CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (October 15) – Five Russians, including four first-time champions, won titles at the world championships in Tashkent and finish the year on top of the United World Wrestling rankings for men’s freestyle.

Top-ranked Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) led the charge as three of his teammates came from lower in the rankings to the top of medals podium for Russia, which swept the gold medals from 65kg to 97kg.

Meanwhile, Asian Games gold medalist JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) and world champion YANG Kyong-Il (PRK) finish one-two in the rankings at 57kg, giving DPR Korea the top two bantamweight wrestlers of 2014.

Jong is reportedly ranked ahead of Yang in their own country and in their only appearance in an international competition this year, Jong won the Takhti Cup in February while Yang finished third.

In general, the wrestlers in the medal finals at the world championships are assigned the top six positions in final rankings of the year since these positions are decided “on the mat”.

Results from the world championships (classification points and head-to-head comparisons) as well as international competition throughout the year are used to determine the positions from No.7 to No.20.

This year, however, a number of the top wrestlers from Asia did not wrestle in the world championships but instead opted to compete in the Asian Games – the continent’s version of the Olympic Games.

In addition to Jong’s ranking over countryman Yang, Asian Games champions Meisan MOSTAFA JOUKAR (IRI) and Reza YAZDANI (IRI) were ranked fifth in their respective weight categories – between the bronze medal winners and fifth-place finishers.

Meanwhile, Masoud ESMAILPOUR (IRI) and Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) followed up medal-winning performances in Tashkent with gold medals in Incheon. At the same time, however, world bronze medalist Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) tumbled in the quarterfinals in Incheon and had to settle for seventh place overall.

Three top-ranked wrestlers – Haji ALIEV (AZE), Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) and Taha AKGUL (TUR) – and No.2 Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) all won their first world championship titles to finish the season at the top of the rankings.

Two more No.1’s coming into Tashkent – Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) and Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) – slipped to No.3 in the rankings after winning silver and bronze medals respectively.

Two-time former world champion Denis TSARGUSH (RUS), inactive internationally and unranked in 2014, reclaimed the world title from Burroughs at 74kg as well as the No.1 spot in the final rankings.

Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) and Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) each made shorter leaps to No.1 – from No.6 and No.13 – as they also won their first world titles.

Wrestlers are listed by name, country code, most recent or most significant result of the season, and ranking the previous month.

57kg – YANG Kyong-Il (PRK) won his second world title on the opening day of the world championships in Tashkent and compatriot JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) added the Asian Games gold medal 19 days later in Incheon, Korea.

Jong won the Takhti Cup in February ahead of Yang, the world champ in 2009. In Tashkent, Yang stopped defending world champion Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) in the semifinals after Rahimi had pinned 2010-2011 world champ Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) in the quarters.

1. JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) – Asian Games No.1 (not ranked)
2. YANG Kyong-Il (PRK) – World No.1 (nr)
3. Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) – World No.2 (1)
4. Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) – Asia Games No.2 (4)
5. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) – World No.3 (5)
6. Vladislav ANDREEV (BLR) – World No.3 (16)
7. ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL) – World No.5 (8)
8. Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) – World No.5 (18)
9. Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) – GGP Final No.2 (3)
10. Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) – Ziolkowski No.3 (2)
11. BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) – Asian Games No.3 (nr)
12. Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (4)
13. Amit KUMAR (IND) – Commonwealth Games No.1 (8)
14. DAMDINBAZAR Tsogtbaatar (MGL) – Asia No.2 (9)
15. Samat NADYRBEK UULU (KGZ) – Asia No.3 (10)
16. Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (11)
17. Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA) – Europe No.3 (12)
18. Andrei DUKOV (ROU) – Europe No.5 (13)
19. YUN Jun-Sik (KOR) – Asian Games No.3 (nr)
20. Garik BARSEGHYAN (ARM) – Europe No.3 (14)

61kg – Haji ALIEV (AZE) took control of the No.1 ranking in April with a win over 2013 world champion Bekhan GOIGEREEV (RUS) at the European championships and turned away all comers the rest of the year, including 2013 bronze medalist Masoud ESMAILPOUR (IRI), 12-7, in the world final.

