World Rankings

Wrestling Debuts Worldwide Rankings for 2018

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (February 1) -- United World Wrestling has posted the first updates to the 2018 Ranking Series on the organization's homepage. The rankings come after an opening weekend of Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments last week in Iran and Russia, respectively.

Winners of the Ranking Series events each received 8 points, plus an additional point for ever entry in their bracket. Placement points (plus number entries) were also awarded to the rest of the top five finishers: runner-up (6), bronze (4) and fifth place (2).

The next Ranking Series events are scheduled for mid-February with women’s wrestling opening their season at the Klippan Ladies in Sweden, while Greco-Roman wrestlers get their second event at the Cerro Pelado in Havana, Cuba.

Points will be automatically uploaded on the UWW homepage following the conclusion of all Ranking Series events, continental and world championships.

In case of a points tie between two or more athletes, the following will determine the highest ranked individual:

-              Highest number of participation in the ranking events*
-              Highest number of Gold Medals in the ranking events*
-              Highest number of Silver Medals in the ranking events*
-              Highest number of Bronze Medals in the ranking events*
-              The most classification points in the ranking events*
-              The most match won by superiority in the ranking events*
-              The most technical points scored in the ranking events*


* Continental Championship and UWW Select Ranking Events of the concerned year.

Should top seeded athletes not participate in the Senior World Championships or Olympic Games the same criteria will be applied to determine which athletes move into the seeding for the event.

Below is a look at the points after the first competition of the 2018 Ranking Series at the Ivan Yarygin (freestyle) and Takhti Cup (Greco-Roman).

Freestyle

57kg

1. Zavur UGUEV (RUS) // 18 Points
2. Azamat TUSKAEV (RUS) // 16 Points
3. Khuresh DONDUK OOL (RUS) // 14 Points
4. Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN (MGL) // 14 Points
5. Baris KAYA (TUR) // 12 Points
6. Frank PERRELLI (USA) // 12 Points
 
61kg

1. Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) // 18 Points
2. Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) // 16 Points
3. Aleksandr BOGOMOEV (RUS) // 14 Points
4. Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL) // 14 Points
5. Anthony RAMOS (USA) // 12 Points
6. Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB) // 12 Points

65kg

1. Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS) // 18 Points
2. Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) // 16 Points
3. Nachyn KUULAR (RUS) // 14 Points
4. Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) // 14 Points
5. Batmagnai BATCHULUUN (MGL) // 12 Points
6. Tsogtbaatar DAMDINBAZAR (MGL) // 12 Points

70kg

1. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) // 17 Points
2. Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) // 15 Points
3. Andriy KVYATKOVSKYY (UKR) // 13 Points
4. Frank MOLINARO (USA) // 13 Points
5. Israil KASUMOV (RUS) // 11 Points
6. Levan KELEKHSASHVILI (GEO) // 11 Points

74kg

1. Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) // 16 Points
2. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) // 14 Points
3. Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM) // 12 Points
4. Kakhaber KHUBEZHTY (RUS) // 12 Points
5. Mandakhnaran GANZORIG (MGL) // 10 Points
6. Muhammet DEMIR (TUR) // 10 Points

79kg

1. Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) // 15 Points
2. Kyle DAKE (USA) // 13 Points
3. Radik VALIEV (RUS) // 11 Points
4. Alan ZASEEV (RUS) // 11 Points
5. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) // 9 Points
6. Muhammet KUTANOGLU (TUR) // 9 Points

86kg

1. David TAYLOR III (USA) // 20 Points
2. Fatih ERDIN (TUR) // 18 Points
3. Vladislav VALIEV (RUS) // 16 Points
4. Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) // 16 Points
5. Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA (CUB) // 14 Points
6. Zaur BERADZE (GEO) // 14 Points

92kg

1. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) // 15 Points
2. Anzor URISHEV (RUS) // 13 Points
3. Yury BELONOVSKIY (RUS) // 11 Points
4. Turtogtokh LUVSANDORJ (MGL) // 11 Points
5. Serda BOKE (TUR) // 9 Points
6. Nicholas HEFLIN (USA) // 9 Points

