#WrestleBudapest, #WrestleParis

Budapest Ranking Series Entry List

By United World Wrestling Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (May 28) — If you wanted to see how some of the Paris Olympians are preparing for the Games, follow the Ranking Series in Budapest. From June 6 to 9, Budapest will see almost 50 percent of the Paris-qualified wrestlers perform in the Ranking Series in their last leg of training. The tournament will also offer ranking points that can change a few seeds for the Games.

World champions, Olympic champions and superstars of wrestling will make up the 313-wrestler-strong field in Budapest with 134 Paris-qualified ones. The tournament will kick off on June 4 with all the action live on UWW+ on uww.org and the UWW App.

Freestyle

57kg
Aryan TSIUTRYN (AIN)
Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)
Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO)
AMAN (IND)
Ali MOMENIJOUJADEH (IRI)
Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)
Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ)
Darian CRUZ (PUR)
Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB)

61kg
Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG)
Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)
Gamal MOHAMED (EGY)
Giorgi GONIASHVILI (GEO)
Nika ZAKASHVILI (GEO)
Shahdad KHOSRAVI MARDAKHEH (IRI)
Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)
Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ)
Nils LEUTERT (SUI)
Nahshon GARRETT (USA)

65kg
Haji ALIYEV (AZE)
Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN)
Gyoergy SZILAGYI (HUN)
Abbas EBRAHIMZADEHSAVADKOUHI (IRI)
Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)
Austin GOMEZ (MEX)
Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB)

70kg
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO)
Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Marcell DELY (HUN)
Mohammadali AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ)
Evan HENDERSON (USA)

74kg
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Adam THOMSON (CAN)
Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO)
Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN)
Ali Abbas REZAEIAGHOUZGELEH (IRI)
Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ)
Nemanja KIMOSKI (SRB)
Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB)
Razambek JAMALOV (UZB)
Anthony MONTERO CHIRINOS (VEN)

79kg
Chems FETAIRIA (ALG)
Mihail GEORGIEV (BUL)
Piruzi KVLIVIDZE (GEO)
Otari BAGAURI (GEO)
Adel PANAEIAN (IRI)
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)

86kg
Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG)
Jayden LAWRENCE (AUS)
Evsem SHVELIDZE (GEO)
Patrik MEZEI (HUN)
Patrik PUESPOEKI (HUN)
Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)
Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN)
Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ)
Ethan RAMOS (PUR)
Myles AMINE (SMR)
Trent HIDLAY (USA)
Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB)

92kg
Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)
Iuza TSERTSVADZE (GEO)
Krisztian ANGYAL (HUN)
Balazs JUHASZ (HUN)
Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI)

97kg 
Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (AIN)
Mostafa ELDERS (EGY)
Zaur BERADZE (GEO)
Richard VEGH (HUN)
Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI)
Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ)
Alisher YERGALI (KAZ)
Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK)
Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR)

125kg 
Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE)
Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (AIN)
Georgi IVANOV (BUL)
Diaaeldin ABDELMOTTALEB (EGY)
Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)
Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO)
Milan KORCSOG (HUN)
Amirreza MASOUMI VALADI (IRI)
Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ)
Jonovan SMITH (PUR)
Mason PARRIS (USA)

Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI)Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) and Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN) can face each other at 67kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

55kg
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
Marat GARIPOV (BRA)
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
Poya DAD MARZ (IRI)

60kg
Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG)
Kevin DE ARMAS RODRIGUEZ (CUB)
Pridon ABULADZE (GEO)
Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI)
Amirreza DEHBOZORGI (IRI)
Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN)
Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ)
Dahyun KIM (KOR)
Dalton ROBERTS (USA)
Jamal VALIZADEH (UWW)

63kg
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
Moamen MOHAMED (EGY)
Stefan CLEMENT (FRA)
Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
Levente TOTH (HUN)
Meysam DALKHANI (IRI)
Yeongwoo JEONG (KOR)
Victor CIOBANU (MDA)
Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)
Enes BASAR (TUR)
Raiber RODRIGUEZ OROZCO (VEN)

67kg
Ishak GHAIOU (ALG)
Nestor ALMANZA TRUYOL (CHI)
Luis ORTA (CUB)
Andres MONTANO ARROYO (ECU)
Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA)
Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO)
David MANYIK (HUN)
Saeid ESMAEILI LEIVESI (IRI)
Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI)
Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN)
Valentin PETIC (MDA)
Souleymen NASR (TUN)

72kg
Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY)
Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA)
Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA)
Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Otar ABULADZE (GEO)
Adam POHILEC (HUN)
Krisztofer KLANYI (HUN)
Krisztian VANCZA (HUN)
Danial SOHRABI (IRI)
Hyeonjin KANG (KOR)
Alejandro SANCHO (USA)

