#WrestleIstanbul

World Paris Olympic Qualifier 2024 Entry List

By United World Wrestling Press

ISTANBUL, Turkiye (April 29) -- After the World Championships and four continental qualifiers, it all comes down to the last chance World OG Qualifier in Istanbul for the wrestlers hoping to earn a spot for the Paris Olympics.

The qualifier in Istanbul will offer 54 Olympic quotas in each of the six weight classes of the three styles. Every weight category offers three Paris Olympic spots -- one each to the two finalists and one to the winner of the playoff between the two bronze medalists.

Greco-Roman will kick off the competition on May 9 followed by Women's Wrestling and Freestyle finishing it on May 13. All details of the schedule can be found here -- World OG Qualifier Schedule

Freestyle

57kg
Georgi VANGELOV (BUL)
Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN)
Zhipeng JIANG (CHN)
Roland TAMBI (CMR)
Peter HAMMER CUDE (CRC)
Guesseppe REA VILLARROEL (ECU)
Levan METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP)
Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA)
Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO)
Horst LEHR (GER)
Tsz Shing LEUNG (HKG)
AMAN (IND)
Alireza SARLAK (IRI)
Simone PIRODDU (ITA)
Rakhat KALZHAN (KAZ)
Sunggwon KIM (KOR)
Ben TARIK (MAR)
Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL)
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD)
Ali ABURUMAILA (PLE)
Chong HAN (PRK)
Razvan KOVACS (ROU)
Ibrahim BUNDUKA (SLE)
Thomas EPP (SUI)
Kabe MATJANOV (TKM)
Muhammet KARAVUS (TUR)
Andrii YATSENKO (UKR)
Spencer LEE (USA)

65kg
Niurgun SKRIABIN (AIN)
Islam DUDAEV (ALB)
Josh FAILAUGA (ASA)
Shannon HANNA (BAH)
Ayub MUSAEV (BEL)
Alibeg ALIBEGOV (BRN)
Mikyay NAIM (BUL)
Lachlan MCNEIL (CAN)
Baowen WEI (CHN)
Anthony WESLEY (CPV)
Joshua KRAMER (ECU)
Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA)
Junjun ASEBIAS (FSM)
Gibriel CHOW (GAM)
Andre CLARKE (GER)
Tsz Hei HEUNG (HKG)
Sujeet SUJEET (IND)
Joshua Stuart FINESILVER (ISR)
Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ)
Davies ORIWA (KEN)
Junsik YUN (KOR)
Maxim SACULTAN (MDA)
Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)
Besir ALILI (MKD)
Lowe BINGHAM (NRU)
Muhammad ABDULLAH (PAK)
Abdullah ASSAF (PLE)
Cristian NICOLESCU (PLW)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Kwang Jin KIM (PRK)
Stefan Ionut COMAN (ROU)
Sahid Tejan KARGBO (SLE)
Nino LEUTERT (SUI)
Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK)
Jelaletdin SEYIDOV (TKM)
Ahmet DUMAN (TUR)
Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR)
Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR)
Zain RETHERFORD (USA)
Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB)
Ibrahim GUZAN (YEM)

74kg
Cherman VALIEV (ALB)
Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM)
Simon MARCHL (AUT)
Ibragim VELIEV (BEL)
Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN)
Miroslav KIROV (BUL)
Stone LEWIS (CAN)
Michel DOLE BONDELE (CGO)
Yi LI (CHN)
Jacques MONTY (CMR)
Mohammad MOTTAGHINIA (ESP)
Erik REINBOK (EST)
Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA)
Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Shamil USTAEV (GER)
Luis BARRIOS (HON)
Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN)
JAIDEEP (IND)
Mitchell FINESILVER (ISR)
Frank CHAMIZO (ITA)
Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ)
Mathayo MAHABILA (KEN)
Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ)
Byungmin GONG (KOR)
Egzon XHONI (KOS)
Vasile DIACON (MDA)
Raul PALACIOS (MEX)
Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL)
Rasul SHAPIEV (MKD)
Kamil RYBICKI (POL)
Sonny SANTIAGO (PUR)
Krisztian BIRO (ROU)
Malik Michael AMINE (SMR)
Tobias PORTMANN (SUI)
Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)
Viktor RASSADIN (TJK)
Arslan AMANMYRADOV (TKM)
Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR)
Jamal ABDUL (UGA)
Vadym TSURKAN (UKR)
*Iman MAHDAVI (UWW)
Abdulkareem AL RABEDHI (YEM)

