Wrestling's 2022-'23 Ranking Series explainer

Friday, February 18, 2022 - 11:37 By Vinay Siwach

ISTANBUL, Turkey (February 18) -- United World Wrestling has updated the point allocations for the '22 Ranking Series events, starting with next week's #WrestleIstanbul Yasar Dogu.

The top eight wrestlers who acquire the most points from the four Ranking Series events and the Continental Championships will earn a seed for September's World Championships, which will be held in Belgrade, Serbia. As of now, wrestlers who competed, and subsequently earned points from the Tokyo Olympic Games and Oslo World Championships, fill out the top-20 in the rankings heading into Istanbul.

Updated Ranking Series Point Distribution:
1st - 8000
2nd - 6400
3rd - 5200
5th - 4000
7th - 3520
8th - 3200
9th - 2800
10th - 2480
11th - 800
12th - 100
13th - 75
14th - 50
15th - 25
16th - 13

Additionally, the number of points awarded at a competition will also be impacted by the number of wrestlers entered in each bracket. In weight categories with 2-5 competitors, ranking points will be reduced in half and only the top three finishers will be awarded points. In brackets that feature 6-12 participants, no additional points will be added. For weight categories with 13-16 entries, an additional 3000 points will be given. For categories with 16+ wrestlers entered, an additional 5000 will be awarded.

Additional points
1 participant - no ranking or additional points
2-5 participants - ranking points reduced in half and only the first three will be awarded
6-12 participants - no additional points
13-16 participants - 3000 additional points to all wrestlers
16+ participants - 5000 additional points to all wresters

*This article is according to the new point structure which will be displayed on the UWW website after the Yasar Dogu tournament.

World champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) can consolidate his top rank at 79kg in Istanbul. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

FS 57kg (18 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 4 Alireza SARLAK (IRI)
No. 8 Horst LEHR (GER)

Alireza SARLAK (IRI) and Horst LEHR (GER) are the two guys who have a shot at making the most noise at 57kg. Currently, Sarlak and Lehr are ranked fourth and eighth, respectively, and both can break into the top three with medal-winning performances in Turkey.

Sarlak heads into the Yasar Dogu with 37000 points from his silver-medal finish in Oslo. A gold medal in Istanbul would give him 8000 points. As the bracket sits, there are more than 16 wrestlers entered, which means he'll get an additional 5000 points.

A total of 13000 points would give Sarlak 50000 points, which is more than the current third-place wrestler, Ravi KUMAR (IND) [41400].

Lehr is in a similar situation, but he'll need to win the competition to move above Sarlak and Kumar. If he wins, he'll jump from 31000 to 44000 points.

65kg (28 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 2 Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF)
No. 3 Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)

It'll be a two-way battle at 65kg.

World champion and No. 2 Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF) can overthrow top-ranked Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) with at least a 10th place finish. Currently, the Russian has 45000 points, and with a 10th-place finish, Shakhiev will get 7480 points, bringing his overall total to 58000 points. That'd be enough to overtake Otoguro, who has 51000.

Third-ranked Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) is at 44500 points and can grab the top-ranking with a 10th-place finish. That will take his tally to 51980 points, while gold will take him to 57500 points.

FS 70kg (21 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 2 Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
No. 3 Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO)

Similar to 65kg, the current second and third-placed 70kg wrestlers can be the top movers. World silver medalist Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) is ranked second with 37000 points. He can fly past top-ranked Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL), who has 45000 points.

A gold medal will take Akmataliev to 50000 points, while silver would be good for 48400. The lowest he can finish and still reach the top spot is 8th. That will give him 8200 points.

Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO), who is also entered, sits third with 31000 points. He can move up to the second rank with a tournament win, as that will take him to 44000 points.

FS 79kg (24 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 1 Jordan BURROUGHS (USA)

Top-ranked world champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) can cement his place further with a medal-winning performance in Istanbul. Burroughs enters the Yasar Dogu with 45000 points. He can add 13000 points for gold, 11400 points for silver and 10200 points for bronze.

FS 86kg (22 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 7 Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ)

David TAYLOR (USA), Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) and Artur NAIFANOV (RWF) have taken an enormous lead at the top from the rest of the field at 86kg. Since the three are not entered, Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) can be the biggest mover if he wins the gold in Istanbul.

