 10th spot.

Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN) and Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) remain 1-2 at 55kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

55kg
The top three at 55kg remain unchanged with world champion Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN) leading the way. But coming in at number four is Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA), who was sixth at the start of the year. She has 33000 points as she won the gold medal in Alexandria. That has pushed Karla GODINEZ (CAN) to fifth and Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) to sixth.

Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ), who was 10th at the start of the year with 14300 points, has jumped to seventh with 19500 points. She got 5200 points for her bronze in Alexandria.

Sedneva's jump means that Andreea ANA (ROU), Sushma SHOKEEN (IND) and Roksana ZASINA (POL) have slipped one place each to complete the list.

Helen MAROULIS (USA), left, has replaced Tsugumu SAKURAI (JPN) at the top at 57kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

57kg
Helen MAROULIS (USA) is back on top. The former world champion was 8000 points behind leader and world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) at the start of the year but went 200 points ahead of her with an eighth-place finish in Zagreb. Maroulis now has 45200 points for the top spot while Sakurai remains at 45000 points.

Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) and Anhelina LYSAK (POL) remain third and fourth respectively but their total points have increased.

Yongxin FENG (CHN) jumped from ninth to fifth with 33420 points as she won a silver medal in Zagreb and finished seventh in Alexandria. In the sixth position is Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB) with 27875 points as she also participated in both Zagreb and Alexandria. Finish 13th in Zagreb was worth 5075 points while finishing ninth in Alexandria gave her 5800 points.

Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR (MGL) and Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE), who were fifth and sixth respectively, are now seventh and eighth.

Giullia PENALBER (BRA) and Qi ZHANG (CHN) have broken into top-10 with 23400 points and 18400 points respectively.

Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) consolidated her position at the top at 59kg with two medals in two events. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

59kg
A gold medal at the Zagreb Open and silver in Alexandria took world champion Anastasia NICHITA's (MDA) total to 53400 points as she continues to remain number one at 59kg. There is no change in the rankings until the seventh position which is now occupied by Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ) with 17500 points.

Kayumova was ninth with 13500 points but she improved two places to seventh with a fifth-place finish in Alexandria. That means that MANSI (IND) is now eighth, Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) is ninth and Abigail NETTE (USA) is tenth.

Kayla MIRACLE (USA) is now the top ranked wrestler at 62kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

62kg
World champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) has been hurt by not competing since winning the gold medal in Belgrade. She was the number one wrestler with 45000 points but Kayla MIRACLE (USA) now has 56200 points to jump to the top spot.

Not only that, world bronze medalist Xiaojuan LUO (CHN), who was fourth, is now second with 48200 points. She improved her rank with 11th-place finish in Zagreb and a silver medal in Alexandria.

Ozaki now sits third with 45000 points with Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) on her heels at fourth with 43075 points. Tynybekova finished 13th in Zagreb but bounced back to win gold in Alexandria which took her total from 25000 points to 43075 points.

World bronze medalist Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) is fifth with 36800 points while Ana GODINEZ (CAN) is sixth with 33200 points. Sara LINDBORG (SWE) finished fifth in Alexandria for 9000 points and managed to improve one rank to seventh with 26000 points. Lais NUNES (BRA) also jumped from 10th to eighth with 23300 points.

Two newcomers in the top-10 include Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) who has 22613 points and Grace BULLEN (NOR) with 19600 points.

World champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) remains number one at 65kg with 43000 points. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

65kg
World champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) continues to rule 65kg as she has 43000 points at the top.

World bronze medalist Mallory VELTE (USA) has jumped from fourth to second with 35400 points as both Jia LONG (CHN) and Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) have moved into Olympic weight classes.

There are no other changes in the remaining rankings.

Taymra MENSAH STOCK (USA) headlines the rankings at 68kg. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

68kg
No one has been able to touch world champion Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) as he remains top-ranked with 45000 points. Irina RINGACI (MDA) has moved to the second spot over Ami ISHII (JPN) as she now has 39200 points over Ishii's 37000 points. World bronze medalist Linda MORAIS (CAN) remains fourth with 31000 points.

Sofiya GEORGIEVA (BUL) has jumped from sixth to fourth with 28705 points from her earlier 18200 points. She finished 10th in Zagreb and 15th in Alexandria.

Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) has broken into the top-10 with 25800 points as she won silver in Zagreb. She also finished fifth in Alexandria to further improve her rank.

Former fifth NISHA (IND) and sixth Feng ZHOU (CHN) have now slipped to seventh and eighth. Two France wrestlers, Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA) and Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), are ninth and tenth with 22500 points and 22400 points.

Amit ELOR (USA) is ranked number one at 72kg. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

72kg
The biggest change at 72kg is Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB) who has jumped from sixth to third with 30760 points. She earlier had 23000 points. She claimed 4000 points for her fifth place in Zagreb and 3760 points for being sixth in Alexandria.

Amit ELOR (USA) continues to be number one with 43000 points followed by Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) with 35000 points.