86kg
Arkadzi PAHASIAN (AIN)
Mushegh MKRTCHYAN (ARM)
Ariston BARTLEY (ASA)
Benjamin GREIL (AUT)
Pedro GONCALVES (BRA)
Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN)
Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL)
Peilong LI (CHN)
Taimuraz FRIEV NASKIDAEVA (ESP)
Aimar ANDRUSE (EST)
Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)
Lars SCHAEFLE (GER)
Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE)
Yip Cheuk YEUNG (HKG)
Patrik PUESPOEKI (HUN)
Deepak PUNIA (IND)
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR)
Aron CANEVA (ITA)
Atai IZABEKOV (KGZ)
Gwanuk KIM (KOR)
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT)
Saad AMANDAR (MAR)
Georgii RUBAEV (MDA)
Noel TORRES (MEX)
Ahmad MAGOMEDOV (MKD)
Pool AMBROCIO (PER)
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
Stefan REICHMUTH (SUI)
Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM)
Osman GOCEN (TUR)
Ivan MASAKWE (UGA)
Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR)
Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN)

97kg
Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM)
Thomas BARNS (AUS)
Ahmed BATAEV (BUL)
Nishan Preet RANDHAWA (CAN)
Tuerxunbieke MUHEITE (CHN)
Cedric ABOSSOLO (CMR)
Maxwell LACEY (CRC)
Adlan VISKHANOV (FRA)
Babacarr MBOGE (GAM)
Erik Sven THIELE (GER)
Theodoros KYRIAKIDIS (GRE)
Vlagyiszlav BAJCAJEV (HUN)
DEEPAK (IND)
Benjamin HONIS (ITA)
Arash YOSHIDA (JPN)
Andrei ARONOV (KGZ)
Juhwan SEO (KOR)
Radu LEFTER (MDA)
Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD)
Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL)
Georgian TRIPON (ROU)
Samuel SCHERRER (SUI)
Adam JAKSIK (SVK)
Shatlyk HEMELYAYEV (TKM)
Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR)
Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB)
Cristian SARCO COLMENAREZ (VEN)

125kg
Paris KAREPI (ALB)
Lyova GEVORGYAN (ARM)
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT)
Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN)
Georgi IVANOV (BUL)
BUHEEERDUN (CHN)
Jose CUBA VAZQUEZ (ESP)
Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER)
Gino AVILA DILBERT (HON)
Daniel LIGETI (HUN)
SUMIT (IND)
Abraham CONYEDO (ITA)
Aaron JOHNSON (JAM)
Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Joel TUKAI (KEN)
Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ)
Yeihyun JUNG (KOR)
Robert BARAN (POL)
Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM)
Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR)
Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB)
Jose DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN)

Selcuk CAN (TUR)Selcuk CAN (TUR) will look to win the Paris Olympic spot in Greco-Roman 67kg in front of the home crowd in Istanbul. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

60kg
Hleb MAKARANKA (AIN)
Sadyk LALAEV (AIN)
Bajram SINA (ALB)
Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
Josh FAILAUGA (ASA)
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
Nedyalko PETROV (BUL)
Nikolai MOHAMMADI (DEN)
Daniel BOBILLO VIGIL (ESP)
Leo TUDEZCA (FRA)
Pridon ABULADZE (GEO)
Christopher KRAEMER (GER)
SUMIT (IND)
Melkamu FETENE (ISR)
Dahyun KIM (KOR)
Rayan HAWSAWI (KSA)
Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT)
Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU)
Ismail ETTALIBI (MAR)
Alexis RODRIGUEZ (MEX)
Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Romio GOLIATH (NAM)
Michal Jacek TRACZ (POL)
Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)
Ibrahim BUNDUKA (SLE)
Georgij TIBILOV (SRB)
Virgil BICA (SWE)
Umit DURDYYEV (TKM)
Viktor PETRYK (UKR)
Dalton ROBERTS (USA)
*Jamal VALIZADEH (UWW)

