Ranking Series

USA, Turkey Wrestlers Sit Atop Women's Rankings in 5 of 10 Weight Classes

Thursday, May 10, 2018 - 18:26 By United World Wrestling Press

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Three-time world champion Adeline Gray (USA), fresh of winning a Pan American title, ascends to No.1 at 76kg in the May 2018 Ranking Series for women's wrestling. She won all three of her matches by fall at the Pan American Championships held in Lima, Puru.

Gray is one three Americans ranked No.1 in their respective weight classes. Joining Gray in the top spot are Sarah HILDEBRANDT (53kg) and Kayla MIRACLE (62kg). 


Hildebrandt, like Gray, is coming off a dominant performance at the Pan American Championships. She went 4-0 with three falls and a 10-0 technical fall. 

Miracle was a Klippan Lady Open gold medalist in February and recently earned a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships. 

Turkey has a pair of No.1-ranked wrestlers, Bediha GUN (55kg) and Elif YESILIRMAK (59kg). Both claimed medals at the Klippan Lady Open and European Championships. 

Gun, a 2016 Olympian, was a silver medalist at the Klippan Lady Open and a bronze medalist at the European Championships. 

Yesilirmak, a multiple-time world medalist, claimed a European gold medal after finishing with a bronze at the Klippan Lady Open.

Mariya STADNIK (AZE), who recently captured her eighth European title, occupies the top spot at 50kg. 

Other top-ranked wrestlers in women's wrestling include Irina OLOGONOVA (57kg), Petra OLLI (65kg), Laura SKUJINA (68kg) and Jenny FRANSSON (72kg). Olli and Fransson were gold medalists at the European Championships. 

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. 

50kg
1. Mariya STADNIK (AZE) // 43 Points
2. Emilia VUC (ROU) // 39 Points
3. Chun LEI (CHN) // 24 Points
4. Whitney CONDER (USA) // 22 Points
5. Vinesh VINESH (IND) // 22 Points

53kg
1. Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) // 38 Points
2. Aysun ERGE (TUR) // 33 Points
3. Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS) // 26 Points
4. Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) // 24 Points
5. Yongmi PAK (PRK) // 22 Points

55kg
1. Bediha GUN (TUR) // 33 Points
2. Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) // 23 Points
3. Saki IGARASHI (JPN) // 21 Points
4. Roksana ZASINA (POL) // 21 Points
5. Hyemin OH (KOR) // 19 Points

57kg
1. Irina OLOGONOVA (RUS) // 37 Points
2. Laura MERTENS (GER) // 31 Points
3. Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) // 24 Points
4. Xingru PEI (CHN) // 22 Points
5. Alejandra ROMERO BONILLA (MEX) // 22 Points

59kg
1. Elif YESILIRMAK (TUR) // 33 Points
2. Ningning RONG (CHN) // 22 Points
3. Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB) // 20 Points
4. Bisola MAKANJUOLA (NGR) // 18 Points
5. Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) // 18 Points

62kg
1. Kayla MIRACLE (USA) // 35 Points
2. Luzie MANZKE (GER) // 28 Points
3. Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) // 23 Points
4. Yaquelin ESTORNELL ELIZASTIGUE (CUB) // 22 Points
5. Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) // 22 Points

65kg
1. Petra OLLI (FIN) // 41 Points
2. Henna JOHANSSON (SWE) // 33 Points
3. Forrest MOLINARI (USA) // 26 Points
4. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) // 21 Points
5. Krystsina FEDARASHKA (BLR) // 19 Points

68kg
1. Laura SKUJINA (LAT) // 31 Points
2. Anastasia BRATCHIKOVA (RUS) // 25 Points
3. Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) // 23 Points
4. Feng ZHOU (CHN) // 21 Points
5. Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (CUB) // 21 Points

72kg
1. Jenny FRANSSON (SWE) // 36 Points
2. Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) // 26 Points
3. Yue HAN (CHN) // 18 Points
4. Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (BLR) // 18 Points
5. Veronica KEEFE (CAN) // 16 Points

