CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (January 9) – The world military championships in early October helped kick off a busy “postseason” for Greco-Roman wrestlers with many of the gold medal finalists making moves up the United World Wrestling rankings.

Mindaugas MIZGAITIS (LTU) marked the biggest improvement among the military winners, vaulting seven steps to No.13 in the rankings at 130kg.  The Beijing 2008 bronze medalist was followed by runner-up, Alexander CHERNETSKI (UKR), who went from 19th to No.14.

Other gold medalists who marched up the rankings were Karapet CHALYAN (ARM), unranked to No.17 at 75kg and Aleksandr KAZAKEVICH (LTU), who went from ninth to No.7 at 84kg.

Meanwhile, world silver medalist at 98kg Oliver HASSLER (GER) and Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER), fifth at 85kg, also won military titles but were unable to move up against the other medalists in their respective categories.

Wrestlers not involved in the military championships were busy through October and November crisscrossing the Baltic Sea -- and the Atlantic -- in efforts to improve their skills before the curtain goes up on the 2015 season 

Asker ORSHOKDUGOV (RUS) at 66kg capped 2014 with a win at the Haparanda Cup in Sweden, Rami HIETANIEMI (FIN) received a boost from a silver medal earned at Haavisto Cup in Finland and Ardo ARUSAAR (EST) got a boost from the Palusalu Memoria in Estonia,

Meanwhile, Robert ROSENGREN (SWE) and Masato SUMI (JPN) were among the wrestlers who doubled up on medals from the Farrell Memorial in New York and the Copa Brasil in Rio de Janiero.

Wrestlers in the rankings are list their names, country code, most recent or most notable result of 2014, and their position in the previous rankings.

59kg – Africa champion Hatham FAHMY (EGY) won the world military championships and the Ibrahim Moustapha Tournament in October to climb to No.10 in the rankings.

Ivan KUYLAKOV (RUS), 2013 world runner-up, teamed with world silver medalist Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) to lead host Russia to the European Nations Cup in November to edge up to No.11.

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. Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) – World No.5 (7)
8. Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) – Pytlasinski No.1 (10)
9. Ivan KUYLAKOV (RUS) – Pytlansinski No.2 (11)
10. Hatham Mahmoud FAHMY (EGY) – World Military No.1 (13)
11. Spenser MANGO (USA) – World No.5 (8)
12. Aleksandar KOSTADINOV (BUL) – Europe No.1 (9)
13. Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) – GGP Final No.1 (12)
14. WANG Lumin (CHN) – World No.8 (14)
15. LEE Jung-Baek (KOR) – World No.9 (15)
16. Roman AMOYAN (ARM) – German GP No.1 (16)
17. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) – Asian Games No.3 (17)
18. Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) – German GP No.3 (18)
19. Deniz MENEKSE (GER) – World No.11 (19)
20. Kazuma KURAMOTO (JPN) – World No.12 (20) 

66kg – Haparanda Cup winner Asker ORSHOKDUGOV (RUS) breaks into the rankings at No.14 while runner-up Azamat AKHMEDOV (RUS), also second at the German Grand Prix in June, returns to the rankings at No.15.

Bryce SADDORIS (USA), who finished 12th in Tashkent last September, climbed to No.16 with a runner-up showing at the world military meet.

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. Edgaras VENCKAITIS (LTU) – World No.3 (4)
5. RYU Han-Soo (KOR) – Asia Games No.1 (5)
6. Ryutaro MATSUMOTO (JPN) – Asian Games No.2 (6)
7. Hasan ALIYEV (AZE) – World No.5 (7)
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. Istvan LEVAI (SVK) – Europe No.3 (11)
12. Aram JULFALAKYAN (ARM) – German GP No.1 (12)
13. Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) – Pytlasinski No.2 (13)
14. Asker ORSHOKDUGOV (RUS) – Haparanda Cup No.1 (not ranked)
15. Azamat AKHMEDOV (RUS) – Cheboksarov Tourney No.1 (nr)
16. Bryce SADDORIS (USA) – World Military No.2 (20)
17. RI Hak-Won (PRK) – Asian Games No.3 (17)
18. Khusrav OBLOBERDIEV (TJK) – Asia Games No.5 (18)
19. Aslan ABDULIN (RUS) – Vantaa Painicup No.1 (nr)
20. Marius THOMMESEN (NOR) – Arvo Haavisto Cup No.2 (nr)

71kg – Narek GRIGORYAN (RUS) took the Vantaa Painicup in Finland to edge into the rankings at No.19 followed by runner-up Lari HIRVI (FIN), who fell just short of the medals podium in five events in 2014.

1. Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) – World No.1 (1)
2. Yunus OZEL (TUR) – World No.2 (2)
3. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) – World No.3 (3)
4. Afshin BYABANGARD (IRI) – World No.3 (4)
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. Balint KORPASI (HUN) – GGP Final No.9 (11)
12. Abuyazid MANTSIGOV (RUS) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (12)
13. Demev SHADRAEV (KAZ) – World No.8 (13)
14. Ionel PUSCASU (ROU) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (14)
15. Mathias MAASCH (GER) – Pytlasinski No.2 (17)
16. Mindia TSULUKIDZE (GEO) – GGP Final No.3 (18)
17. Manukhar TSKHADAIA (GEO) – GGP Final No.5 (19)
18. Aleksander MAKSIMOVIC (SRB) – Mediterranean No.1 (20)
19. Narek GRIGORYAN (RUS) – Vantaa Painicup No.1 (nr)
20. Lari HIRVI (FIN) – Vantaa Painicup No.2 (nr)

75kg – Stockholm Open winner Robert ROSENGREN (SWE) won the Farrell Memorial and Copa Brasil to claim No.15 in the rankings, followed by Pan American champion Juan Angel ESCOBAR (MEX), who finished second to Rosengren in New York.

Former junior world champion Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) won the world military title and No.17 in the rankings over Pan American champ Jonathan ANDERSEN (USA), who also won in New York at 85kg.

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. Andrew BISEK (USA) – World No.3 (4)
5. Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) – World No.3 (5)
6. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) – World No.5 (6)
7. Hiroyuki SHIMIZU (JPN) – World No.5 (7)
8. Aleksander CHEKHIRKIN (RUS) – Europe No.1 (8)
9. Roman VLASOV (RUS) – Ivan Poddubny No.2 (9)
10. Mark MADSEN (DEN) – Europe No.3 (10)
11. Rafik HUSEYNOV (AZE) – GGP Final No.1 (11)
12. Takehiro KANAKUBO (JPN) – Asian Games No.2 (12)
13. Doszhan KARTIKOV (KAZ) – Asian Games No.3 (13)
14. Payam BOUYERI PAYANI (IRI) – Asian Games No.3 (14)
15. Robert ROSENGREN (SWE) – Farrell Memorial No.1 (16)
16. Juan Angel ESCOBAR (MEX) – Farrell Memorial No.2 (15)
17. Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) – World Military No.1 (nr)
18. Jonathan ANDERSON (USA) – World Military No.2 (nr)
19. Viktor NEMES (SRB) – Mediterranean No.1 (19)
20. Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) – Pytlasinski No.1 (11)

80kg – London 2012 bronze medalist Aleksandr KAZAKEVIC (LTU) prevailed at the world military championships over European bronze medal winner Aleksander SHYSHMAN (UKR) as both wrestlers advanced to No.7 and No.11, respectively.
Masato SUMI (JPN) bagged a bronze medal at the Farrell Memorial and added a gold medal at the Copa Brasil, both at 85kg, to sneak into the rankings at No.20.

1. Peter BACSI (HUN) – World No.1 (1)
2. Evgeni SALEEV (RUS) – World No.2 (2)
3. Selcuk CEBI (TUR) – World No.3 (3)
4. Jim PETTERSSON (SWE) – World No.3 (4)
5. Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) – World No.5 (5)
6. Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) – World No.5 (6)
7. Aleksandr KAZAKEVIC (LTU) – World Military No.1 (9)
8. Habibollah AKHLAGHI (IRI) – Asian Games No.1 (7)
9. Pascal EISELE (GER) – Nikola Petrov No.2 (8)
10. Viktor SASUNOVSKI (BLR) – Pytlasinski No.2 (10)
11. Aleksander SHYSHMAN (UKR) – World Military No.2 (12)
12. KIM Jun-Hyung (KOR) – Olympia No.1 (11)
13. Imil SHARAFEDINOV (RUS) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (13)
14. Bekhan OZDOEV (RUS) – Europe No.5 (14)
15. Tsukasa TSURUMAKI (JPN) – Asian Games No.2 (15)
16. Yanarbek KENYEEV (KGZ) – Asia Games No.3 (16)
17. Azamat KOSTUBAEV (KAZ) – Asia No.3 (18)
18. Yousef GHADERIAN (IRI) – Asia No.2 (nr_
19. Petar BALO (SRB) – Mediterranean No.1 (20)
20. Masato SUMI (JPN) – Farrell Memorial No.3 (nr)

85kg – European silver medalist Rami HIETANIEMI (FIN) rebounded to No.11 in the rankings from No.18 with a second place in the Arvo Haavisto Cup in Finland.

Asamat BIKBAEV (RUS), only 24th in Tashkent, regained a toehold on the rankings at No.19 with a bronze medal in the Vantaa Painicup.  He also teamed with former world and Olympic champion Alexej MISHIN (RUS) for a team win at the Karavaev Memorial in Minsk.

1. Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) – World No.1 (1)
2. Hassan Saman TAHMASEBI (AZE) – World No.2 (2)
3. Zhan BELENYUK (UKR) – World No.3 (3)
4. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) – World No.3 (4)
5. Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER) – World Military No.1 (5)
6. Kristoffer JOHANSSON (SWE) – World No.5 (6)
7. Javid HAMZATOV (BLR) – Pytlasinski No.3 (7)
8. Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) – Asian Games No.1 (8)
9. LEE Se-Yeol (KOR) – Asian Games No.2 (12)
10. Mojtaba KARIMFAR (IRI) – Asian Games No.3 (14)
11. Rami HIETANIEMI (FIN) – Haavisto Cup No.2 (18)
12. Damian JANIKOWSKI (POL) – World Military No.2 (17)
13. Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) – World Military No.3 (nr)
14. Laimutis ADOMAITIS (LTU) – World Military No.3 (13)
15. Robert KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) – GGP Final No.1 (19)
16. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) – Asia No.1 (20)
17. PENG Fei (CHN) – Asian Games No.3 (15)
18. Vladimir GEGESHIDZE (GEO) – Hungarian GP No.3 (11)
19. Asamat BIKBAEV (RUS) – Vantaa Painicup No.3 (nr)
20. Movsar DUGUCHIEV (RUS) – Vantaa Painicup No.1 (nr) 

98kg – Ardo ARUSAAR (EST) came up big in the Palusalu Memorial before the hometown in Tallin to take over No.11 while Timo KALLIO (FIN) also won before the locals at 130kg at the Haavisto Cup for No.12 in the rankings.

Former world champion Nikita MELNIKOV (RUS) won the Cheboksarov Tourney in October and joined forces with 2013 junior world champ Musa EVLOEV (RUS) to help Russia win team titles at the European Nations Cup and the Karavaev Memorial.
 
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) – German GP No.3 (5)
6. Alin ALEX-CIURARIU (ROU) – World No.5 (6)
7. Mahdi ALIYARI FEYZABADI (IRI) – Asian Games No.1 (7)
8. XIAO Di (CHN) – Asian Games No.2 (8)
9. Yerulan ISKAKOV (KAZ) – Asian Games No.3 (9)
10. Norikatsu SAIKAWA (JPN) – Asian Games No.3 (10)
11. Ardo ARUSAAR (EST) – Palusalu Memorial No.1 (12)
12. Timo KALLIO (FIN) – Haavisto Cup No.1 (1
13. Vladislav METODIEV (BUL) – Pytlasinski No.3 (11)
14. Fredrik SCHOEN (SWE) – Copa Brasil No.1 (15)
15. Marthin NIELSEN (NOR) – GGP Final No.3 (14)
16. Balasz KISS (HUN) – GGP Final No.1 (16)
17. Tuomas LAHTI (FIN) – Vantaa Painicup No.2 (nr)
18. Evgeni SAVETA (UKR) – Vantaa Painicup No.3 (nr)
19. Musa EVLOEV (RUS) – Ivan Poddubny No.1 (18)
20. Nikita MELNIKOV (RUS) – Cheboksarov Tourney No.1 (nr)

130kg – Johan EUREN (SWE) bounced back from a quarterfinal loss in the world championships to win to claim his fourth and fifth tournament titles of 2014 at the Farrell Memorial and Copa Brasil, lifting the 2013 world bronze medalist to No.5 in the rankings.

Beijing 2008 bronze medal winner Mindaugas MIZGAITIS (LTU) won the world military championship crown and vaulted from the bottom of the rankings to No.12, followed by runner-up Aleksander CHERNETSKI (UKR) at No.13.

1. Mijain LOPEZ NUNEZ (CUB) – World No.1 (1)
2. Riza KAYAALP (TUR) – World No.2 (2)
3. Heiki NABI (EST) – World No.3 (3)
4. Beylal MAKHOV (RUS) – World No.3 (4)
5. Johan Magnus EUREN (SWE) – Farrell Memorial No.1 (7)
6. Lyubomir DIMITROV (BUL) – World No.5 (5)
7. Eduard POPP (GER) – World No.5 (6)
8. Behnam MEHDIZADEH (IRI) – Asia No.1 (8)
9. Nurmakhan TINALIEV (KAZ) – Asian Games No.1 (9)
10. Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) – GGP Final No.1 (10)
11. KIM Yong-Nam (KOR) – Asian Games No.2 (11)
12. Bashir Asgiri BABAJANZADEH – Asian Games No.3 (12)
13. Mindaugas MIZGAITIS (LTU) – World Military No.1 (20)
14. Aleksander CHERNETSKI (UKR) – World Military No.2 (19)
15. MENG Qiang (CHN) – Asian Games No.3 (18)
16. Attila GUZEL (TUR) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (14)
17. Saba SHARIATI (AZE) – GGP Final No.2 (15)
18. Balint LAM (HUN) – GGP Final No.3 (16)
19. Kiril GRYSHCHANKO (BLR) – German GP No.2 (17)
20. Vitali SHCHUR (RUS) – Vantaa Painicup No.1 (nr)