#WrestleIstanbul

#WrestleIstanbul: Assakalov Leads Uzbekistan to Three GR Gold

By Vinay Siwach

ISTANBUL, Turkey (February 24) -- When the Uzbekistan team arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, for the Yasar Dogu, Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan Ranking Series event, veteran wrestler Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) called a team meeting.

The former Olympic bronze medalist had only one piece of advice for the rest of his team members -- wrestle until the final whistle.

Using his experience, Assakalov led a trio of Uzbekistan wrestlers to gold-medal wins on the first day of the tournament, including the 97kg title for himself.

"It was Uzbekistan's day," Assakalov said. "I am the leader of the team, and they follow me. But everyone fought really well today. Even the wrestlers who could not win gold fought until the end."

Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) caused a stir at 63kg when he blanked world champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA) in the final. At 67kg, Mahmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) shut down Morten THORESEN (NOR) to win gold, 5-2. Their third champ was Assakalov, who defeated upcoming Finish wrestler Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN), 5-1, in the 97kg gold-medal bout.

Turkey had two champions as Adem UZUN (TUR) won the 55kg gold, and Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) won the 130kg gold after Turkish legend Riza KAYAALP (TUR) suffered a shocking pin in the semifinal.

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan had a solo champion each.

Islam ABBASOV (AZE) stunned world champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) at 87kg and Yernar FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) won 60kg gold against Ekrem OZTURK (TUR), 7-1.

But with a mix of youth and experience, Uzbekistan stole the show.

Debuting at 97kg, Assakalov set an example about how to wrestle without pressure. He had a remarkable day overall outscoring his opponents 26-4.

Against Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN), who finished fifth in Tokyo, Assakalov was in complete control. Savolalian admitted that wrestling the veteran was a lesson for him.

"I usually wrestle in Europe so it was good to get some bouts against Asian wrestlers," he said. "I wrestled two from Kazakhstan, one from India and even the veteran Assakalov. I learned that I can beat them it's just a matter of who's day it is."

Thursday was clearly Assakalov's as he managed to get a four after beginning with a stepout. The throw from a headlock caught his opponent off guard. He was called passive in the second period but his 5-1 lead was enough to give him the gold.

Having Rio bronze medalist Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) in the corner was of great help  for the young team. Tasmuradov was a constant among all the gold medal bouts.

BAKHRAMOV Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) blanked Victor CIOBANU (MDA) in the 63kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 63kg, Ciobanu, hoping for a winning start to the season, ran into the buzzsaw Bakhramov in the final.

Bakhramov, born in Samarkand, took no time in building a 5-0 lead after Ciobanu was hit with passivity. The Uzbek extended his lead to 7-0 after Ciobanu was called for fleeing the mat. The former Asian champion closed out the match before the conclusion of the first period with a takedown and won the match, 9-0.

Bakhramov scored a win via fall over Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) in his first bout before defeating Dastan KADYROV (KGZ), 9-1, in the semifinals.

It was Bakhramov's third Ranking Series gold medal and second straight as he had won last year's Poland Open Ranking Series.

Bakhshilloev followed Bakhramov by beating Thoresen, who was called passivity and gave up two rolls from the par terre position. Coming into the second period, Bakhshilloev led 5-0 but surrendered an inactivity point and a stepout, cutting his lead to 5-2.

The group will now fly to Mongolia for the Asian Championships and try to challenge Greco-Roman powerhouse Iran at the continental championships.

beka kandelakiBeka KANDELAKI (AZE), left, pinned Riza KAYAALP (TUR) in the 130kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Kayaalp stunned

Kayaalp was on his way to another Ranking Series gold, but Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) clamped his arm mid-roll and flattened the four-time world champion to his back, and secured a pin, silencing a hostile local crowd.

But the 130kg still went to Turkey as Yildirim defeated the Azerbaijan wrestler, 3-1, in the final.

Kayaalp came back to win the bronze medal, warming himself up for the next month's European Championships in Budapest.

Islam AbbasovIslam ABBASOV (AZE) celebrates his victory over Zarubi DATUNASHVILI (SRB). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Azerbaijan did have a champion in Istanbul as Abbasov kept Datunashvili at bay. The Serbian was called passive early but showed strong defense from the par terre position before securing the stepout to lead 1-1 on criteria.

Before the break, Datunashvili scored another stepout to extend his lead 2-1, taking a step closer to victory.

Abbasov was called passive in the second period, but again, Datunashvili failed to score from par terre.

With 20 seconds remaining, Abbasov scored from a head-pinch exposure and secured a 3-3 lead. However, a desperate attempt from Datunashvili cost him two more points, giving Abbasov the 6-3 win.

Fidakhmetov's gold at 60kg denied the home country a second straight gold medal of the day. Scoring all his seven points in the first period, Fidakhmetov gave up one for inactivity in the second period.

Wrestling continues tomorrow with the remaining three Greco-Roman weights and four women's wrestling weight classes in action. Bouts will begins 1030 local time.

FidakhmetovThe four medal winners at 60kg in Istanbul. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Day 1 Greco-Roman Results

55kg
GOLD: Adem UZUN (TUR) df Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ), 6-5
BRONZE: Dogus AYAZCI (TUR) df Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ), 5-1

60kg
GOLD: Yernar FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) df Ekrem OZTURK (TUR), 7-1

BRONZE: Yernur FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) df Ahmet UCAR (TUR), 9-8
BRONZE: GYANENDER (IND) df Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), via injury default

63kg
GOLD: Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df Victor CIOBANU (MDA), 9-0

BRONZE: Ahmet UYAR (TUR) df Abdurahman ALTAN (TUR), via cautions
BRONZE: Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) df Dastan KADYROV (KGZ), 8-0

67kg
GOLD: Mahmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) df Morten THORESEN (NOR), 5-1

BRONZE: Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) df Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ), 10-0
BRONZE: Volkan CAKIL (TUR) df Furkan YILDIZ (TUR), via injury default

87kg
GOLD: Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB), 6-3

BRONZE: Metehan BASAR (TUR) df Mehmetali KUCUKOSMAN (TUR), 1-1
BRONZE: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df Umalt DAUDOV (KAZ), 10-2

97kg
GOLD: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) df Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN), 5-1

BRONZE: Felix BALDAUF (NOR) df Abdul CEBICEBI (TUR), 4-2
BRONZE: Beytullah KAYISDAG (TUR) df Islam UMAYEV (KAZ), 9-0

130kg
GOLD: Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) df Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 3-1

BRONZE: Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ), 4-1
BRONZE: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df Rafal  KRAJEWSKI (POL), 9-0

#WrestleIstanbul

Wrestling's 2022-'23 Ranking Series explainer

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.

Jordan BURROUGHSWorld 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.

Rafiq HUSEYNOVWorld 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)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.