Ranking Series

Olympic Champ Borrero Headlines World Greco-Roman Rankings

Friday, May 11, 2018 - 16:47 By United World Wrestling Press

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Olympic champion Ismael BORRERO (CUB) headlines the May 2018 Ranking Series for Greco-Roman. 

Borrero, ranked No.1 at 67kg, has accumulated 47 ranking points, which is more points than any Greco-Roman wrestler in any weight class. The Cuban star recently cruised to his fourth overall Pan American gold, picking up four technical falls and outscoring his opponents by a combined score of 40-0. Earlier this year Borrero won a gold medal at the Cerro Pelado International.

Another Cuban wrestler, Oscar PINO HINDS (130kg), a returning world bronze medalist, earned a No.1 ranking. Like Borrero, Pino Hinds claimed a gold medal at the Pan American Championships. He topped Robby SMITH (USA) to win his third consecutive continental title.

Kyrgyzstan also has a pair of top-ranked Greco-Roman wrestlers, K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (60kg) and U. AMATOV (63kg).

Zholchubekov opened the year by winning a gold medal at the Takhti Cup and followed it up with a bronze at the Asian Championships. 


Amatov earned medals at both the Takhti Cup (bronze) and Asian Championships (silver). 

2016 world champion Balint KORPASI (HUN) is the top-ranked wrestler at 72kg. He was a Cerro Pelado International champion in February and recently captured a bronze medal at the European Championships. 

Returning world bronze medalist Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) occupies the top spot at 77kg. He has been a Takhti Cup champion and Asian Championships silver medalist this year. 

Another returning world bronze medalist, Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO), tops the rankings at 87kg. He recently claimed a gold medal at the European Championships. 


Other top-ranked Greco-Roman wrestlers include Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) at 55kg, Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) at 82kg and Orkhan NURIYEV (AZE) at 97kg. 

The 2018 season is the first in which United World Wrestling is utilizing an objective ranking system. The points acquired at continental championships and select rankings series will determine the top four seeded athletes at the 2018 World Championships in October held in Budapest.

For more on the Ranking Series format, be sure to check out this article. 

View all the rankings on United World Wrestling's homepage. 

55kg
1. Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) // 30 Points
2. Reza KHEDRI (IRI) // 24 Points
3. Shota TANOKURA (JPN) // 22 Points
4. Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) // 20 Points
5. Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) // 20 Points

60kg
1. K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) // 36 Points
2. Luis Alberto ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) // 35 Points
3. Sergey EMELIN (RUS) // 27 Points
4. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) // 25 Points
5. Shinobu OTA (JPN) // 23 Points

63kg
1. U. AMATOV (KGZ) // 30 Points
2. Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) // 28 Points
3. Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) // 26 Points
4. Zaur KABALOEV (RUS) // 24 Points
5. Donior ISLAMOV (MDA) // 24 Points

67kg
1. Ismael BORRERO (CUB) // 47 Points
2. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) // 42 Points
3. Artem SURKOV (RUS) // 32 Points
4. Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) // 30 Points
5. Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) // 28 Points

72kg
1. Balint KORPASI (HUN) // 42 Points
2. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) // 38 Points
3. Adam KURAK (RUS) // 33 Points
4. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) // 31 Points
5. Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) // 29 Points

77kg
1. Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) // 38 Points
2. Ariel FIS BATISTA (CUB) // 34 Points
3. Roman VLASOV (RUS) // 34 Points
4. Viktor NEMES (SRB) // 32 Points
5. Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) // 30 Points

82kg
1. Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) // 40 Points
2. Laszlo SZABO (HUN) // 31 Points
3. Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) // 29 Points
4. Viktar SASUNOUSKI (BLR) // 27 Points
5. Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) // 25 Points

87kg
1. Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) // 33 Points
2. Bekkhan OZDOEV (RUS) // 31 Points
3. Daniel GREGORICH HECHAVARRIA (CUB) // 29 Points
4. Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) // 29 Points
5. Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE) // 29 Points

97kg
1. Orkhan NURIYEV (AZE) // 42 Points
2. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) // 38 Points
3. Luillys Jose PEREZ MORA (VEN) // 34 Points
4. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) // 33 Points
5. Gabriel Alejandro ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUB) // 32 Points