Esmailpour, however, bounced back in the Asian Games with a four wins, including a 6-4 decision over fellow 2013 world bronze medalist Bajrang BAJRANG (IND), for the gold medal in Incheon.

1. Haji ALIEV (AZE) – World No.1 (1)
2. Masoud ESMAILPOUR (IRI) – World No.2 (2)
3. ENKHSAIKHAN Nyam-Ochir (MGL) – World No.3 (10)
4. Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB) – World No.3 (nr)
5. Andrei PERPELITA (MDA) – World No.5 (16)
6. Artas SANAA (KAZ) – World No.5 (nr)
7. Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) – Ziolkowski Memorial No.1 (3)
8. Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) – GGP Final No.2 (4)
9. Bekhan GOIGEREEV (RUS) – Ziolkowski Memorial No.2 (5)
10. Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) – Asian Games No.2 (12)
11. Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) – German GP No.1 (13)
12. Noriyuki TAKATSUKA (JPN) – Asian Games No.3 (15)
13. TUMENBILEG Tuvshintulga (MGL) – Asian Games No.5 (18)
14. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) – Asia Games No.5 (7)
15. Murshid MURTALIMOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (8)
16. Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) – GGP Final No.3 (6)
17. David TREMBLAY (CAN) – Commonwealth Games No.1 (11)
18. Muenir Recep AKTAS (TUR) – Ziolkowski Memorial No.3 (14)
19. Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) – Sargsyan Tournament No.2 (nr)
20. James KENNEDY (USA) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (17)

65kg – Highly touted Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) racked up five wins inside regulation in his debut at the big dance to claim his first world championship title and the top spot in the season-ending world rankings.

London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medalist Yogeshwar DUTT (IND) capped his return to competition with a 1-0 decision over Zelimkhan YUSUPOV (TJK) for the Asian Games gold medal. It was Dutt’s third triumph of the season, including a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in July.

1. Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) – World No.1 (13)
2. Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI) – World No.2 (9)
3. GANZORIG Mandakhnaran (MGL) – World No.3 (17)
4. Mihail SAVA (MDA) – World No.3 (nr)
5. Azamat NURIKOV (BLR) – World No.5 (14)
6. Mustafa KAYA (TUR) – World No.5 (16)
7. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (1)
8. Yogeshwar DUTT (IND) – Asian Games No.1 (3)
9. Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (2)
10. David SAFARYAN (ARM) – German GP No.2 (4)
11. Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) – CAC Games No.1 (5)
12. Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) – World No.7 (nr)
13. Servet COSKUN (TUR) – Europe No.2 (6)
14. Borislav NOVACHKOV (BUL) – Europe No.3 (7)
15. Konstantin KHABALASHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.3 (8)
16. Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) – Spanish GP No.1 (10)
17. Brent METCALF (USA) – GGP Final No.1 (11)
18. Magomed MUSLIMOV (AZE) – GGP Final No.2 (12)
19. Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) – Asian Games No.3 (nr)
20. George BUCUR (ROU) – German GP No.3 (18)

70kg – Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) wrapped up 2013 world bronze medalist Ali SHABANOV (BLR) and Yakup GOR (TUR) with technical falls in the semifinals and final for his first world title since winning the junior crown in 2011.

Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) upended previously top-ranked Moustafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI), 3-3 on criteria, in the round of 16 on his way to a bronze medal. Abdurakhmanov also won the gold medal at the Asian Games,

1. Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) – World No.1 (6)
2. Yakup GOR (TUR) – World No.2 (5)
3. Ali SHABANOV (BLR) – World No.3 (5@74)
4. Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) – World No.3 (nr)
5. Zelimkhan YUSUPOV (TJK) – World No.5 (nr)
6. Cleopas NCUBE (CAN) – World No.5 (nr)
7. Ruslan DIBIRGADZHIYEV (AZE) – Europe No.1 (2)
8. Nicholas MARABLE (USA) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (nr)
9. Moustafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (1)
10. Peyman YARAHMADI (IRI) – Stepan Sargsyan No.1 (3)
11. Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM) – Europe No.2 (4)
12. Israil KASUMOV (RUS) – GGP Final No.1 (7)
13. Zsombor GULYAS (HUN) – Europe No.5 (8)
14. Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA) – World University No.1 (13)
15. Miroslav KIROV (BUL) – Europe No.3 (12)
16. Adrian Ionut MOISE (ROU) – German GP No.2 (9)
17. Yoan BLANCO REINOSO (ECU) – Pan America No.3 (nr)
18. Pedro SOTO CORDERO (PUR) – Pan America No.2 (nr)
19. Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN) – Asian Games No.3 (20)
20. Elaman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ) – Asian Games No.3 (nr)

74kg – Two-time former world champion Denis TSARGUSH (RUS) reclaimed the world crown with a 9-0 win over reigning champ Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) in the semifinals and an 8-2 win over Sosuke TAKATANI (JPN).

Tashkent hero Rashid KURBANOV (UZB), a world bronze medalist in 2013, fell in the quarterfinals to Burroughs and had to settle for seventh place. Kurbanov, however, notched four wins at the Asian Games, including a 3-2 decision over 2013 world silver medalist Essadollah AKBARI (IRI) in the final, for the gold medal.

1. Denis TSARGUSH (RUS) – World No.1 (nr)
2. Sosuke TAKATANI (JPN) – World No.2 (nr)
3. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) – World No.3 (1)
4. Livan LOPEZ AZCUY (CUB) – World No.3 (14)
5. Jumber KVELASHVILI (GEO) – World No.5 (10)
6. Rustam DUDAEV (UKR) – World No.5 (nr)
7. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) – Asian Games No.1 (6@84)
8. Essadollah AKBARI (IRI) – Asian Games No.2 (nr)
9. Yabrail HASANOV (AZE) – GGP Final No.1 (2)
10. Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (4)
11. Ashraf ALIEV (AZE) – World No.8 (nr)
12. Reza AFZALI PAEMAMI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (3)
13. Krystian BRZOZOWSKI (POL) – Europe No.3 (6)
14. Luca LAMPIS (FRA) – Sassari Tourney No.1 (12)
15. Galimzhan USSERBAEV (KAZ) – Kunaev Tourney No.1 (nr)
16. PUREVJAV Unurbat (MGL) – Asia No.2 (16)
17. Leonid BAZAN (BUL) – Stepan Sargsyan No.2 (16)
18. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) – Europe No.3 (5)
19. Shushil KUMAR (IND) – Commonwealth Games No.1 (8)
20. Kamal MALIKOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (9)

86kg – Two-time cadet world champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) needed less than three minutes to wrap up the last three bouts of his undefeated first year as a senior-level wrestler and claim his first senior world title with a 10-0 dismantling of Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) in the final.

Asia champion Meisam MOSTAFA JOUKAR (IRI) notched three technical falls on his way to the Asian Games gold medal to remain unbeaten in international competition since March 2012.

1. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) – World No.1 (1)
2. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) – World No.2 (2)
3. Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) – World No.3 (16)
4. Selim YASAR (TUR) – World No.3 (nr)
5. Meisam MOSTAFA JOUKAR (IRI) – Asian Games No.1 (5)
6. Gamzat OSMANOV (AZE) – World No.5 (8)
7. Azlan KAKHIDZE (KAZ) – World No.5 (15)
8. Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – GGP Final No.1 (3)
9. Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.5 (nr)
10. Albert SARITOV (RUS) - Ali Aliev No.1 (7)
11. Ehsan LASHGARI (IRI) – GGP Final No.2 (7)
12. Michail GANEV (BUL) – World No.8 (nr)
13. Georghita STEFAN (ROU) – German GP No.10 (nr)
14. Istvan VEREB (HUN) – Europe No.3 (10)
15. Musa MURTAZALIEV (ARM) – Europe No.3 (18)
16. Pedro CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN) – S. American Games No.1 (nr)
17. Atsushi MATSUMOTO (JPN) – Asia No.7 (nr)
18. Tamerlan TAGZIEV (CAN) – Commonwealth Games No.1 (13)
19. Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) – German GP No.2 (16)
20. ORGODOL Uitumen (MGL) – Asia No.3 (nr)

