#RankingSeries

Women's wrestling rankings released

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

Share this article

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.

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)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)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)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)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)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.

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)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)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)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)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.

Obituary

Remembering Saitiev: Master on mat who inspired many

Monday, April 7, 2025 - 12:53 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 7) -- Buvaisar SAITIEV was an unknown before the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. And after that he became the legend. 

At 21, Saitiev thrilled the crowd and displayed techniques that the world thought were impossible to execute at 74kg. Saitiev would go on to win two more Olympic golds -- 2004 and 2008 -- as he became the best 74kg wrestler out there. A three-time Olympic champion, six-time world champion, and an inspiration to the wrestling world, Saitiev passed away earlier this month at the age of 49.

"Biggest and greatest wrestler" - Nenad LALOVIC, UWW President

Brandon SLAY (USA) was in that crowd at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The 21-year-old was amazed what he saw. He watched another 21-year-old win the gold medal.

"It was an honor to watch him in Atlanta," Slay said. "Then study him and compete against him four years later."

Believe it or not, that was the first time Russia won Olympic gold medal at 74kg, a weight class now synonymous with their domination, both at senior and youth level.

Buvaisar SAITIEV (RUS)Buvaisar SAITIEV (RUS). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Martin Gabor)

At the time, the U.S. was focused on defending its dominance at 74kg, with Iran also challenging for supremacy, while Saitiev had yet to make his mark internationally. The Olympic history saw wrestlers from Turkiye, Japan, the United States and Korea win gold medal in this weight class. So when Saitiev arrived, he was the underdog. In the 1996 Atlanta final, he defeated the defending Olympic champion Park JANG SOON and ushered an era of Russian dominance at this weight class.

It took a once-in-a-lifetime talents like Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) and Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) to deny the gold medals to Russia in 2012 and 2016 respectively. However, Russia is now at top. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (ROC) won gold medals at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships, 2020 Tokyo Olympics [held in 2021] before winning it again in 2023 and Russian transfer to Uzbekistan and Saitiev's student Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) won in 2024.

A little insight on how the U.S. discovered Saitiev is provided in the the documentary 'Slaying Saitiev". Pat SMITH (USA), who was wrestling at the 1995 Ivan Yarygin Memorial, recalls when he first saw Saitiev, his opponent in the final.

Saitiev had not wrestled senior-level yet internationally and was till three months away from winning his first World Championships gold. So Smith and his team thought they are favorites to win the gold medal at the Yarygin.

"I go out on the mat, I see Saitiev, the fight starts," Smith recalls in the documentary. "And right away, right away I thought: “This is the best they have.” Because the way he was punching, his movement, the way he was flowing from one position to another... he was simply unstoppable. I did some takedowns, but in the end he gave me a pretty good beating. I come off the mat, Bruce is standing there, I say: “You were wrong. That guy from the semi-finals wasn’t the best. This is the best . ” – “I didn’t even know who it was!” – “Now you know. Buvaisar Saitiev.” And two months later he won the world championship. The best wrestler I’ve ever wrestled. There’s no question about that. The best.

"He looked like a librarian, skinny, gangly. But the positions he scores from, the way he moves you around the mat... I've never wrestled anyone like that again."

Smith’s observation wasn’t just a fleeting comment. It captured the essence of what made Saitiev so formidable on the mat. Saitiev, standing at 6 feet, defied convention of a tall wrestler standing upright. He would engage in ties which forced his opponents to shoot while he was in control. Saitiev would counter rather easily and score.

Saitiev used to engage with his opponents and yet they found it extremely difficult to score a takedown on him.

Brandon SLAY (USA)Brandon SLAY (USA) over Buvaisar SAITIEV (RUS) at the 2000 Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Martin Gabor)

Slay, who defeated Saitiev at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, had to study Saitiev for years before breaking through in their Olympic meeting.