The Kazak wrestler is currently in the seventh spot with 25000 points, and a medal in Istanbul can move him to the fourth spot.

FS 97kg (17 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 9 Mahamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR)

Mahamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR) can break into the top-three at 97kg if he can finish ninth or above. He currently has 31000 points and a ninth-place finish would take him past Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR), who has 38500 points.

Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL), placed 11th with 25000 points, can jump up to fifth in the rankings with a gold medal. That'd put him at 38000 points.

World champion Rafiq HUSEYNOV (AZE), left, and Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) are number one and two at 82kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

GR 63kg (12 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 6 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)

Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) is currently ranked sixth at 63kg with 25000 points. He can jump up to the third spot with a gold or silver medal in Istanbul.

Since there are only 12 wrestlers are entered at 63kg, no entry points will be awarded.

Mammadov will get 8000 points for winning gold and 6400 points for silver. Both would be good enough to take him past both third-placed Lenur TEMIROV (UKR) and fourth-placed Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN). They both have 31000 points.

GR 72kg (14 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 3 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
No. 6 Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR)

Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) and Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) could be the biggest movers at this weight. Sleiva has 31000 points and is currently ranked third. A gold-medal finish will give him 11000 points [14 participants] and take him to 42000. He'd move ahead of current second-ranked Sergei KUTUZOV (RWF) who has 37000 points. Even if he finishes as low as eighth, the Lithuanian will be ahead of Kutuzov.

Arslan has 25000 points but could jump three spots to third place. A gold-medal finish would take him to 36000 points. That'd move him ahead of Sleiva who needs at least a 10th place finish to remain ahead of Arslan. The Turkish wrestler will be guaranteed fourth if he can finish eighth or above.

GR 77kg (13 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 5 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)

World silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) is currently ranked fifth with 37000 points. He can break into top-three with a medal finish. A bronze would take him past third-placed world champ Roman VLASOV (RWF) who has 45000 points.

GR 82kg (8 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)

Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) met in the finals at the World Championships and are ranked first and second, respectively. The two are expected to consolidate their ranks in Istanbul. Huseynov has 45000 points, while Akbudak has 37000 points. Akbudak cannot jump above Huseynov even with a gold medal.

GR 87kg (13 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB)
No. 7 Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL)

World champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) sits atop the 87kg pile with 79200 points. A win would bring his point total to 90200.

Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) is currently ranked seventh (31000 points) but has a shot at breaking into the top three. He needs to win gold, as that would take his tally to 42000 points, 800 points more than Viktor LORINCZ (HUN).

GR 97kg (21 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 4 G'Angelo HANCOCK (USA)
No. 6 Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL)

Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) has a good chance to be in the top four if he can pull out a gold-medal win at the Yasar Dogu. He's currently ranked sixth with 34200 points, but he could jump to fourth with 13000 points. That will raise his tally to 47200 points.

G'Angelo HANCOCK (USA) also has 47200 points and is ranked fourth. To break the tie, the rank at the Olympics will be the trumping factor. In this scenario, Michalik would prevail over Hancock as he won bronze in Tokyo, while the USA wrestler finished seventh.

GR 130kg (14 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 7 Riza KAYAALP (TUR)

Greco-Roman star and former world champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR) can reach the fourth spot from his current seventh place with a gold-medal finish at his home turf. He has 34200 points, and the addition of an 11000-point gold medal will give him 45200 points. That'd place him 200 points ahead of the current fourth placer, Aliakbar YOUSOFI (IRI).

Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) can well be the top-ranked wrestler at 53kg. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

WW 50kg (25 participants)

Who can be big movers:
No. 5 Miglena SELISHKA (BUL)
No. 7 Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
No. 8 Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RUS)
No. 11 Alina VUC (ROU)

The top three positions at 50kg will remain unchanged, but there are four wrestlers who have a chance to break into the fourth spot of the rankings with a gold medal finish. Miglena SELISHKA (BUL) [31700 points], Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) [31000 points] and Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RUS) [31000 points] can replace SUN Yanan (CHN) [41400 points] with a silver-medal finish.

Depending on how the aforementioned trio of wrestlers finish, Alina VUC (ROU) could move up to fourth. She has 29600 points and is ninth in the rankings.