97kg – Shamil ERDOGAN (TUR) upset defending world champion Reza YAZDANI (IRI), 8-0, in the quarterfinals of his debut for Turkey and came within a second of thwarting a bid by Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) for his first world championship title.

Erdogan, formerly Shamil AKHMEDOV (RUS), recovered for a bronze medal at the world championships, while Yazdani shook off his ninth-place finish in Tashkent to win his third straight Asian Games gold medal.

1. Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) – World No.1 (2)
2. Khetag GAZUMOV (AZE) – World No.2 (3)
3. Shamil ERDOGAN (TUR) – World No.3 (nr)
4. Valeri ANDRIITSEV (UKR) – World No.3 (7)
5. Reza YAZDANI (IRI) – Asian Games No.1 (1)
6. Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) – World No.5 (12)
7. Javier CORTINA LACERRA (CUB) – World No.5 (19)
8. DORJKHAND Khuderbulga (MGL) – Asian Games No.3 (10)
9. Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ) – Asian Games No.2 (13)
10. Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR) – Europe No.3 (4)
11. Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) – Ali Aliev No.2 (6)
12. Pavlo OLEYNIK (UKR) – Europe No.5 (8)
13. Egzon SHALA (ALB) – World No.7 (nr)
14. ZHANG Xueyi (CHN) – Dan Kolov No.5 (nr)
15. Rustam ISKANDARI (TJK) – Asia No.3  (nr)
16. Jakob VARNER (USA) – GGP Final No.3 (9)
17. Nicolae CEBAN (MDA) – Europe No.3 (18)
18. Radoslaw BARAN (POL) – German GP No.1 (16)
19. Yuri BELONOVSKI (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (5)
20. William HARTH (GER) – German GP No.3 (11)

125kg – European champion Taha AKGUL (TUR) held on to a 4-3 win over Asia champion Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) in Tashkent to become Turkey’s first world champion at super heavyweight since 2005.

Both gold medal finalists stopped former world champions in the semifinals.  Akgul defeated 2011 champ Aleksey SHERMAROV (BLR), 8-1, while Ghasemi edged defending champ Khadshimourad GATSALOV (RUS), 5-4.

1. Taha AKGUL (TUR) – World No.1 (1)
2. Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) – World No.2 (2)
3. Khadshimourad GATSALOV (RUS) – World No.3 (4)
4. Tervel DLAGNEV (USA) – World No.3 (16)
5. Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) – World No.5 (3)
6. Aleksey SHEMAROV (BLR) – World No.5 (5)
7. Parviz HADI (IRI) – Asian Games No.1 (9)
8. Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ) – Asian Games No.2 (12)
9. Alen ZASEEV (UKR) – Ali Aliev No.3 (6)
10. Ali ISAEV (AZE) – Ali Aliev No.1 (7)
11. JARGALSAIKHAN Chuluunbat (MGL) – Asian Games No.5 (nr)
12. Aslan DZEBISHOV (AZE) – GGP Final No.3 (15)
13. Alan KHUGAEV (RUS) – Ziolkowski No.3 (10)
14. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) – Jr World No.1 (11)
15. Nick MATUHIN (GER) – German GP No.3 (nr)
16. Abdollah GHOMI AVITI (IRI) – Ali Aliev No.2 (13)
17. Korey JARVIS (CAN) – Commonwealth Games No.1 (19)
18. Slim TRABELSI (TUN) – Africa No.1 (18)
19. Soslan GAGLOEV (SVK) – German GP No.2 (nr)
20. Kurban KURBANOV (UZB) – Asia No.7 (nr)