CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (March 5) – Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) and Rafik HUSEYNOV (AZE) won key match-ups at the Greco-Roman World Cup in February and emerged as new No.1s in this month’s international rankings for the “classic style.”

World bronze medalist Chunayev defeated world champ Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) by disqualification in the World Cup final at 71kg while Golden Grand Prix Final winner Huseynov edged world silver medalist Evgeny SALEEV (RUS), 2-1, at 80kg. 

Second-ranked Saleev had earlier defeated world champ Peter BACSI (HUN), 7-6, in a preliminary group dual meet and was set to take over the No.1 ranking before his final bout with Huseynov.

The wins by Chunayev and Huseynov helped lift Azerbaijan to its first World Cup triumph in Greco-Roman, 4-4 on criteria, after World Cup victories in freestyle in 2004 and 2009.

Despite the loss in the final, Russia saw the return to form of former world champions Roman VLASOV (75kg) and Nikita MELNIKOV (98kg) who had struggled through 2014 with subpar performances.

Vlasov recorded three individual wins for Russia, including an 8-0 technical fall over world bronze medalist Elvin MURSALIEV (AZE) in the final to edge up to No.4. Melnikov, meanwhile, notched a fall and a disqualification over junior world champ Orkhan NURIEV (AZE) in the final to bound eight places up to No.12.

At other events in February, the Granma Cup finals were a parade of current and former Pan American champions from Cuba with five winners moving into the rankings for the first time in 2015, including Yasmany LUGO CABRERA (98kg), who has not lost in the Americas since February 2012.

European champion Zhan BELENYUK (UKR), third-ranked at 85kg, got back on the winning track at the Takhti Cup as seven of the eight winners in Tehran either joined or were already listed on the rankings.

Belarus won four titles at the Zagreb Open with all eight winners making it to the rankings.  Joe RAU (USA) was the only winner from outside Europe, defeating Pytlasinski titlist Viktor SASUNOVSKI (BLR) for No.14 in the rankings at 80kg.

Wrestlers in the rankings are listed by name, country code, most recent or most notable result over the last 12 months, and their position in the previous rankings.

59kg – Golden Grand Prix Final winner Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) defeated compatriot Orkhan AKHMEDOV (AZE), 2-2 on criteria, to climb to No.13 in the rankings with a triumph at the Takhti Cup.

Former Pan American champion Maikel ANACHE LAMOTH (CUB) defeated reigning Pan Am champ Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) by technical fall in the quarterfinals and went to win his third Granma Cup title. Anache joins the rankings at No.17.

1. Hamid SORYAN (IRI) – World No.1 (1)
2. Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) – World No.2 (2)
3. Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) – World No.3 (3)
4. Stig Andre BERGE (NOR) – World No.3 (4)
5. Kohei HASEGAWA (JPN) – Asian Games No.1 (5)
6. YUN Won-Chol (PRK) – Asian Games No.2 (6)
7. Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (7)
8. Aleksandar KOSTADINOV (BUL) – Schultz Memorial No.2 (8)
9. Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) – Granma Cup No.3 (9)
10. Ivan KUYLAKOV (RUS) – Pytlasinski No.2 (10)
11. Hatham Mahmoud FAHMY (EGY) – World Military No.1 (11)
12. Spenser MANGO (USA) – World No.5 (12)
13. Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) – Takhti Cup No.1 (16)
14. Mirandek AINAGULOV (KAZ) – Schultz Memorial No.3 (13)
15. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) – Schultz Memorial No.2 (14)
16. Tarik BELMADANI (FRA) – Paris GP No.1 (15)
17. Maikel ANACHE LAMOTH (CUB) – Granma Cup No.1 (not ranked)
18. Mohammad NOORBAKHSH (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.3 (nr)
19. WANG Lumin (CHN) – Takhti Cup No.5 (17)
20. Maksim KAZHARSKI (BLR) – Zagreb Open No.1 (nr) 

66kg – European silver medalist Hasan ALIYEV (AZE) notched three key wins, including a 5-0 decision over world bronze medalist Afshin BYABANGARD (IRI) in the World Cup to derail the defending champs’ chances of a repeat, to climb to No.5 in the rankings from seventh.

Pytlasinski runner-up Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) edged Beijing 2008 bronze medalist Mikhail SEMENOV (BLR), 1-0, for the Zagreb Open crown to climb one rung to No.16.