WW 53kg (20 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 4 Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
No. 6 Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL)
No. 9 Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)

Olympic bronze medalist and currently third-ranked Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) can topple Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) from the top spot if she can finish eighth or better in the 20-wrestler bracket. As of now, she has 43200 points. In any case, she will replace Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), who has 45000 points.

World silver medalist Iulia LEORDA (MDA) can improve from sixth to second if she wins the gold. But that's a long shot, as Bat Ochir would have to finish outside the top-10. Leorda currently has 37000 points.

Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) [31000 points] can also make a significant jump in rankings -- from ninth to fourth. She has to win a gold medal and hope that Leorda fails to finish in the top-10.

WW 55kg (15 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 3 Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)

Third-ranked Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) can replace Nina HEMMER (GER) with a strong showing in Turkey. Khomenets has 29000 points and an eighth-place or better finish will take her past Hemmer's 35000 points.

WW 57kg (22 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 2 Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL)
No. 4 Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR)

Olympic bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) will consolidate her second position in the ranking. She has 51200 points, but cannot move past Helen MAROULIS (USA) [79200 points] even if she wins a gold medal.

Tokyo silver medalist Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) is currently fifth with 41400 points. She can jump up to the third spot if she finishes with a medal in Istanbul.

WW 59kg (18 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 3 Sarita MOR (IND)

World bronze medalist Sarita MOR (IND) is ranked third with 31000 points. She needs to finish in the top-10 in Istanbul to overtake Akie HANAI (JPN) for the second spot. She, however, won't be able to replace Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) from the top even if she finishes with gold.

WW 62kg (29 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 1 Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)

World champ Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA'S (KGZ) top ranking will remain untouched. She already has 86400 points but is looking to add to that total in Istanbul.

Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), who has 34200 points, can jump to third place from fifth if she manages to at least reach a medal bout at the Yasar Dogu.

Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) is ranked eighth-ranked with 29600 points. However, a fourth rank is realistic if she wins the gold and hope that Yusein fails to finish in top-seven.

WW 65kg (19 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 3 Forrest MOLINARI (USA

Forrest MOLINARI (USA) has a chance to be second-ranked at 65kg if she finishes in the top 10 wrestlers of the weight class. The world bronze medalist currently has 31000 points and can overtake Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN). Top-ranked Irina RINGACI (MDA) won't be affected.

WW 68kg (15 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 2 Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
No. 3 Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) is all set to be the top-ranked wrestler at 68kg. All she has to do is step on the mat in Istanbul. Currently, she's ranked second with 77200 points. The defending world champion will overtake Olympic champion Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA), who has 80000 points.

Olympic silver medalist Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) is ranked third with 56400 points and can only reduce the gap to the top. A gold medal will take her to 67400 points.

WW 72kg (11 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 2 Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
No. 3 Anna SCHELL (GER)
No. 4 Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR)

Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) is ranked number two with 35000 points. If she wins the gold, she will be awarded 8000 points, which would tie her with top-ranked Masako FURUICHI (JPN). As Furuichi finished with gold at the World Championships and Bakbergenova had silver, the Kazak wrestler will remain at the second spot.

World bronze medalist Anna SCHELL (GER) and Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR) both have 29000 points each. If they reach the final and Bakbergenova finishes outside the top-10, the gold winner will take the second spot and the silver medalist will be third.

But in most likelihood, it will be a battle of third-place between Schell and Cavusoglu Tosun.

WW 76kg (22 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 3 Epp MAEE (EST)
No. 4 Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
No. 5 Samar HAMZA (EGY)

A fact: no wrestler will be able to displace Adeline GRAY (USA) from the top spot in Istanbul.

Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) [54000 points] and Epp MAEE (EST) [52000 points] will battle it out for the second spot at the Yasar Dogu tournament. If Maee reaches the final, Medet Kyzy needs to win at least the bronze medal to retain her second place.

If Maee manages a bronze, the Kyrgyz wrestler needs to finish eighth or above. Maee, a world silver medalist, will not be able to overtake Medet Kyzy if she finishes below the ninth spot. For that, Medet Kyzy needs to be 11th or lower.

World bronze medalist Samar HAMZA (EGY) has 43300 points and can overtake Olympic champion Aline FOCKEN (GER) for the fourth spot if she can finish ninth or above. She, however, cannot go better than fourth even if she wins gold in Istanbul.