130kg
1. Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) // 36 Points
2. Behnam mahdizadeh ARPATAPEH (IRI) // 34 Points
3. Lam BALINT (HUN) // 32 Points
4. Ciurariu alin ALEXUC (ROU) // 30 Points
5. Riza KAYAALP (TUR) // 27 Points
 

Development

Iraqi Wrestling Federation host 2nd course for Coaches and Referees

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - 12:56 By United World Wrestling Press

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Baghdad, Iraq (June 17) – The Iraqi Wrestling Federation continues to look to provide education for their coaches and referees. From May 25-30, the IRQ Federation hosted a Level 2 Coaching Course and the Introduction to Referee Course.  These were conducted in conjunction with Olympic Solidarity and United World Wrestling.  The coaching course was led by Mr. Hassan Madany (EGY) and the referee course was led by Mr. Hadi Hasan Ismael (IRQ).  

The Level 2 coaching course focused on the designing and implementing of practice plans.  There were 25 coaches that participated in the course.  The participants The following topics were covered throughout the course: seven basic skills of wrestling, introduction to performance analysis designing effective practice sessions, and technical session. During the course, the coaches actively practiced and developed their skills through practical evaluations.  “The atmosphere was comfortable and collaborative, creating an excellent learning environment. Everyone was eager to engage with the course content across various topics, but there was particular enthusiasm for match performance analysis and practical application.  Notably, most participants were former international players, including some who competed in the London 2012 Olympics in the 130 kg Greco-Roman category, such as Coach Ali Nazem. Their presence significantly enhanced the course level, especially in the practical aspects.  In the end, I was pleased to be part of this course and to work alongside such a distinguished group of coaches.” Said Mr. Madany.

The Introduction to Refereeing Course was the first-ever women-only course in Iraq.  This course had 17 women who were new to refereeing.  The participants learned the foundations of what it takes to be a great referee.  The areas covered during the course included:  safety of the athletes, evaluation of holds, referee mechanics, positioning, and controlling the bout.  The participants were active during the course and were able to practice their skills through practical evaluations.  “The course was conducted successfully and demonstrated strong organization throughout. The participants showed a high level of enthusiasm, which was clearly reflected in their active engagement during the sessions. Despite all attendees having no prior experience in wrestling, their overall performance was commendable. Several participants displayed exceptional comprehension and aptitude, which was evident in their practical application of refereeing skills during the championship held the day after the course concluded.” Said Mr. Hadi Hasan Ismael.

At the conclusion of the courses, the Iraqi Wrestling Federation organized a competition. The competition allowed the coaches and referees to directly practice the new skills that they learned.

“First of all, I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the International Wrestling Federation and the Development Committee of the Federation for their continuous support in developing wrestling in Iraq. Regarding the training and refereeing course, which concluded with great success, the lecturers Hassan Madani and Hadi Hassan presented valuable and useful expertise and information, which was well received and appreciated by all participants”. said Mr. Shaalan Abdulkadhim, President of Iraqi Wrestling Federation.

IRQParticipants gather for a group photo following the conclusion of the Level 2 Coaching Course in Baghdad. (Photo: United World Wrestling) 

Quotes from some of the participants:

“The course was of great importance, particularly due to the inclusion of practical applications, which proved to be the most engaging and beneficial aspect for the participants. These hands-on sessions complemented the theoretical lectures, which focused on thoroughly studying the core materials and concepts before transitioning to their practical implementation.” – Hoyam Jazea

“The course was very enjoyable and rich with valuable information that has already benefited us and will certainly be useful in the future. Although the duration of the course was short, the knowledge we gained was impactful and left a lasting impression. For future, I hope there will be more courses, as it would allow us to deepen our understanding and expand our knowledge of refereeing.” – Saja Tariq

"The overall impression of the Level 1 Wrestling Refereeing Course was very positive. It was a well-structured and fruitful course that provided a solid introduction to the fundamentals of wrestling, including basic techniques, refereeing principles, mat movement, and scoring methods. The theoretical component was clearly presented, and the instructor’s approach to delivering the material was excellent, making the information easy to understand and absorb.” – Rusul Falah