"The greatness of Saitiev came from how extremely hard it was to finish takedowns on him," Slay says. "Most of the time when people attacked Saitiev, either he scored or no one scored. And, most of the time when he attacked, he scored. That makes for a very challenging opponent to beat, which is why he rarely lost. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to wrestle the greatest wrestler of all time."

Saitiev had it all. Snapdowns, feints, two-on-one, underhooks, overhooks, defense, attack, chain wrestling, innovations, and techniques that made him score points from any positions. So many options to immobilize his opponents who would eventually break down.

On March 3, the day he passed away, the internet saw outpouring tributes to his legacy. But some of the most shared posts were his clips from various bouts on his career. A few wrote how they began wrestling because of him, others explained why he inspired them to adapt and study wrestling.

Buvaisar SAITIEV (RUS)Buvaisar SAITIEV (RUS). (Photo: United World Wrestling)

2008 Olympic champion Henry CEJUDO (USA) called him the "greatest" and he was a 'fanboy.'

"A man that was poetry in motion at its finest, and in my opinion, the greatest athlete who has ever ever lived or walked on planet Earth," Cejudo wrote on his Instagram. "I would never fanboy over anybody but Buvaisar. I was so honored of the times that I did get a chance to hang out as I had a permanent smile the whole day. Thank you for all the great years that you gave the wrestling community and inspiring millions of people across the world. I can honestly say without Saitiev I wouldn’t be the wrestler that I am today."

John DIAKOMIHALIS (USA), a wrestler known for his crafty moves and detailing of wrestling, tributed his passion to Saitiev, who himself was known as a wizard on the mat for his moves.

"Buvaisar Saitiev was how I fell in love with the art of wrestling, I wanted to be like him," Diakomihalis wrote on X. "His innovation and passion for improvement were some of the staples of how I approached learning the sport or learning anything in my life."

Saitiev had that impact on people. Jamalov, who won the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal, was Saitiev's student. Jamalov said that Saitiev was family.

"His approach was very subtle and deep, he always knew how to choose the right and necessary words for support," Jamalov said. "Every meeting with him was unforgettable and every word of his was unforgettable. Outside of wrestling, he was very caring and compassionate towards me, he was always worried about my injuries and operations."

While Jamalov was his student, Saitiev never backed from helping any wrestler. He 'couldn't stop himself from talk to even strangers if he had a broken ear.'

 

After Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) lost her first-ever international bout to VINESH (IND) in Paris, she talked to Saitiev who had lost in Sydney after winning Atlanta but still won two more Olympic golds.

"I had a video call with him right after the Paris Olympics," Susaki said. "Like me, he didn't do well in his second Olympics. But he won gold medals in two more Olympics. I vowed to him that I would win gold medals in two more Olympics like him to become a legend.

"He also taught me that to become a legend, I should never lose again. I owe it all to him that I was able to stand up strong after losing. Thanks to him, I decided to keep fighting to win two more Olympic gold medals. And I vowed to become a legendary wrestler like him. I won't lose anymore. I will keep winning. Your message is a treasure for my life. He is a legend and his wrestling has always fascinated me. His matches are always amazing to watch and I think he is the most talented wrestler in history."

This off the mat personality of Saitiev resonated with many, even with people outside of wrestling. He was humble, witty and respectful.

Sports Express journalist Yuri GOLYSHAK recalled his moments with Saitiev who was part of many reception after his 2008 Beijing gold medal. 

"I was sure that we would meet again. Saitiev had enough stories for ten interviews," Golyshak wrote in his tribute. "I even imagined how it would be - not in a hurry, like after Beijing. Not in a car, no. Everything will be different. I will come to his home in Khasavyurt. It will be a fairy tale. We will go to the mountains. I will understand something that I did not understand before, in this amazing, invincible man. And in life in general."

Saitiev's influence transcends mere records and titles. His tactics on the mat just when the internet era arrived gave insights into a wrestler may only be imagined. He passed on that mastery to a special few who remember him as a mentor, inspiration and the greatest ever.