#WrestleZagreb

World Championships 2025 Day 1 FS 61kg, 70kg, 86kg, 125kg Highlights

Saturday, September 13, 2025 - 08:42 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 13) -- The World Championships are underway in Zagreb. The competition kicks off with four weight classes in 61kg, 70kg, 86kg and 125kg.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | FREESTYLE PREVIEW

14:35: European champion Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) given no chance to Vlagyiszlav BAJCAJEV (HUN) and wins his quarterfinal at 125kg 7-0.

14:34: Robert BARAN (POL), a four-time European medalist, moves closer to his first world medal with a dramatic 6-3 come-from-behind victory over Mohsen SIYAR (GER) in their 125kg quarterfinal. Siyar scored a first-period takedown and added a stepout early in the second to lead 3-0. But with :33 to go, Baran gets behind for a takedown, then goes ahead with another at the :13 mark. He adds a gut wrench in the final seconds to cap an amazing win.

14:27: Asian bronze medalist Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN) uses a well-time counter lift to roll back and put Abdulla KURBANOV (UWW) directly onto his back. After a short fight, Sharipov secures the fall at the 2:00 mark to advance to the 125kg semifinals.

14:30: A technical superiority win and into the semifinals is world champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) at 125kg. He scores two takedowns in the first period before a takedown and turn in the second for a 10-0 win over Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO).

14:23: Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) is in the semifinals at 61kg with an 8-4 victory over Kamil KERYMOV (UKR). Javan looks in control of his opponents throughout the bout as he showed today.

14:20: Teen phenom Jax FORREST (USA) continues his amazing run in Zagreb, scoring a pair of 4-point takedowns before holding off a late surge from Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) to win 13-8 and advance to the 61kg semifinals.

14:18: Zavur UGUEV (UWW) was down 2-1 against Assylzhan YESSENGELDI (KAZ) but launches a gut-wrench and storms to a 13-2 victory at 61kg. He looks pretty determined to win that gold after six years.

14:13: Kum Hyok KIM (PRK) gets the takedown, puts his head between the legs of Leomid COLESNIC (MDA) and rolls four times for a 10-0 victory in 1:32 and a place in the 61kg semifinals.

14:11: Former world U20 champion Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) with a big win over Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) in the 86kg quarterfinals. Ishiguro built a 6-2 lead before he got a counter for four and gave up two on exposure and led 10-4. But Azerbaijan challenged the call only to lose it and Ishiguro got one more points. Dzhioev scored two takedowns but they were not enough. Ishiguro won 11-8.

14:08: No last second heartbreaks for Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) as he stuns Ibragim KADIEV (UWW) in the 86kg quarterfinals. Ghasempour led 1-0 after Kadiev was called passive but Kadiev scored a takedown to make it 2-1. Both wrestlers locked each other in chestwraps and threw. It was scored four for Kadiev and two for Ghasempour. Iran challenged the call and it was assessed that there was no danger in the throws. Kadiev got the takedown so he kept his two points to lead 4-1 with 1:28 left.

Ghasempour then waited to set Kadiev up. He faked a shot and Kadiev jumped for his legs. But Ghasempour, who was waiting for it, jumped over and to score the takedown and a turn to lead 5-4. He defended his lead for the last 20 seconds and enter the semifinals.

13:58: If Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) leaves Zagreb with a medal, it will have to be his third world bronze after he was decimated by Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) in their 86kg quarter. Down 1-0, Magamadov secured a high lace lock and muscled Dauletbekov over five times for a 12-1 win in 1:04.

13:54: Zahid VALENCIA (USA) rolls to his third straight 10-0 victory, and this time he ended all in one swoop to advance to the 86kg semifinals. Valencia gets the takedown, then reels off four gut wrenches and that's all for Ivars SAMUSONOK (LAT) in just 35 seconds.

13:51: Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) pulls off another close victory in advancing at 70kg, scoring a late takedown for an 8-6 victory over Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE). Heybatov led 6-3, scoring three takedowns to Andreasyan's three stepouts. But the Armenian closed the gap with a two stepouts before taking the lead for the first time with a takedown. An unsuccessful challenge added the final point.

13:50: A heat bout between Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) and Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) at 70kg. Muszukajev was complaining of a hit from Aoyagi who himself was complaining of a punch from Muszukajev. But all said and done, Aoyagi is back in the semifinals with an 11-0 win over Muszukajev.