67kg
Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (AIN)
Aslan VISAITOV (AIN)
Gjete PRENGA (ALB)
Abu AMAEV (BUL)
Ji LENG (CHN)
Dominik ETLINGER (CRO)
Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY)
Artur JEREMEJEV (EST)
Matias LIPASTI (FIN)
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO)
Etienne KINSINGER (GER)
Krisztian Istvan VANCZA (HUN)
Muhammad ALIANSYAH (INA)
Ashu ASHU (IND)
Andrea SETTI (ITA)
Din Mukhamed KOSHKAR (KAZ)
Hansu RYU (KOR)
Ahmed BARAHMAH (KSA)
Adomas GRIGALIUNAS (LTU)
Valentin PETIC (MDA)
Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR)
Nilton SOTO GARCIA (PER)
Mateusz BERNATEK (POL)
Yong Jin RO (PRK)
Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU)
Sahid Tejan KARGBO (SLE)
Andreas VETSCH (SUI)
Niklas Jan Olov Pontus OEHLEN (SWE)
Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM)
Selcuk CAN (TUR)
Ellis COLEMAN (USA)
Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB)

77kg
Adlet TIULIUBAEV (AIN)
Tsimur BERDYIEU (AIN)
Kevin KUPI (ALB)
Joilson RAMOS (BRA)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
John YEATS (CAN)
Tongyu CHEN (CHN)
Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO)
Oldrich VARGA (CZE)
Oliver KRUEGER (DEN)
Marcos SANCHEZ (ESP)
Johnny BUR (FRA)
Iuri LOMADZE (GEO)
Idris IBAEV (GER)
Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE)
Zoltan LEVAI (HUN)
Vikas VIKAS (IND)
Riccardo ABBRESCIA (ITA)
Dowon LEE (KOR)
Hassan BARNAWI (KSA)
Paulius GALKINAS (LTU)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Emmanuel BENITEZ (MEX)
Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Kamil CZARNECKI (POL)
Jonathan VIRUET (PUR)
Ilie COJOCARI (ROU)
Viktor NEMES (SRB)
Fabio DIETSCHE (SUI)
Per Albin OLOFSSON (SWE)
Bazargeldi EZIMOV (TKM)
Volodymyr YAKOVLIEV (UKR)
Kamal BEY (USA)

87kg
Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN)
Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM)
Elias Lauofo VAOIFI (ASA)
Lukas STAUDACHER (AUT)
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
Ioannis NARLIDIS (CAN)
Ivan HUKLEK (CRO)
Daniel GREGORICH (CUB)
Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)
Raido LIITMAEE (EST)
Waltteri LATVALA (FIN)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO)
Hannes WAGNER (GER)
Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE)
Ariel ALFONSO (HON)
Sunil KUMAR (IND)
Mirco MINGUZZI (ITA)
Soh SAKABE (JPN)
Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ)
Sanghyeok PARK (KOR)
Martynas NEMSEVICIUS (LTU)
Mihail BRADU (MDA)
Jose VARGAS (MEX)
Marcel STERKENBURG (NED)
Exauce MUKUBU (NOR)
Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL)
Nicu OJOG (ROU)
Damian VON EUW (SUI)
Alex KESSIDIS (SWE)
Yhlas ABDURAZAKOV (TKM)
Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB)

97kg
Artur SARGSIAN (AIN)
Markus RAGGINGER (AUT)
Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE)
Kaloyan IVANOV (BUL)
Houzhi HAO (CHN)
Filip SMETKO (CRO)
Mathias BAK (DEN)
Richard KARELSON (EST)
Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN)
Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER)
Michail IOSIFIDIS (GRE)
Alex Gergo SZOKE (HUN)
Nitesh NITESH (IND)
Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)
Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN)
Iussuf MATSIYEV (KAZ)
Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ)
Ibrahim FALLATAH (KSA)
Badamdorj BALTMUNKH (MGL)
Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED)
Felix BALDAUF (NOR)
Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL)
Mihail KAJAIA (SRB)
Ramon BETSCHART (SUI)
Aleksandar STJEPANETIC (SWE)
Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM)
Metehan BASAR (TUR)
Vladlen KOZLIUK (UKR)

130kg
Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN)
David OVASAPYAN (ARM)
Daniel GASTL (AUT)
Sabah SHARIATI (AZE)
Heiki NABI (EST)
Matti KUOSMANEN (FIN)
Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
Nikolaos NTOUNIAS (GRE)
Darius VITEK (HUN)
Naveen NAVEEN (IND)
Sota OKUMURA (JPN)
Roman KIM (KGZ)
Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU)
Oskar MARVIK (NOR)
Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)
Boris PETRUSIC (SRB)
Eduard BABENOSHEV (TJK)
Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM)
Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR)
Moises PEREZ (VEN)