97kg

1. Kyle SNYDER (USA) // 17 Points
2. Rasul MAGOMEDOV (RUS) // 15 Points
3. Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) // 13 Points
4. Vladislav BAITCAEV (RUS) // 13 Points
5. Yunus DEDE (TUR) // 11 Points
6. Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL) // 11 Points

125kg

1. Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS) // 18 Points
2. Anzor KHIZRIEV (RUS) // 16 Points
3. Nicholas GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) // 14 Points
4. Zolboo NATSAGSUREN (MGL) // 14 Points
5. Zachery William REY (USA) // 12 Points
6. Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) // 12 Points

Greco-Roman

55kg

1. Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) // 14 Points
2. Bachana PUTKARADZE (GEO) // 12 Points
3. Moslem NADERIKHADEM (IRI) // 10 Points
4. Reza KHEDRI (IRI) // 10 Points
5. Ziyad ZEYNALOV (AZE) // 8 Points
6. Ibrahim NURULLAYEV (AZE) // 8 Points

60kg

1. K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) // 17 Points
2. Mehrdad MARDANI (IRI) // 15 Points
3. Dastan ZARLYKHANOV (KAZ) // 13 Points
4. Mirambek AINAGULOV (KAZ) // 13 Points
5. Sakit GULIYEV (AZE) // 11 Points
6. R. TEIISHOV (KGZ) // 11 Points

63kg

1. K. SULAYMANOV (KGZ) // 15 Points
2. Kudaibergen TURSYNOV (KAZ) // 13 Points
3. Mohammad NOURBAKHSH (IRI) // 11 Points
4. U. AMATOV (KGZ) // 11 Points
5. Khvicha TCHITAVA (GEO) // 9 Points
6. Dmytro KOSENOK (UKR) // 9 Points

67kg

1. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) // 18 Points
2. Fevzi MAMUTOV (UKR) // 16 Points
3. Atakan YUKSEL (TUR) // 14 Points
4. Mohammad ELYASI (IRI) // 14 Points
5. Ismael BORRERO (CUB) // 12 Points
6. Murat FIRAT (TUR) // 12 Points

72kg

1. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) // 16 Points
2. Murat DAG (TUR) // 14 Points
3. Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) // 12 Points
4. Farshad BELFAKEH (IRI) // 12 Points
5. Goga GOGIBERASHVILI (GEO) // 10 Points
6. Afshin BYABANGARD (IRI) // 10 Points

77kg

1. Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) // 16 Points
2. Serkan AKKOYUN (TUR) // 14 Points
3. Fatih CENGIZ (TUR) // 12 Points
4. Boroomand GHAREHDAGHI (IRI) // 12 Points
5. Bakuri GOGOLI (GEO) // 10 Points
6. Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) // 10 Points

82kg

1. Emrah KUS (TUR) // 17 Points
2. Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) // 15 Points
3. Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) // 13 Points
4. Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO) // 13 Points
5. Keivan DALINI (IRI) // 11 Points
6. Yaroslav FLICHAKOV (UKR) // 11 Points

87kg

1. Saman AZIZI (IRI) // 15 Points
2. Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) // 13 Points
3. Tarek ABDELSLAM (BUL) // 11 Points
4. Azamat KUSTUBAYEV (KAZ) // 11 Points
5. S. SHIRDAKOV (KGZ) // 9 Points
6. Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO) // 9 Points

97kg

1. Orkhan NURIYEV (AZE) // 17 Points
2. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) // 15 Points
3. Ali HEIDARI (IRI) // 13 Points
4. Turman EYYUBOV (AZE) // 13 Points
5. Mohammad YEGANEH (IRI) // 11 Points
6. Dorin PIRVAN (ROU) // 11 Points

130kg

1. Behnam ARPATAPEH (IRI) // 12 Points
2. Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) // 10 Points
3. Shahab GHOUREHJILI (IRI) // 8 Points
4. Ciurariu ALEXUC (ROU) // 7 Points
5. Abolfazl NAJAFI (IRI) // 6 Points
6. Anton SAVENKO (KAZ) // 5 Points

#JapanWrestling

Two-time Olympic champ Risako Kinjo brings curtain down on stellar career

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (October 12) -- Risako KINJO (JPN), who won two Olympic gold medals under her maiden name of Kawai before capturing a fourth world title last year after giving birth, officially announced her retirement over the weekend.