13:49: American-born Austin GOMEZ (MEX), looking to give Mexico its first-ever world medal, storms out to a 6-0 lead in his 70kg quarterfinal with reigning world champion Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ). But Kaipanov gets a takedown before the break, then a takedown and exposure after it to go ahead 6-6 on criteria. Gomez isn't finished and gets a takedown with 1:04 left, but Kaipanov breaks Mexican hearts with a takedown with :24 left, then defends against a last-ditch attempt to win 10-8.

13:40: Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) with a technical superiority win over Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO) in the quarterfinals at 70kg. Tumur Ochir with a takedown and four turns to win 11-0.

Quarterfinals begin at the same time in all the weight classes

13:10: Former world bronze medalist Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) absolutely dominates Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (UWW) in the 86kg 1/8 finals. He scored a takedown and two gut-wrench turns in his 8-1 victory.

13:09: European silver medalist Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) makes short work of Gyeongmin KIM (KOR), scoring a quick 10-0 victory to earn a probable quarterfinal clash with Amir ZARE (IRI) at 125kg.

13:08: Leomid COLESNIC (MDA) pulls an upset at 61kg, building a 6-1 lead in the first period and holding on for a 7-4 victory over former world champion Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

13:02: Suprise on Mat D as Iranian-born Mohsen SIYAR (GER) knocks off two-time world medalist Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) 5-2 for a place in the 125kg quarterfinals. Munkhtur gets an activity point for the lone score of the first period. In the second, the Mongolian is on the activity clock when Siyar scores a snapdown, go-behind takedown. A Munkhtur stepout cuts the lead to 3-2, but Siyar uses a counter lift for 2 to seal the deal.

12:52: Takara SUDA (JPN) cannot handle the pressure from Jaxen FORREST (USA) in their 61kg bout and drops his bout 7-2. Suda was put on the clock first and did not score as Forrest got a 1-0 lead. In the second period, Suda was more active but Forrest had unbelievable positioning to keep his lead. He managed to score a takedown on Suda for a 3-0 lead. He added another for a 5-0 lead before Suda got 2 points for exposure with less than a minute left. He failed to score any and got countered for two points as Forrest won 7-2

12:44: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) stayed on track to add to his two world golds at 92kg by advancing to the 86kg quarterfinals with a one-sided 10-0 victory over Batbilguun NAADAMBAT (MGL). Ghasempour had four takedowns, including a 4-pointer.

12:35: World U20 champion PJ DUKE (USA) gave it all he had against world champion Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) but the Kazakhstan wrestler finishes with a 11-7 victory at 70kg. Duke blasted two takedowns and led 4-0 before Kaipanov came back in the second period. He made it 4-4 before a gut-wrench gave him a 6-4 lead. Kaipanov led 9-7 when Duke tried a chest wrap but Kaipanov blocked it and scored the match closing takedown.

12:34: Former world U20 champion Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) launches a big 4-point throw then finishes up a 10-0 win over Mukhammed ALIIEV (UKR) in just 1:25 to advance to the 86kg quarterfinals.

12:33: Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) left it late, but kept alive his bid for a second career world title with a 4-2 victory over Saiyn KAZYRYK (UWW) to make the 70kg quarterfinals. After giving up a stepout and activity point in the first period, Muszukajev comes back with a pair of stepouts, the second one coming with :51 left to go ahead on criteria. He picks up a takedown to finish the job.

12:32: Zahid VALENCIA (USA) storms into the 86kg quarterfinals with his second straight victory by 10-0 technical superiority. This time he takes out Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) with a similar combination of single-leg takedowns and lace locks as in his earlier win.

12:30: Returning silver medalist Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) humbles Asian champion Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) at 70kg with a leg-lace. 11-0 victory for Aoyagi

12:26: Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL), nursing a 3-1 lead, ties up the arms of Mihail GEORGIEV (BUL) and pancakes him to the mat for a fall at 4:30 and he's into the 70kg quarterfinals.

12:16: Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) continues to take a cautious approach, but it works for him in posting a 4-1 victory over Viktor VOINOVIC (SRB) to advance to the quarterfinals at 70kg. Andreasyan scores a stepout and activity point in the first period, then two stepouts in the second. Voinovic, trying to get something going, gets the Armenian's leg in the air, but all he can settle for is a stepout.