1. Davor STEFANEK (SRB) – World No.1 (1)
2. Omid NOROOZI (IRI) – World No.2 (2)
3. Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) – World No.3 (3)
4. RYU Han-Soo (KOR) – Asia Games No.1 (4)
5. Hasan ALIYEV (AZE) – World No.5 (7)
6. Ryutaro MATSUMOTO (JPN) – Asian Games No.2 (5)
7. Edgaras VENCKAITIS (LTU) – World No.3 (6)
8. Frank STAEBLER (GER) – World No.5 (8)
9. Revaz LASHKHI (GEO) – GGP Final No.2 (9)
10. Adam KURAK (RUS) – Europe No.1 (10)
11. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (11)
12. Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) – Paris GP No.1 (12)
13. Kamran MAMMADOV (AZE) – Paris GP No.2 (13)
14. Istvan LEVAI (SVK) – Europe No.3 (14)
15. Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) – Zagreb Open No.1 (16)
16. Artak MARGARYAN (FRA) – Zagreb Open No.3 (17)
17. Dawid KARECINSKI (POL) – Paris GP No.3 (18)
18. Denys DEMYANKOV (UKR) – Takhti Cup No.1 (nr)
19. Miguel MARTINEZ (CUB) – Granma Cup No.2 (nr)
20. Alexander CASALS HINOJOSA (CUB) –Granma Cup No.1 (nr)

71kg – World bronze medalist Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) forced a disqualification on world champ Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) in the championship final of the Greco-Roman World Cup to take over the No.1 ranking.

Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI), who battled Chunayev 4-4 in a World Cup group preliminary (but lost on criteria), won the Takhti Cup to join the rankings at No.16 while 19-year-old Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) edged London 2012 Olympian Aleksandar MAKSIMOVIC (SRB), 4-1, at the Zagreb Open to grab No.19.

1. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) – World Cup No.1 (3)
2. Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) – World No.1 (1)
3. Afshin BYABANGARD (IRI) – World No.3 (4)
4. Yunus OZEL (TUR) – World No.2 (2)
5. JUNG Ji-Hyun (KOR) – Asian Games No.1 (5)
6. Saeid Mourad ABDVALI (IRI) – Asia Games No.3 (6)
7. Aleksander DZEMYANOVICH (BLR) – World No.5 (7)
8. Varsham BORANYAN (ARM) – World No.5 (8)
9. Dilshod TURDIEV (UZB) – Asian Games No.2 (9)
10. Shermet PERMANOV (TKM) – Asian Games No.3 (10)
11. Yuri DENISOV (RUS) – Kare Tournament No.1 (11)
12. Balint KORPASI (HUN) – GGP Final No.9 (12)
13. Mathias MAASCH (GER) – Pytlasinski No.2 (15)
14. Abuyazid MANTSIGOV (RUS) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (13)
15. Ionel PUSCASU (ROU) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (14)
16. Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (nr)
17. Zackarias TALLROTH (SWE) – Paris GP No.1 (16)
18. Ashkat ZHANBIROV (KAZ) – Paris GP No.2 (17)
19. Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) – Zagreb Open No.1 (nr)
20. Aleksander MAKSIMOVIC (SRB) – Zagreb No.2 (19)

75kg – London 2012 gold medalist and former world champion Roman VLASOV (RUS) notched three wins, including a technical fall over world bronze medalist Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) in the World Cup final, to vault from ninth to No.4 in the rankings.

Former junior world champion Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) posted four wins at the World Cup for eighth-place Armenia, including a 1-1 criteria win over European champion Aleksander CHEKHIRKIN (RUS) to bound nine places to No.10.

1. KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) - Asia Games No.1 (1)
2. Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) – World No.1 (2)
3. Neven ZUGAJ (CRO) – World No.2 (3)
4. Roman VLASOV (RUS) – World Cup No.2 (9)
5. Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) – World No.3 (4)A
6. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) – World No.5 (5)
7. Andrew BISEK (USA) – World No.3 (6)
8. Doszhan KARTIKOV (KAZ) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (10)
9. Payam BOUYERI PAYANI (IRI) – Asian Games No.3 (13)
10. Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) – World Cup No.1 (19)
11. Aleksander CHEKHIRKIN (RUS) – Europe No.1 (8)
12. Takehiro KANAKUBO (JPN) – Asian Games No.2 (12)
13. Hiroyuki SHIMIZU (JPN) – World No.5 (7)
14. Dmitri PYSHKOV (UKR) – Takhti Cup No.1 (nr)
15. Maksat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ) – Schultz Memorial No.2 (14)
16. Robert ROSENGREN (SWE) – Farrell Memorial No.1 (15)
17. Ruslan ISAKOV (RUS) – Palusalu Memorial No.1 (16)
18. Ivan CHERNOV (RUS) – Kare Tournament No.1 (17)
19. Jure KURE (SLO) – Zagreb Open No.2 (nr)
20. Valery PALENSKI (BLR) – Zagreb Open No.3 (nr)

80kg – Golden Grand Prix Final winner Rafik HUSEYNOV (AZE) emerged the victor of the battle royal at the World Cup with a 2-1 win over world silver medalist Evgeni SALEEV (RUS) in the championship final to leap from No.11 at 75kg to the top of the 80kg rankings.

Saleev defeated world champ Peter BACSI (HUN), 7-6, in the opening round of preliminary duals while Huseynov stopped Asian Games gold medalist Habibollah AKHLAGHI (IRI), 5-4.

1. Rafik HUSEYNOV (AZE) – World Cup No.1 (11@75)
2. Evgeni SALEEV (RUS) – World No.2 (2)
3. Peter BACSI (HUN) – World No.1 (1)
4. Selcuk CEBI (TUR) – World No.3 (3)
5. Jim PETTERSSON (SWE) – World No.3 (4)
6. Aleksandr KAZAKEVIC (LTU) – Paris GP No.1 (5)
7. Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) – Paris GP No.3 (6)
8. Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) – Zagreb Open No.1 (7)
9. Habibollah AKHLAGHI (IRI) – Asian Games No.1 (8)
10. Viktor SASUNOVSKI (BLR) – Zagreb Open No.2 (10)
11. Pascal EISELE (GER) – Nikola Petrov No.2 (9)
12. Aleksander SHYSHMAN (UKR) – World Military No.2 (11)
13. KIM Jun-Hyung (KOR) – Olympia No.1 (12)
14. Joe Rau (USA) – Zagreb Open No.1 (nr)
15. Imil SHARAFEDINOV (RUS) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (13)
16. Bekhan OZDOEV (RUS) – Europe No.5 (14)
17. Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) – Takhti Cup No.1 (nr)
18. Enrique CUERO ORTIZ (ECU) – Granma Cup No.2 (nr)
19. Alan VERA (CUB) – Granma Cup No.1 (nr)
20. Viktor NEMES (SRB) – Zagreb Open No.3 (nr)

85kg – Junior world champion Islam ABBASOV (AZE) opened the World Cup with a win over Asian Games bronze medalist Mojtaba KARIMFAR (IRI) and capped it with a crucial fall in the final with Russia to earn No.8 in the rankings.

Takhti Cup runner-up Davod ABEDINZADEH (IRI), who defeated Golden Grand Prix Final winner Robert KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) in the semifinals, notched three wins in World Cup competition to pace Iran to third place while the lifting the Iranian veteran to No.10 in the rankings.

1. Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) – World No.1 (1)
2. Hassan Saman TAHMASEBI (AZE) – World No.2 (2)
3. Zhan BELENYUK (UKR) – Takhti Cup. No.1 (3)
4. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) – World No.3 (4)
5. Javid HAMZATOV (BLR) – Zagreb Open No.1 (7)
6. Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER) – World Military No.1 (5)
7. Damian JANIKOWSKI (POL) – Paris No.2 (12)
8. Islam ABBASOV (AZE) – World Cup No.1 (13)
9. Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) – World Military No.3 (14)
10. Davod ABEDINADEH (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.2 (nr)
11. Kristoffer JOHANSSON (SWE) – World No.5 (6)
12. Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) – Asian Games No.1 (8)
13. LEE Se-Yeol (KOR) – Asian Games No.2 (9)
14. Mojtaba KARIMFAR (IRI) – Asian Games No.3 (10
15. Rami HIETANIEMI (FIN) – Haavisto Cup No.2 (11)
16. Laimutis ADOMAITIS (LTU) – World Military No.3 (15)
17. Jordan HOLM (USA) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (16)
18. Gilberto PIQUET HERRERA (CUB) – Granma Cup No.1 (nr)
19. Pablo SHOREY HERNANDEZ (CUB) – Granma Cup No.2 (nr)
20. Robert KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) – Takhti Cup No.3 (nr)

98kg – Former world champion Nikita MELNIKOV (RUS) won by disqualification over junior world champ Orkhan NURIEV (AZE) in the final of the World Cup. Melnikov’s return to form lifts him to No.12 in the rankings.