No further changes were seen in this weight class until the eighth spot which is now occupied by REETIKA (IND) with 15960 points. She broke into the top 10 with a sixth-place finish in Zagreb and a bronze medal in Alexandria. This also means that Shauna KUEBECK (CAN) has moved to ninth with 15000 points.

Silver medal in Zagreb and gold in Alexandria have propelled Dalma CANEVA (ITA) to the 10th spot with 14400 points.

Samar HAMZA (EGY) replaced Yasemin ADAR (TUR) from the top at 76kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

76kg
The weight class with the most uncertainty is topped by Samar HAMZA (EGY) as she has 50280 points, 5280 points more than world champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR). Hamza finished 10th in Zagreb and ninth in Alexandria.

Fifth placer at World Championships Genesis REASCO (ECU) is now third with 37000 points as she collected 12000 points over the two Ranking Series events.

Juan WANG (CHN) also improved her rank from seventh to fourth with 36600 points from 18200 points at the start of the year. She almost doubled her points with fifth place in Zagreb and a silver medal in Alexandria.

Justina DI STASIO (CAN) is now fifth with 35200 points followed by Epp MAE (EST) with 34800 points. Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) is seventh with 31000 points.

Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ) holds on to her eighth spot with 20075 points but Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) breaks into top-10 at ninth with 19600 points as she won silver in Zagreb and bronze in Alexandria. She was ranked 11th with 11400 points after the Zagreb event.

Martina KUENZ (AUT) is 10th with 15500 points.

#WrestleCoralville

Welker Pins World Champ Reasco to Win Pan-Am Gold

Sunday, May 10, 2026 - 09:57 By Vinay Siwach

CORALVILLE, IOWA, United States (May 9) -- Olympic bronze medalist, world bronze medalist and world champion. That was the hit-list of Kylie WELKER (USA) as she defended her Pan-American 76kg title in Coralville on Saturday.

Welker, a world bronze medalist herself last year, was among the three United States wrestlers who won gold medals as Women's Wrestling came to a close at the Pan-American Championships. The U.S. was the best team of the tournament with 235 points as all 10 wrestlers won medals including eight golds. Canada finished second with 136 points while Mexico was third with 128 points.

Welker's path to gold medal was nothing short of a minefield as she faced Paris 2024 bronze medalist Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) in the quarterfinals. But Welker got to work straightaway scoring a stepout to lead 1-0. She then countered Renteria's attack and scored a takedown to extend the lead to 3-0 before adding another to go into the break leading 5-0. She took 30 seconds in the second period to score her third takedown and then rolled Renteria twice to finish the match 11-0.

Up against world bronze medalist Milaimy MARIN (CUB) in the semifinals, Welker finished the bout with 1:18 remaining. Marin was put on the activity clock in the first period before Welker rushed her into a takedown to lead 3-0. Welker then overpowered Marin when the Cuban tried reaching for Welker's legs. It was scored four points as Marin fell straight from standing. A go-behind and then an arm-bar exposure was enough for an 11-0 win but Welker held Marin on the mat for the fall.

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World champion Genesis REASCO (ECU) reached the final from the other side of the bracket with hopes of avenging her 10-0 loss to Welker from last year's Pan-Am semifinals. But the final did not start in Reasco's favor as she was put on the activity clock in the first period which gave Welker a 1-0 lead. In the second period, Welker was put on the activity clock but with seconds left in the 30-second clock, she tried reaching Reasco's leg.

The Ecuadorian world champion thought it was ideal moment to drag Welker towards the zone, but as she did that, Welker whizzed her for a two-point exposure and then held her on the mat for a fall which was confirmed just before Reasco went out of wrestling area.

With the gold medal, U23 world champion Welker is now a two-time Pan-Am champion.

The two other champions for the U.S. were former world medalist Kayla MIRACLE (USA) and Abigail NETTE (USA) at 65kg and 59kg respectively.

Miracle, returning to wrestling since Paris 2024, won both her bouts via technical superiority. She defeated Alexis GOMEZ (MEX), 10-0, in Round 1 and then Miki ROWBOTTOM (CAN), 10-0, in Round 3. Rowbottom defeated Gomez 6-4 in Round 2 to win the silver medal.

Nette had to win three bouts for the gold medal. She began with a 12-2 win over defending champion Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN) and then secured two falls, first over Daniela MARTINEZ (MEX) and then against Mayara RAMOS (BRA) to confirm her title.

Beauregard, a four-time Pan-Am champion and world bronze medalist, defeated both Martinez and Ramos to secure the silver medal. And since Ramos defeated Martinez earlier in the day, she won the bronze medal.

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Yepez Wins Fourth Straight Gold

Olympic and world silver medalist Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) captured her fourth straight Pan-American title at 53kg as she won the gold medal after beating Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN), 12-2, in the final.