Mariya STADNIK (AZE)Four-time Olympic medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE) will wrestle in Istanbul for a Paris spot in 50kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling

50kg
Viyaleta REBIKAVA (AIN)
Mariya STADNIK (AZE)
Kamila BARBOSA (BRA)
Miglena SELISHKA (BUL)
Geneviève MORRISON (CAN)
Rosine NTSA ASSOUGA (CMR)
Jacqueline MOLLOCANA (ECU)
Aintzane GORRIA GONI (ESP)
Julie SABATIE (FRA)
Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER)
Marina KARAPANAGIOTIDOU (GRE)
Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA)
Laura GANIKYZY (KAZ)
Emma WANGILA (KEN)
Miran CHEON (KOR)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Mariana DIAZ MUNOZ (MEX)
Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR)
Yorlenis MORAN (PAN)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Son Hyang KIM (PRK)
Beatrice FERENT (ROU)
Nipuni WASANA (SRI)
Svenja JUNGO (SUI)
Meng Hsuan HSIEH (TPE)
Thi Xuan NGUYEN (VIE)
 
53kg
Oleksandra KOGUT (AUT)
Gultakin SHIRINOVA (AZE)
Sabrina GAMA TAPAJOS (BRA)
Irena BINKOVA (BUL)
Karla GODINEZ (CAN)
Nogona BAKAYOKO (CIV)
Miriam NGOE WASE (CMR)
Laura HERIN AVILA (CUB)
Maria BAEZ DILONE (ESP)
Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
Sztalvira ORSOS (HUN)
Fabiana RINELLA (ITA)
Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ)
Aruuke KADYRBEK KYZY (KGZ)
Seoyoung PARK (KOR)
Zineb ECH CHABKI (MAR)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Zeltzin HERNANDEZ (MEX)
Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Veronika RJABOVOLOVA (MKD)
Yusneiry AGRAZAL WEST (PAN)
Jowita WRZESIEN (POL)
Nethmi AHINSA (SRI)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)
Thi My Trang NGUYEN (VIE)

57kg
Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (AIN)
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
Giullia PENALBER (BRA)
Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL)
Yaynelis SANZ (CUB)
Graciela SANCHEZ (ESP)
Mathilde RIVIERE (FRA)
Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN)
Aurora RUSSO (ITA)
Laura ALMAGANBETOVA (KAZ)
Sezim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Youngjin KWON (KOR)
Zineb HASSOUNE (MAR)
Alma VALENCIA (MEX)
Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN (MGL)
Marija CVETANOVA (MKD)
Ester ABRAHAM (NAM)
Othelie HOEIE (NOR)
In Sun JONG (PRK)
Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU)
Evelina HULTHEN (SWE)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR)
Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB)

62kg
Veranika IVANOVA (AIN)
Nachi MASUDA (AUS)
Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE)
Lais NUNES (BRA)
Yaru WU (CHN)
Lydia PEREZ (ESP)
Ameline DOUARRE (FRA)
Mansi MANSI (IND)
Elena ESPOSITO (ITA)
Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ)
Hanbit LEE (KOR)
Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT)
Mariana CHERDIVARA (MDA)
Melanie JIMENEZ (MEX)
Arian CARPIO (PHI)
Natalia KUBATY (POL)
Kriszta INCZE (ROU)
Annatina LIPPUNER (SUI)
Sara LINDBORG (SWE)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Astrid MONTERO (VEN)

68kg
Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN)
Albina DRAZHI (ALB)
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL)
Linda MORAIS (CAN)
Qian JIANG (CHN)
Blandine NGIRI (CMR)
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
Noémi SZABADOS (HUN)
Nisha NISHA (IND)
Ilana KRATYSH (ISR)
Dalma CANEVA (ITA)
Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ)
Ohyoung HA (KOR)
Elma ZEIDLERE (LAT)
Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU)
Ambar GARNICA (MEX)
Uilau TARKONG (PLW)
Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE)
Alina BEREZHNA (UKR)
Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB) 