Aleksander HRABOVIK (BLR) recorded three wins without giving up a point at the Zagreb Open for his first-ever international triumph to tighten his grip on No.5. Pan American champ Yasmany LUGO CABRERA (CUB) racked up his ninth win in the Americas since February 2012 at the Granma Cup to join the rankings at No.13.

1. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) – World No.1 (1)
2. Oliver HASSLER (GER) – World No.2 (2)
3. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) – World No.3 (3)
4. Ghasem REZAEI (IRI) – World No.3 (4)
5. Aleksander HRABOVIK (BLR) – Zagreb Open No.1 (5)
6. Ardo ARUSAAR (EST) – Paris GP No.1 (7)
7. Mahdi ALIYARI FEYZABADI (IRI) – World Cup No.1 (8)
8. Alin ALEX-CIURARIU (ROU) – World No.5 (6)
9. Yerulan ISKAKOV (KAZ) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (9)
10. XIAO Di (CHN) – Takhti Cup No.3 (10)
11. Timo KALLIO (FIN) – Kare Tournament No.1 (11)
12. Nikita MELNIKOV (RUS) – World Cup No.2 (20)
13. Yasmany LUGO CABRERA (CUB) – Granma Cup No.1 (nr)
14. Vladislav METODIEV (BUL) – Schultz Memorial No.3 (12)
15. Fredrik SCHOEN (SWE) – Copa Brasil No.1 (13)
16. Marthin NIELSEN (NOR) – GGP Final No.3 (14)
17. Evgeni SAVETA (UKR) – Kare Tournament No.2 (16)
18. Orkhan NURIEV (AZE) – Paris GP No.3 (18)
19. Robert AVANESYAN (ISR) – Zagreb Open No.2 (nr)
20. Daniel GASTL (AUT) – Zagreb Open No.3 (nr)

130kg – World and Olympic bronze medalist Johan EUREN (SWE) won all four of his bouts at the World Cup, including a 1-0 decision over Takhti Cup winner Bashir BABAJANZADEH (IRI), to climb one place to No.4 in the rankings.

London 2012 Olympian Iosef CHUGOSHVILI (BLR) rolled up a pair of technical falls and did not allow a point against him to win the Zagreb Open to return to the rankings at No.18. The Pytlasinski tourney winner was last ranked No.15 last September.

1. Mijain LOPEZ NUNEZ (CUB) – World No.1 (1)
2. Riza KAYAALP (TUR) – World Cup No.1 (2)
3. Heiki NABI (EST) – World No.3 (3)
4. Johan Magnus EUREN (SWE) – World Cup No.2 (5)
5. Nurmakhan TINALIEV (KAZ) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (6)
6. Beylal MAKHOV (RUS) – World No.3 (4)
7. Lyubomir DIMITROV (BUL) – Palusalu Tournament No.2 (7)
8. Eduard POPP (GER) – World No.5 (8)
9. Behnam MEHDIZADEH (IRI) – Asia No.1 (9)
10. Bashir Asgiri BABAJANZADEH – Takhti Cup No.1 (12)
11. MENG Qiang (CHN) – Takhti Cup No.3 (15)
12. Mindaugas MIZGAITIS (LTU) – World Military No.1 (13)
13. Aleksander CHERNETSKI (UKR) – World Military No.2 (14)
14. Balint LAM (HUN) – GGP Final No.3 (17)
15. Sergey SEMENOV (RUS) – World Cup No.4 (nr)
16. Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) – GGP Final No.1 (10)
17. Saba SHARIATI (AZE) – GGP Final No.2 (16)
18. Iosif CHUGOSHVILI (BLR) – Zagreb Open No.1 (nr)
19. David ARENDT (USA) – Zagreb Open No.3 (20)
20. Vitali SHCHUR (RUS) – Vantaa Painicup No.1 (18)