Yepez scored first in the final when Di Benedetto tried a snap down and Yepez quickly turned it into a leg attack. She scored a takedown and then a turn to lead 4-0 before adding a stepout to lead 5-0. But she missed one of her attack and Di Benedetto scored a go-behind to make it 5-2.

If that takedown gave any hopes to Di Benedetto, Yepez quickly quashed then hitting a double-leg for four points and then a turn to lead 11-2. The two wrestlers split for the break but on return, Yepez took just 20 seconds to score the match-winning takedown, taking her score to 13-2.

Earlier in the quarterfinals, Yepez defeated former U20 world champion Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA), 11-0.

Zahid VALENCIA (USA) outscored his opponents 31-0 en route his third Pan-Am title. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Valencia Defends 86kg Gold

Freestyle commenced on Saturday at the Pan-Ams and the U.S., like in Greco-Roman and Women's Wrestling, dominated it.

In the three weight classes in action on Saturday, the U.S. won two golds medals through world champion Zahid VALENCIA (USA) at 86kg and Austin DE SANTO (USA) at 61kg. The third Freestyle gold of the night went to Geannis GARZON (CUB) who denied Phillip WEBSTER (USA) in the 74kg final.

Valencia, the defending champion at 86kg, went 31-0 in his three bouts. He began with a 10-0 win over Nestor TAFUR (COL) before beating Pedro GONCALVES (BRA), 11-0, in the semifinals.

In the final, Valencia opened the scoring against Christopher FOCA (DOM) using a snap down takedown and then scored another at the edge to lead 4-0. He then used a single-leg attack to lift Foca and slam him on the mat for four points and double the lead to 8-0. Foca attempted a head pinch but Valencia defended it and scored two points as Foca landed on the mat, giving Valencia the win with 2:31 remaining.

De Santo won his first two bouts in the Nelson bracket and then the semifinal, all with the score of 10-0, before blanking Caleb SMITH (PUR), 9-0, in the final. While Smith was pace-setter in the first period, it was De Santo who counter efficiently to lead 4-0 at the break.

But De Santo changed it in the second period, scoring a takedown and turn in the first 34 seconds and lead 8-0. He defended his lead without engaging much with Smith and also scored a stepout late in the final to clinch the gold medal.

Geannis GARZON (CUB) won the 74kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

At 74kg, Garzon made amends after being disqualified for brutality last year, by winning the gold medal this year. Facing Webster in the final, Garzon led 4-0 at the break. In a back-and-forth second period, Garzon tried using a chest wrap to defend an attack from Webster. It was initially scored two for Garzon and one for Webster's reversal, giving Garzon a 6-1 lead.

The U.S. challenged the decision and after the review, the scoring was changed to four points for Garzon and two points for Webster with the former lead 8-2. Webster got a clean takedown soon after to trim the lead to 8-4 but as he was working on the next takedown, Garzon scored exposure lift for two points and Webster got a reversal for one point.

Garzon led 10-5 when Webster scored stepout to make it 10-6 but the U.S. challenged, saying the score should be 10-7. The scoring was deemed correct and Garzon body locked Webster in the final eight seconds to score a takedown and confirm his victory.

RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

53kg
GOLD: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN), 13-2

BRONZE: Sabrina GAMA (BRA) df. Antonia VALDES (CHI), 8-2
BRONZE: Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) df. Alexa ALVAREZ (VEN), 7-2

59kg
GOLD: Abigail NETTE (USA)
SILVER: Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN)
BRONZE: Mayara RAMOS PEREIRA (BRA)

65kg
GOLD: Kayla MIRACLE (USA)
SILVER: Miki ROWBOTTOM (CAN)
BRONZE: Alexis GOMEZ (MEX)

76kg
GOLD: Kylie WELKER (USA) df. Genesis REASCO (ECU), via fall

BRONZE: Milaimy MARIN (CUB) df. Tatiana RENTERIA (COL), 7-0
BRONZE: Edna JIMENEZ (MEX) df. Neirili BANGUERO (VEN), 9-5

Freestyle

61kg
GOLD: Austin DE SANTO (USA) df. Caleb SMITH (PUR), 9-0

BRONZE: Garette SAUNDERS (CAN) df. Alex VEGA TUN (GUA), 12-5

74kg
GOLD: Geannis GARZON TAMAYO (CUB) df. Phillip WEBSTER (USA), 12-6

BRONZE: Ibsen AGUILAR (VEN) df. Luis BARRIOS (HON), 8-6
BRONZE: Adam THOMSON (CAN) df. Raul PALACIOS (MEX), 10-0

86kg
GOLD: Zahid VALENCIA (USA) df. Christopher FOCA (DOM), 10-0

BRONZE: Ethan RAMOS (PUR) df. Jose PINERO (VEN), 10-0
BRONZE: Nestor TAFUR (COL) df. Pedro GONCALVES (BRA), 11-0

Women's wrestling rankings released

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Welker Pins World Champ Reasco to Win Pan-Am Gold