"I felt that I had experienced everything that was good about being a wrestler," the 31-year-old Kinjo told the Japanese media Sunday on bringing down the curtain on one of wrestling's most sterling careers. "I felt fulfilled and happy with a life in which wrestling was my passion."

Kinjo also revealed that she is pregnant with her second child as she spoke to the media at the Japan Women's Open in Akitsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where she was coaching younger sister Yukako TSUNEMURA (JPN), who was returning to the mat for the first time since becoming a mother herself.

Kinjo first announced her retirement on her Instagram account on Saturday night, stating that in the 24 years since she started wrestling at age 7, "I have had good experiences and bad, highs and lows. But to win four world championships and two consecutive Olympics was all due to the support and encouragement of many people. I thank them all."

Kinjo first struck Olympic gold at 63kg at Rio in 2016, then won out in a duel that captivated the wrestling world with fellow Rio and four-time Olympic champion Kaori ICHO (JPN) for the 57kg spot at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where she took home a second gold.

Of the clash of the titans with Icho, Kawai remarked, "I had no more difficult period than that. I'm glad I was able to experience it."

In the Tokyo semifinals, Kinjo had to face yet another Rio gold medalist in Helen MAROULIS (USA), who had moved up from 53kg. Kinjo came away with a 2-1 win, then defeated Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) 5-0 for the gold.

With Yukako also winning the 62kg gold, it elevated the Kawai sisters to celebrity status in the host country. The two got their start in the sport at the kids' club run by their mother. Both of their parents were national-level wrestlers.

Soon after Tokyo, Risako married former wrestler Kiryu KINJO, and in May 2022, gave birth to a baby girl. Instead of settling down to a domestic life, motherhood lit a fresh flame to continue the sport.

"I had originally planned to win the Tokyo Olympics and then retire gracefully," Kinjo said. "I even told people around me that I would quit after the Tokyo Olympics. But when I got married and got pregnant, I felt that my body wasn't only my own, and I wanted to continue wrestling.

"While I was pregnant, I watched Yukako's matches and thought to myself, 'If it were me, I would do it like this,' so after my child was born, I decided to try it again."

Her bid to win a third straight Olympic gold in Paris, however, was derailed by the reigning world 57kg champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN), who went on to triumph in the French capital.

Rebuffing speculation that the loss would mark her swan song, she showed her passion for the sport by sticking around. With the incentive of wanting to have her daughter see her compete and make some history, she had no qualms about moving into the non-Olympic weight of 59kg.

She suffered a setback of sorts at the Asian Championships in April 2024, when she lost to Qi ZHANG (CHN) in the semifinals and had to settle for a bronze medal.

But she righted the ship at the Non-Olympic Weight World Championships in October that year in Tirana, Albania, where she cruised into the 59kg final and defeated Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) 4-2.

"No one from Japan had ever achieved becoming a 'world No. 1 as a mama', and it would be ideal if I could do it," Kinjo recalled thinking. "When I accomplished it at the World Championships last October, as soon as it was over I thought there is nothing else that I want."

That victory added to the three consecutive senior world golds that she won from 2017 to 2019. She also has a silver from 2015, and her laurels include a world cadet (U17) gold and two world junior (U20) titles, and she was a four-time Asian champion.

Kinjo was a star at Shigakkan University during its golden era as the elite powerhouse of women's wrestling in Japan, also producing such greats as Icho, Saori YOSHIDA (JPN), Eri TOSAKA (JPN), Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) and Sara DOSHO (JPN).

Looking ahead, she says her focus will be on raising her new baby while staying involved in the sport.

"Right now I am eight months pregnant, and first and foremost I will put my full efforts into proper childcare. And at the same time, I will be Yukako's coach and always maintain a link to wrestling," she said.

At the Japan Women's Open, a second-tier event that offers qualifying spots at the All-Japan Championships, Yukako showed she still has some rust to be knocked off. Entered at 59kg, she won her first two matches before falling to high schooler Miuna KIMURA (JPN) 4-1 in the semifinals.

The tournament also saw the return of Sakurai for her first competition since winning the gold in Paris. She needed three wins to take the 57kg title, defeating collegian Himeka HASEGAWA (JPN) 5-0 in the final.