76kg
1. Adeline GRAY (USA) // 40 Points
2. Yasemin ADAR (TUR) // 38 Points
3. Epp MAE (EST) // 30 Points
4. Qian ZHOU (CHN) // 21 Points
5. Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI (JPN) // 19 Points
 

On his path to Paris, Burroughs makes a stop in Taraz

Thursday, November 2, 2023 - 19:15 By Vinay Siwach

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TARAZ, Kazakhstan (November 2) -- The sports hall at the 'Athletic' Hotel in Taraz is full of boxing world champions and medalists. The Kazakhstan boxers are preparing for an upcoming domestic tournament.

A few meters away from the boxing ring are two wrestling mats, crowded with wrestlers from various countries. But as Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) begins his training, one mat is slowly vacated with wrestlers moving to the other.

It's his final training session before he steps on the mat on Friday as the six-time world champion will wrestle at the Kunayev DA tournament in the south Kazakhstan city. Back at 74kg after almost three years, Burroughs gearing up for the Paris Olympics next year.

Once Burroughs begins his drills, mobiles are out to record, a few others watch and admire, and even the boxers pause briefly and catch a glimpse. He spars with Joseph MCKENNA (USA) who is participating in the tournament at 65kg. The 30-minute session has Burroughs defend McKenna's shots, and work on finishing leg attacks and some heavy-hands. The sparring is followed by a long session of skipping ropes. 

As the 35-year-old cools down, there are a few requests for photographs from young kids and other wrestlers. He obliges.

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA)

The DA Kunayev tournament in Taraz will be Burroughs' first international appearance since the 2022 World Cup in Iowa. While the United States won the gold there, Burroughs personally suffered a big loss. He lost, for the first time in his career, to an Iranian wrestler Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI).

He tried making the U.S. team for the World Championships this year at 79kg but lost the trials to Chance MATSTELLER (USA). So what is Burroughs doing in Taraz at the end of the 2023 season?

"There is no international tournament in 2023 after this one," Brandon SLAY (USA), the coach with Burroughs in Taraz, said. "The Pan-Am Games or this. Burroughs coming down to 74kg meant we need to do this gradually but wrestling at Pan-Am Games would mean to make 74kg at scratch."

A two-kilogram allowance in Taraz helps Burroughs as he slowly shifts back to 74kg, an Olympic weight class in which he won gold in the 2012 London Games and now looking to repeat in Paris.

But the road to Paris is filled with challenges. Domestically, Burroughs will have to win the Olympic trial in April, going through four-time world champion Kyle DAKE (USA) who qualified the weight for the U.S. in Belgrade by winning silver. But to reach Dake, Burroughs will have to beat some of the best wrestlers in the U.S. including Jason NOLF (USA), Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA), Keegan O'TOOLE (USA), the top four U.S. wrestlers from this month's Bill Farrell International, the top five wrestlers from the National Championships in December, the 2024 NCAA champion and the 2024 Pan-American Championships champion. Marsteller is also qualified for the Olympic trial and can compete if he decides to drop to 74kg in April.

Perhaps that's what made Burroughs take the trip to Kazakhstan. This will be his first invitational tournament in six years.

"Kazakhstan has been amazing," Slay said. "We participated here last year for the first time and this was in our minds this year as well. The organizers have been very accommodating. Despite the long travel, it's reasonable to stay and wrestle here. We get to wrestle international wrestlers so that is what we were looking for."

Burroughs is up against the U20 Asian champion from Kazakhstan Yerkhan BEXULTANOV (KAZ) and if he manages to reach the final in the 20-man bracket on Saturday, he is likely to get another Kazakhstan wrestler.

"He is the only American in the bracket so we are not thinking too much," Slay said. "I am pretty satisfied with the brackets here."

Back in the sports hall, Burroughs rests himself for a brief period before calling it a day. No signs of aggressive reduction of weight. He will perhaps step on the weighing scale more than once before he actually does on Friday morning for the weigh-ins.

That is when Burroughs' battle for the Paris Olympics at 74kg begins.