77kg
Abd OUAKALI (ALG)
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
Jair CUERO MUNOZ (COL)
Pavel PUKLAVEC (CRO)
Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB)
Mahmoud ABDELRAHMAN (EGY)
Iuri LOMADZE (GEO)
Levente LEVAI (HUN)
Robert FRITSCH (HUN)
Zoltan LEVAI (HUN)
Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI)
Mohammad MOKHTARI (IRI)
Nao KUSAKA (JPN)
Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ)
Denis HORVATH (SVK)
Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
Jesse PORTER (USA)

82kg
Karlo KODRIC (CRO)
Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Erik SZILVASSY (HUN)
Peter DOEMOEK (HUN)
Miklos KIRALYHAZI (HUN)
Ashkan SAADATI FARD (IRI)
Mihail BRADU (MDA)
Alperen BERBER (TUR)
Spencer WOODS (USA)

87kg
Bachir SID AZARA (ALG)
Semen NOVIKOV (BUL)
Carlos MUNOZ JARAMILLO (COL)
Matej MANDIC (CRO)
Gurami KHETSURIANI (GEO)
Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO)
Tornike DZAMASHVILI (GEO)
Ariel ALFONSO (HON)
David LOSONCZI (HUN)
Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
Vendel VITAI (HUN)
Mohammadhossein MAHMOODI (IRI)
Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
Shamil L OZHAEV (KAZ)
Seunghwan LEE (KOR)
Norbert SIPKA (SVK)
Ali CENGIZ (TUR)
Payton JACOBSON (USA)

97kg
Fadi ROUABAH (ALG)
Artur OMAROV (CZE)
Mohamed GABR (EGY)
Giorgi MELIA (GEO)
Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Alex SZOKE (HUN)
Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI)
Shayan HABIBZARE (IRI)
Seungjun KIM (KOR)
Josef RAU (USA)

130kg
Beka KANDELAKI (AZE)
Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI)
Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY)
Heiki NABI (EST)
Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
Koppany LASZLO (HUN)
Darius VITEK (HUN)
Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)
Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ)
Seungchan LEE (KOR)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)
Amine GUENNICHI (TUN)
Riza KAYAALP (TUR)
Adam COON (USA)

Helen MAROULIS (USA)Helen MAROULIS (USA) is entered to compete at 57kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (AIN)
Ibtissem DOUDOU (ALG)
Madison PARKS (CAN)
Yu ZHANG (CHN)
Jiang ZHU (CHN)
Ziqi FENG (CHN)
Alisson CARDOZO REY (COL)
Yusneylis GUZMAN LOPEZ (CUB)
Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA)
VINESH (IND)
Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
Agata WALERZAK (POL)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Evin DEMIRHAN YAVUZ (TUR)
Audrey JIMENEZ (USA)
Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB)

53kg
Laura HERIN AVILA (CUB)
Lucia YEPEZ (ECU)
ANTIM (IND)
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
Milana DADASHEVA (AIN)
Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Nataliia KLIVCHUTSKA (UKR)
Sakibjamal ESBOSYNOVA (UZB)
Betzabeth ARGUELLO VILLEGAS (VEN)

55kg
Ekaterina VERBINA (AIN)
Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA)
Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN)
Emma TISSINA (KAZ)
Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Jowita WRZESIEN (POL)
Amanda MARTINEZ (USA)

57kg
Chaimaa AOUISSI (ALG)
Giullia PENALBER (BRA)
Qi ZHANG (CHN)
Kexin HONG (CHN)
Luisa VALVERDE (ECU)
Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
Tamara DOLLAK (HUN)
ANSHU (IND)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)
Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
Helen MAROULIS (USA)

59kg
Nikolett SZABO (HUN)
Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ)
Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ)
Magdalena GLODEK (POL)
Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR)

62kg
Alina KASABIEVA (AIN)
Aleksandra SKIRENKO (AIN)
Lais NUNES (BRA)
Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)
Ana GODINEZ (CAN)
Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)
Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Grace BULLEN (NOR)
Natalia KUBATY (POL)
Siwar BOUSETA (TUN)
Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR)
Kayla MIRACLE (USA)

65kg
Dinara KUDAEVA (AIN)
Miki ROWBOTTOM (CAN)
Iris THIEBAUX (FRA)
Eniko ELEKES (HUN)
Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Iryna BONDAR (UKR)

68kg
Kseniia BURAKOVA (AIN)
Koumba LARROQUE (FRA)
NISHA (IND)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
Tayla FORD (NZL)
Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)
Buse TOSUN (TUR)
Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR)
Firuza ESENBAEVA (UZB)
Soleymi CARABALLO HERNANDEZ (VEN)