76kg
Rita TALISMANOVA (AIN)
Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (AIN)
Annie ALOISIO (ASA)
Martina KUENZ (AUT)
Yuliana YANEVA (BUL)
Amy YOUIN (CIV)
Samar HAMZA (EGY)
Epp MAE (EST)
Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA)
Francy RAEDELT (GER)
Agoro PAPAVASILEIOU (GRE)
Enrica RINALDI (ITA)
Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ)
Eunju HWANG (KOR)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)
Patrycja SPERKA (POL)
Catalina AXENTE (ROU)
Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE)
Anastasiia SHUSTOVA (UKR)
Maria ACOSTA (VEN)

Iman MAHDAVI and Jamil VALIZADEH are part of the refugee and will be eligible for qualification in Istanbul as both are already qualified as part of the IOC Refugee Team for the Paris 2024. 

#WrestleZagreb

World Championships 2025 Greco-Roman Preview

By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 9) -- The last time the Azerbaijan Greco-Roman team did not finish on the podium in the team rankings was back in 2019. Since then, it has remained in the top three for four consecutive editions of the World Championships, including two first-place finishes in 2023 and 2024.

The country will once again be one of the toughest to beat at the World Championships, bringing some of the strongest wrestlers to Zagreb to defend its team title.

Five world medalists, including three champions, and four former European medalists, including two champions, make up Azerbaijan's lineup, led by Olympic and world medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE). World champions Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) at 55kg, Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) at 60kg, and Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) at 72kg will be key to the team's success.

Supporting them are former European champion Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) at 63kg, world silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) at 77kg, European champion Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) at 82kg, European medalist Islam ABBASOV (AZE) at 87kg, former European U23 champion Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE) at 97kg, and former European medalist Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) at 130kg.

The biggest rival for Azerbaijan will be Iran which is also bringing a strong team to Zagreb. With Olympic champions Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) at 97kg, Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) at 67kg, and Olympic silver medalist Alireza MOHAMADI (IRI) at 87kg, Iran also has world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) who is looking to defend his 130kg gold.

Other names include world U20 champions Payam AHMADI (IRI) at 55kg, Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) at 60kg, world U23 champion Danial SOHRABI (IRI) at 72kg, and Zagreb Open champion Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) at 82kg.

Azerbaijan's Golden Trio

Azerbaijan's three world champions from 2024 -- Azizli, Mammadli, and Ganizade -- will face a stronger field than last year.

Azizli, a four-time world champion at 55kg, is the favorite. However, his loss to Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) in the European Championships final puts an asterisk on that tag.

Iran will send world U20 champion Payam AHMADI (IRI) over Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) after the former won a selection bout. It will be interesting to see how the young wrestler adjusts to the senior level. Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) and Taiga ONISHI (JPN) are also potential podium finishers at 55kg.

At 60kg, Mammadli aims for back-to-back world titles. After winning at 63kg last year, he has returned to his preferred 60kg, where he claimed European gold earlier this year. Mammadli is known for his dominant par terre wrestling, making it tough for opponents to turn him from that position.

Despite his advantage, Mammadli will face challenges in Zagreb. A European final rematch against Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) is likely, as Tibilov has troubled him in the past but never defeated him. Both could meet in the semifinals.

Paris Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK) will also be in contention for a medal, a feat DPR Korea has not achieved in Greco-Roman since 2015.

Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) is aiming for success at the senior level after winning gold at the 2024 U20 World Championships. He has the potential to challenge the top wrestlers. Former world champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA) will also be looking to regain his momentum, while Asian silver medalist Kaito INABA (JPN) will make his World Championships debut.

Ganizade, the third world champion from Azerbaijan, faces a tough road at 72kg, with two other world champions and an Olympic silver medalist in the mix. Experienced wrestlers like Selcuk CAN (TUR) and Danial SOHRABI (IRI) also add to the competition.

Ganizade narrowly defeated former world champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) 3-2 in last year’s final, and they are likely to meet again. Ghanem, who won gold at the European Championships, has been a consistent contender.

Ali ARSALAN (SRB), another world champion in this weight class, has been inconsistent. He earned a bronze last year after losing to Ghanem in the semifinals.

Parviz NASIBOV (UKR), a two-time Olympic silver medalist, still seeks his first world medal and will look to change that in Zagreb.

