CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (August 4) – Many of the world’s top wrestlers and their challengers took advantage of a busy July to refine their technique in the heat of competition or grab the final ticket to next month's world championships in Las Vegas.

The top-ranked wrestlers in each weight category held firm, but the United World Wrestling rankings for freestyle underwent a number of changes in the middle and lower ranks as a handful of world medalists returned to action and would-be rivals rose to the challenge.

The lone No.1-ranked wrestler in action in July was Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), who rolled up his second Pan American Games gold medal with three technical falls while tightening his grip on the top spot at 74kg ahead of the world championships.

Meanwhile, Brent METCALF (USA) and Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) also won gold medals in Toronto to climb to No.2 in the rankings at 65kg and 86kg, respectively. Medved Prizes winner Volodya FRANGULYAN (ARM) won at the Stepan Sargsyan tourney to edge up to No.2 at 61kg.

Among the unranked wrestlers in July, Beylal MAKHOV (RUS), who won a bronze medal in Greco-Roman last year in Tashkent, went from unranked in freestyle to No.6 at 125kg with a win over Muradin KHUSHKHOV (RUS) in the Ali Aliev final.

The triumph by the three-time freestyle world champion, who is also ranked at No.6 on the Greco-Roman poll, has sparked speculation that Makhov might be entered in both styles in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, 2013 world silver medalist Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) won the Ion Corneanu Memorial and Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial to rejoin the rankings at 61kg at No.8.

Looking ahead to the world championships in September, only Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) at 86kg and Taha AKGUL (TUR) at 125kg are the only freestyle world champions to make it through the year atop the rankings.

World champion YANG Kyong-Il (PRK) sits atop the rankings at 57kg, but spent the first half of the year at No.2 behind Asian Games gold medalist and compatriot JONG Hak-Jin (PRK), who tumbled at the Asian championships in May.

Wrestlers in the rankings are listed by name, country code, most recent or most significant result over the last 12 months, and their ranking the previous month.

57kg – World bronze medalist Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB) won the Pan American Games at 57kg with a fall and a pair of technical falls and makes the move from No.3 at 61kg to the same position as a bantam.

1. YANG Kyong-Il (PRK) – World No.1 (1)
2. Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) – European Games No.1 (5)
3. Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB) – Pan American Games No.1 (3@61)
4. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) – World Cup No.2 (5)
5. ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL) – Asia No.1 (3)
6. JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) – Asia No.5 (4)
7. Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (6)
8. Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) – Stepan Sargsyan No.1 (10)
9. Sezer AKGUL (TUR) – Euro Games No.3 (No.7)
10. Samat NADYRBEK UULU (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (8)
11. Artas SANAA (KAZ) – Ali Aliev No.3 (16@61)
12. Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) – Ziolkowski Memorial No.2 (not ranked)
13. Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (9)
14. Marcel EWALD (GER) - Euro Games No.2 (13)
15. Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) – Ziolkowski No.3 (nr)
16. Vladislav ANDREEV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.1 (14)
17. Anthony RAMOS (USA) – Paris Grand Prix No.1 (15)
18. Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA) – Ziolkowski No.3 (19)
19. KIM Sung-Gwon (KOR) – Spanish Grand Prix No.1 (nr)
20. Alexandru CHIRTOACA (MDA) – Euro Games No.3 (17)

61kg – Volodya FRANGULYAN (ARM) climbs to No.2 in the rankings with a victory at home at the Stepan Sargsyan tourney along with the moves of Pan American Games gold medalist Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB) to 57kg and Asia champion Masoud ESMAILPOUR (IRI) to 65kg.
 
1. Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (1)
2. Volodya FRANGULYAN (ARM) – Stepan Sargsyan No.1 (5)
3. Bekhan GOIGEREEV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.2 (4)
4. Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) – Euro Games No.2 (8)
5. Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) – Asia No.2 (9)
6. Dyamal OTARSULTANOV (RUS) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (6)
7. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) – Asia No.1 (7)
8. Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) – Ziolkowski No.1 (nr)
9. Masakazu KAMOI (JPN) – Ziolkowski No.2 (nr)
10. Muenir Recep AKTAS (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (10)
11. Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) – Euro Games No.3 (11)
12. Nachyin KUULAR (RUS) – European Jrs No.1 (12)
13. Murshid MUTALIMOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (17)
14. ENKHSAIKHAN Nyam-Ochir (MGL) – World No.3 (13)
15. Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (14)
16. Iman SADEGHIKOUKANDEH (IRI) – Paris GP No.1 (15)
17. Radoslav VELIKOV (BUL) – Ion Corneanu No.2 (nr)
18. Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) – Paris GP No.2 (18)
19. Andrei PERPELITA (MDA) – Olympia No.2 (19)
20. BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) – Asia No.3 (20)

65kg – Brent METCALF (USA) rallied late for a 10-8 semifinals victory over 2011 world runner-up Franklin GOMEZ (PUR) at the Pan American Games and climbs to No.2 in the rankings behind 2014 world silver medalist Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI).