72kg
Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA)
Kendra DACHER (FRA)
Viktoria FELHO (HUN)
Noémi SZABADOS (HUN)
Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ)
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
Fanni NAGY NAD (SRB)
Iryna ZABLOTSKA (UKR)

76kg
Justina DI STASIO (CAN)
Tatiana RENTERIA (COL)
Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB)
Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU)
REETIKA (IND)
Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)
Yasemin ADAR (TUR)

#WrestleTirana

Interview: Iran Greco-Roman coach Hassan Rangraz

By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (February 14) -- Iran won its first Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman at the 2012 London Games. Rio 2016 was a blank but Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) won at the Tokyo Olympics. Soon, Iran changed the coaching staff and brought in Hassan RANGRAZ to lead the Iran team.

Rangraz enjoyed success at various levels but the 2024 Paris Olympics was one of the best that Iran had. Two gold medals, one silver and one bronze made it the most successful Olympics for Iran.

The 44-year-old soft-spoken former world champ has a different personality while coaching. He rarely takes the role of first coach during the bouts. But he is always animated in the corner, shouting instructions to his wrestlers and sometimes reacting to the referee's decisions.

As the new Olympic cycle for the 2028 Los Angeles Games begins, United World Wrestling caught up with Rangraz at the season opening Zagreb Open Ranking Series. Rangraz explained the success of Iran's Greco-Roman team, training in Tehran, defended the selection process and the fans who have a say on everything in Iran wrestling.

Hassan RANGRAZ (IRI)Iran's national Greco-Roman coach Hassan RANGRAZ during the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Excerpts:

- How do you see the success of Iran Greco-Roman team at the Paris Olympics?

Rangraz: In my opinion, the result of the Paris Olympics, with four medals, two of them gold, was a remarkable achievement in the history of Greco-Roman wrestling for Iran. This success was primarily due to the six years of planning by the federation, the efforts of former head coaches and previous coaches. I played a very small part in this journey.

- What is it like in the national camp for Iran?

Rangraz: Right after the Olympics, with a very short break, we began our planning. From the Olympics to the 2025 World Championships, we will have 22 training camps, totaling 220 days. We will also be competing for nearly 80 days. Out of the 365 days in a year, our wrestlers will be under direct supervision of the coaching staff for about 300 days. They will follow intense training programs and preparation matches. Even during the remaining 60 days, they will still be monitored indirectly through technical and strength training programs provided by the coaching staff.

- Iran's selection process often comes under scrutiny. Despite that, it keeps producing results. What are you thoughts on the current selection process in Iran?

Rangraz: We have a process and young wrestlers can enter this cycle to compete and prove their worth. The prime examples of this process are Esmaeili and Mohammadi. They shone in domestic and international tournaments, competed with top wrestlers in their weight classes. They performed and won Olympic medals. We are committed to implementing the national team’s selection process and giving talented young wrestlers the opportunity to prove themselves. This way, we can execute the talent identification process in the best possible way.

- What are the responsibilities and challenges as the national coach?

Rangraz: Wrestling is the number one sport in Iran and our national, patriotic, and traditional sport. Wrestling is part of Iran’s culture. Therefore, taking on the technical responsibility as the head coach primarily brings stress, anxiety, and immense pressure. On top of that, you have to be accountable for the results and take responsibility for the team’s performance. In terms of difficulty, I can confidently say that considering the intense scrutiny, being the head coach of the national team is so challenging it’s like working in a mine.

- The fans of Iranian wrestling are always involved. How do you see this and does it affect you in any way?

Rangraz: As I mentioned earlier, 80 million Iranians have a deep love for wrestling. Perhaps that’s why a tournament that may not hold much significance for people from other countries is so important to our people. They follow it closely, they care about it, they rejoice in victories and worry about defeats. This immense passion and support from fans is the greatest strength and asset for wrestling in our country.

- What is the roadmap for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?

Rangraz: We believe that the Olympic Games are just around the corner. Four years go by very quickly. To succeed in the Olympics, you need to work hard, but also work smart. You can’t afford to miss a single training session or day. With this mindset and determination and knowing how high and legitimate the expectations are, we continue on our path with great strength, despite all the pressures we feel in every competition.

I believe the future of Iranian wrestling is very bright. Iran is passionate about wrestling. One of my dreams is that, just like in 1998 and 2002, we can once again host the World Wrestling Championships in Iran. The main reason for this is that nowhere else in the world will you find such passionate and numerous fans. These fans are the greatest asset of world wrestling, not just Iranian wrestling, and their expectation is to host a World Championship event.