An incredible storyline is unfolding at 67kg as Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) attempts to win gold. Narikuni, who won gold at 70kg in Freestyle in 2023, now hopes to add a Greco-Roman world title to his list of achievements.

Three-Way Battle at 67kg

Esmaeili, the biggest gold-medal favorite, won gold at the Asian Championships. He has never wrestled at a senior Worlds but is a former world U20 champion. He won gold at the Asian Championships with a 3-0 win over Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ). He will now look to win his first world medal.

Like Esmaeili, Jafarov has also never won gold at the World Championships. He missed his chance in 2023 after losing to Tokyo Olympic champion Luis ORTA (CUB) in the final. Jafarov went on to win bronze at the Paris Olympics and will be a favorite in Zagreb.

Orta has defeated both Esmaeili and Jafarov but lost to the Iranian in Paris. He will be looking to add a second world gold to his name despite winning bronze in Paris.

Saravi: From Challenger to Leader

For years, Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) has been a challenger to Artur ALEKANYAN (ARM) in the 97kg weight class. But after defeating Aleksanyan at the Paris Olympics and seeing the Armenian lose at the European Championships, Saravi has emerged as the new leader in the 97kg class. Now, Aleksanyan, a four-time world champion, will try to reclaim his place at the top of the podium.

Both Saravi and Aleksanyan lost to Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) at the 2023 World Championships -- Saravi in the semifinals and Aleksanyan in the final. While Rosillo's surprise victory in 2023 shocked many, it's unlikely he'll repeat that, meaning Saravi vs Aleksanyan might be the final showdown in Zagreb.

The 97kg field also features Paris Olympic bronze medalist Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ), Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW) [who moved up from 87kg this season], European silver medalist Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER), and former world U23 champions Artur SARGSIAN (UWW) and Alex SZOKE (HUN).

Kusaka's Return

Nao KUSAKA (JPN), Olympic champion, returns for the first time since winning gold at the Paris Games, aiming to claim his first world title after falling short in 2023 to Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ). Kusaka is the favorite for gold but will face tough competition from Olympic silver medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), who is seeded fifth. Both Kusaka and Zhadrayev could meet in the quarterfinals.

World champion and Paris bronze medalist Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) will try to avenge his loss to Kusaka, while Asian champion Aram VARDANYAN (UZB), who has been having a career resurgence, aims to add a world medal.

Other potential challengers include Robert FRITSCH (HUN), Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ), Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), Sergei KUTUZOV (UWW), and Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI), all of whom are capable of causing upsets.

Mohmadi’s Chance at 87kg

Though missing Olympic champion Semen NOVIKOV (BUL), the 87kg weight class remains highly competitive. Paris silver medalist Alireza MOHMADI (IRI), a favorite, is known for his excellent conditioning and ability to score from par terre.

Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN), the Paris bronze medalist, will also be in the mix for gold, capable of defeating anyone on his best day with his high-paced style and big throws.

Other threats include European champion David LOSONCZI (HUN), Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), Asan ZHANYSHOV (KAZ), and Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB).

At 130kg, Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) will aim to defend his 2023 world title after stunning Riza KAYAALP (TUR) in the final. Mirzazadeh is the favorite but faces competition from former world silver medalist Oscar PINO (CUB), European champion Sergei SEMENOV (UWW), age-group world champion Hamza BAKIR (TUR), and Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW).

63kg: Abuladze vs Kamal

The battle for 63kg gold could come down to Leri ABULADZE (GEO) and Kerem KAMAL (TUR). Kamal, the most improved wrestler of the year, has won Ranking Series golds and European gold after moving up from 60kg to 63kg.

Abuladze, the 2023 world gold medalist, will return to 63kg, aiming to defend his title after struggling at 67kg. His defense is at par with the best, but scoring from par terre will be key to his success.

Challengers include Asian and world U20 champion Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB), Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI), Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA), Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), and Sergey EMELIN (UWW), a bronze medalist from Tokyo.

Gurban GURBANOV (AZE), the European champion, has gold medals from all age-group World Championships and will now aim for senior-level success. GURBANOV’s confidence will be high after winning the European Championships in dominating fashion at 82kg.

However, facing off against the Asian wrestlers, Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI), Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), and Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB), will pose significant challenges.

Turkiye's 2024 European champion Alperen BERBER (TUR) will debut at the World Championships and is considered a strong medal contender.