World champion Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) was tripped up by Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) in the opening round of the Ziolkowski Memorial and slumps to No.8 behind European Games bronze medalist Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS).

1. Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI) – World No.2 (1)
2. Brent METCALF (USA) – Pan Am Games No.1 (5)
3. Togrul ASGAROV (AZE) – Euro Games No.1 (6)
4. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.2 (2)
5. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) – Ziolkowski No.1 (7)
6. Mustafa KAYA (TUR) – Euro Games No.3 (9)
7. Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) – Euro Games No.3 (8)
8. Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) – Ziolkowski No.3 (3)
9. Magomed MUSLIMOV (AZE) – Paris GP No.1 (4)
10. Haji ALIEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.3@61 (11)
11. Masoud ESMAILPOUR (IRI) – Asia No.1 (2@61)
12. Azamat NURIKOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.1 (10)
13. George BUCUR (ROU) – Ziolkowski No.2 (17)
14. Tomotsugu ISHIDA (JPN) – Asia No.2 (18)
15. Mihail SAVA (MDA) – Ion Corneanu No.1 (14)
16. GANZORIG Mandakhnaran (MGL) – Asia No.3 (12)
17. Borislav NOVACHKOV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.1 (13)
18. Yogeshwar DUTT (IND) – Sassari Tourney No.1 (14)
19. LEE Seung-Chul (KOR) – Spanish GP No.2 (nr)
20. David SAFARYAN (ARM) – Stepan Sargsyan No.1 (nr)

70kg – Georgi ZLATOV (BUL) reached the medals podium for the third time this summer as a runner-up at the Ion Corneanu Memorial in Bucharest and joins the rankings at No.15, just ahead of James GREEN (USA) who claimed his first international title at the Grand Prix of Spain.

1. Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (1)
2. Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) – Euro Games No.2 (2)
3. Yakup GOR (TUR) – Euro Games No.3 (3)
4. Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) – Asia No.1 (5)
5. Zelimkhan YUSUPOV (TJK) – Asia No.2 (6)
6. Israil KASUMOV (RUS) – World Cup No.1 (4)
7. Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (IRI) – World Cup No.2 (7)
8. Ruslan DIBIRGADZHIYEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.3 (8)
9. Miroslav KIROV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.1 (14)
10. Rasul ARSANALIEV (RUS) – Euro U23s No.1 (9)
11. Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
12. Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB) – Euro Games No.5 (10)
13. Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (11)
14. David TLASHADZE (GEO) – Euro Games No.5 (12)
15. Georgi ZLATOV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.3 (nr)
16. James GREEN (USA) – Spanish GP No.1 (nr)
17. Zsombor GULYAS (HUN) – Euro Games No.8 (13)
18. Andrey KARPACH (BLR) – Euro U23s No.3 (14)
19. Elaman DOGDURUBEK UULU (KGZ) – Asia No.3 (19)
20. Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (20)

74kg – World silver medalist Sosuke TAKATANI (JPN) rebounded to No.4 in the rankings with a runner-up performance at the Ziolkowski Memorial after slipping to No.7 over the spring and summer.

World champion at 70kg Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS), after winning a pair of medals at 74kg over the winter, returned to the lighter category in Warsaw and defeated world silver medalist Yakup GOR (TUR) a second time to stand fifth on this month’s welterweight list.

1. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) – Pan Am Games No.1 (1)
2. Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (2)
3. Denis TSARGUSH (RUS) – World No.1 (3)
4. Sosuke TAKATANI (JPN) – World No.2 (7)
5. Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) – Ziolkowski No.1@70kg (9)
6. Peyman YARAHMADI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (4)
7. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) – Euro Games No.2 (5)
8. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (6)
9. Livan LOPEZ AZCUY (CUB) – Pan Am Games No.3 (10)
10. Jumber KVELASHVILI (GEO) – Euro Games No.3 (8)
11. Alireza GHASEMI (IRI) – Ziolkowski No.1 (nr)
12. Morteza REZAEI GALEH (IRI) – Ziolkowski No.3 (12)
13. Ali SHABANOV (BLR) – Euro Games No.5 (11)
14. Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
15. Jakob MAKARASHVILI (GEO) – Ali Aliev No.2 (nr)
16. Yabrail HASANOV (AZE) – Euro Games No.3 (13)
17. David TAYLOR (USA) – Stepan Sargsyan No.1 (nr)
18. Daisuke SHIMADA (JPN) – Asia No.2 (14)
19. Narasingh YADAV (IND) – Asia No.3 (15)
20. Georg HARTH (GER) – Ziolkowski No.3 (nr)

86kg – World bronze medalist Selim YASAR (TUR), who slumped all the way to 18th at middleweight, won his first-ever international senior crown in Warsaw to vault to No.10 in the rankings.

1. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (1)
2. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) – Pan Am Games No.1 (3)
3. Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (5)
4. Meisam MOSTAFA JOUKAR (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (2)
5. Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (6)
6. Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.2 (7)
7. Piotr IANULOV (MDA) – Euro Games No.2 (8)
8. Radoslaw MARCINKIEWICZ (POL) – Euro Games No.3 (10)
9. Aleksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) – Euro U23s No.1 (9)
10. Selim YASAR (TUR) – Ziolkowski No.1 (18)
11. Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO) – Euro Games No.3 (12)
12. Istvan VEREB (HUN) – Euro Games No.5 (13)
13. Atsushi MATSUMOTO (JPN) – Asia No.2 (11)
14. Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
15. Aleksander GOSTIEV (AZE) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (14)
16. Ahmed BILICI (TUR) – Ziolkowski No.3 (nr)
17. Amarhadshi MAGOMEDOV (BLR) – Ziolkowski No.3 (nr)
18. Nurmagomed GADZHIEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.5 (15)
19. Jacob HERBERT (USA) – Pan Am Games No.2 (nr)
20. Taymuraz FRIEV NASKIDEAVA (ESP) – Spanish GP No.1 (nr)

97kg – Radoslaw BARAN (POL) opened July with a win at the Ali Aliev tourney in Russia and came back three weeks later with a bronze medal at the Ziolkowski Memorial in Warsaw to climb to No.8 in the rankings.

1. Khetag GAZUMOV (AZE) – Euro Games No.1 (1)
2. Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) – Euro Games No.3 (2)
3. Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) – Medved Prizes No.2 (3)
4. Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) – Euro Games No.2 (4)
5. Valeri ANDRIITSEV (UKR) – Medved Prizes No.3 (5)
6. Javier CORTINA LACERRA (CUB) – World Cup No.3 (6)
7. Reza YAZDANI (IRI) – Asian Games No.1 (7)
8. Radoslaw BARAN (POL) – Ali Aliev No.1 (12)
9. Mohamedhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) – Asia No.1 (4)
10. Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (10)
11. Pavlo OLIYNIK (UKR) – Stepan Sargsyan No.2 (11)
12. Yuri BELONOVSKI (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (9)
13. Abbas TAHAN (IRI) – Ziolkowski No.1 (nr)
14. Omar GUSOSHIVILI (GEO) – Euro U23s No.1 (8)
15. Kyle SNYDER (USA) – Pan Am Games No.1 (nr)
16. Ibragim SAIDOV (BLR) – Euro Games No.7 (13)
17. Ibragim BOLUKBASI (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (15)
18. Nicolae CEBAN (MDA) – Olympia No.1 (16)
19. Stefan KEHRER (GER) – Ion Corneanu No.1 (nr)
20. Wynn MICHALIK (USA) – Spanish GP No.1 (nr)

125kg – Three-time world champion Beylal MAKHOV (RUS) won the Ali Aliev tourney with a triumph over Yarygin Grand Prix winner Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS) to climb to No.6 ahead of Kushkhov and London 2012 Olympic Games silver medalist David MODZMANASHVILI (GEO).

1. Taha AKGUL (TUR) – Euro Games No.1 (1)
2. Aleksey SHEMAROV (BLR) – Euro Games No.2 (2)
3. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) – Euro Games No.3 (5)
4. Jamalladin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) – Euro Games No.3 (6)
5. Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) – Asia No.2 (3)
6. Beylal MAKHOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
7. Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.2 (4)
8. David MODZMANASHVILI (GEO) – Ali Aliev No.3 (13)
9. Parviz HADI (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (9)
10. Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) – Asia No.1 (10)
11. Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) – Euro Games No.9 (7)
12. Alen ZASEEV (UKR) – Medved Prizes No.2 (8)
13. Levan BERIANIDZE (ARM) – Stepan Sargsyan No.1 (17)
14. Soslan GAGLOEV (SVK) – Euro Games No.5 (14)
15. Khadshimourad GATSALOV (RUS) – Euro Games No.13 (11)
16. Tervel DLAGNEV (USA) – World No.3 (12)
17. Zachery REY (USA) – Pan Am Games No.1 (18)
18. Nick MATUHIN (GER) – Ion Corneanu No.1 (nr)
19. DENG Zhiwei (CHN) – Ziolkowski No.3 (nr)
20. Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (GEO) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)