11:48: Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) with a 13-2 technical superiority Joshua KRAMER (ECU) at 61kg. Great counters from Javan to score takedowns.

11:47: In a classic battle between recent world U23 champions at 125kg, Abdulla KURBANOV (UWW) gets the big points in key situations to score a 14-4 victory over Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA). Kurbanov comes out with single-leg takedown to the back for 4. Hendrickson replies with a stepout, but gives up a 2-point exposure when he tries to get behind. In the second period, Kurbanov gets a counter lift for 2 while giving up 1 for a reversal, making it 8-2. Hendrickson then counter lifts for 2 to pull within four. But Kurbanov stuffs an attempted lift for 2, then adds a gut wrench to finish up the match in the final minute.

11:36: Former world champion Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) scores a second-period takedown while on the activity clock and that's enough to give him a 3-0 victory over Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) at 61kg.

11:35: Jaxen FORREST (USA) keeps the unbeaten run of the United States going with a technical superiority win over Sangboum HAN (KOR) at 61kg

11:22: Two-time world bronze medalist Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) overwhelms Paulius LESCAUSKAS (LTU) 10-0 in his opening match at 86kg. Dauletbekov scores a takedown, then rolls Lescauskas back and forth three times to go up 8-0. He ends the match by countering a takedown attempt by locking the Lithuanian in a cradle and turning him over.

11:09: Zahid VALENCIA (USA), a 2023 world bronze medalist at 92kg, gets his campaign at 86kg off to an impressive start with a 10-0 victory over Mukul DAHIYA (IND). Valencia comes out like gangbusters, scoring a takedown and reeling off two lace locks for a quick 6-0 lead. He adds another takedown, but can't turn over Dahiya to go up 8-0. Despite Dahiya's stiff defense, Valencia finally gets behind to end the match.

11:02: Begijon KULDASHEV (UZB) gives up the go-ahead takedown to ROHIT (IND) in their 70kg qualification bout, but comes back with a takedown with :40 left to walk off a 5-4 winner. Next up is second seed Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO).

10:57: Ibragim KADIEV (UWW), a two-time world U20 champion, starts 86kg with a 9-2 controlled win over Cezary SADOWSKI (POL) to advance at 86kg.

10:53: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) held his own for the first period but is totally outsmarted by Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) in the second period as the Azerbaijan wrestler beats Yazdani 15-4 at 70kg.

10:50: PJ DUKE (USA), coming off a victory at the world U20 a few months ago, got his bid for the senior title at 70kg started with a 11-0 victory over Shuang CHEN (CHN). Duke used a 2-on-1 to score three stepouts, then used it to get behind for a takedown and leveraged Chen over for a 2-point exposure. In the second period, Duke needs just 18 seconds to get behind again, get another exposure and he's into the next round.

10:42: In a fierce opening match on Mat C, European silver medalist Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) comes away with a nail-biting 5-5 over Asian silver medalist Viktor RASSADIN (TJK) at 70kg. Andreasyan holds a 3-3 criteria lead when Rassadin scores a stepout with a fleeing point added on to go ahead with :35 left. But the Armenian is not done yet, and gets a stepout and fleeing point of his own with 2.4 seconds left to notch the win.

10:37: Olympic medalist Islam DUDAEV (ALB), who moved up to 70kg for the World Championships, drops his first match against world champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN). Dudaev led 1-0 but is put on the activity clock in the second period. He fails to score and Muszukajev wins 1-1 ion criteria.

10:36: Saiyn KAZYRYK (UWW) built an 8-2 lead before securing a fall over Oleksii BORUTA (UKR) in the opening round bout at 70kg.

10:34: Two-time world medalist Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) makes short work of Jorge GATICA (CHI) in the opening bout on Mat D at 70kg, finishing off a 10-0 win in just a tick over two minutes. With the win, Akmataliev has set up a rematch with top-seeded Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) of his wild semifinal win at the Asian Championships.

10:30: The World Championships at the Arena Zagreb kicks off today! We have wrestling in 61kg, 70kg, 86kg and 125kg.

Wrestling's 2022-'23 Ranking Series explainer

Comments

World Championships 2025 Day 1 FS 61kg, 70kg, 86kg, 125kg Highlights