CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (August 6) – World champions, old and new, squared off in July but all top-ranked wrestlers emerged unscathed when the dust settled for this month’s United World Wrestling rankings for Greco-Roman.

In all, five of the No.1 wrestlers in the eight Greco-Roman categories were in action around the world – reasserting their supremacy even as challengers plot their strategies for next month’s world championships in Las Vegas.
 
For aficionados of the classic style, the month was kicked off in grand style at the Grand Prix of Spain, where top-ranked Asian Games gold medalist and 2013 world champion KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) forged a 1-0 triumph reigning world champion Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) for the 75kg crown.

Not to be left out, 2011 world champ and London 2012 Olympic Games gold medalist Roman VLASOV (RUS) hammered out an 8-0 technical fall over Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) for the Pytlasinski Cup title – making it “two’s company, three’s a crowd” for the 75kg category in Las Vegas.

In Bucharest, world champion Davor STEFANEK (SRB) returned to competition at 66kg and held off 2013 champ RYU Han-Soo (KOR), 3-2, in the semifinals of the Ion Corneanu Memorial on his way to the title.
 

There were also a couple of near-misses as world silver medalist and currently top-ranked Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) missed out on a chance at a return match with world champion Hamid SORYAN (IRI) when compatriot Ibragim LABAZANOV (RUS) upset Soryan in the opening rounds at 59kg. 

Semenov eventually took the Pytlasinski title after receiving an injury default from 2013 world champion Ivo ANGELOV (BUL).

Although the top-ranking was not at stake at 85kg, world champ Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) was stunned in an opening round loss to Artur OMAROV (CZE) and did not get the chance to square off with former world champion and eventual winner Alexej MISHIN (RUS).

Mishin’s win in Warsaw secured for him the biggest leap up the rankings this month, going from unranked to ninth in the 85kg poll

For top-ranked Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM), it was business as usual in Madrid for the 98kg title, while London 2012 Olympic Games gold medalist Ghasem REZAEI (IRI) rolled to the Pytlasinski Cup crown to climb from No.9 to third in the rankings.

Meanwhile, world and Olympic champ Mijain LOPEZ NUNEZ (CUB) eased his way to his fourth Pan American Games gold medal in Toronto in a fashion similar to second-ranked Riza KAYAALP (TUR), who grabbed the European Games crown in June.

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 – World silver medalist Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) emerged the victor from a grouping that included world champion Hamid SORYAN (IRI), Russian national champion Ibragim LABAZANOV (RUS) and world bronze medal winner Stig Andre BERGE (NOR) to win the Pytlasinski Memorial by default over 2013 world champion Ivo ANGELOV (BUL).

1. Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) – Pytlasinski No.1 (1)
2. Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (2)
3. Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) – Asia No.1 (3)
4. Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) – European Games No.1 (4)
5. Elman MUKHTAROV (AZE) – Euro ames No.3 (5)
6. YUN Won-Chol (PRK) – Asia No.2 (6)
7. Soslan DAUROV (BLR) – Euro Games No.2 (7)
8. Tarik BELMADANI (FRA) – Euro Games No.3 (8)
9. Victor CIOBANU (MDA) – Euro U23s No.1 (9)
10. Aleksandar KOSTADINOV (BUL) – Pytlasinski No.3 (16)
11. Stig Andre BERGE (NOR) – Hungarian GP No.3 (15)
12. Hamid SORYAN (IRI) – World No.1 (12)
13. Spenser MANGO (USA) – Pan American Games No.3 (13)
14. Andres MONTANO (ECU) – Pan Am Games No.1 (not ranked)
15. Ali SOTO MACIAS (MEX) – Pan Am Games No.2 (nr)
16. Shinobu OTA (JPN) – Hungarian GP No.1 (10)
17. Hammet RUSTEM (TUR) – Pytlasinski No.3 (nr)
18. Virgil MUNTEANU (ROU) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (17)
19. Fatih UCUNCU (TUR) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (18)
20. Maikel ANACHE LAMOTH (CUB) – Pan America No.1 (8)

66kg – World champion Davor STEFANEK (SRB) returned to action with a triumph over 2013 world champion RYU Han-Soo (KOR) and the title at the Ion Corneanu meet in Bucharest, reasserting his position as the world’s top lightweight in the classic style.
 
Las Vegas hopefuls Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) and Frank STAEBLER (GER) were Pytlasinski titlists at 71kg and 66kg, respectively, and are perched on the second and fifth rungs in the rankings.

1. Davor STEFANEK (SRB) – World No.1 (1)
2. Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) – Pytlasinski No.1 (3)
3. RYU Han-Soo (KOR) – Asia No.1 (2)
4. Artem SURKOV (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (4)
5. Frank STAEBLER (GER) – Pytlasinski No.1 (5@71kg)
6. Migran ARUTUNYAN (ARM) – Euro Games No.2 (5)
7. Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) – Pytlasinski No.3 (6)
8. Hasan ALIYEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.3 (7)
9. Istvan LEVAI (SVK) – Euro Games No.3 (8)
10. Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) – Pytlasinski No.3 (15)
11. Aleksander MAKSIMOVIC (SRB) – Euro Games No.5 (9)
12. Denys DEMYANKOV (UKR) – Euro Games No.5 (10)
13. Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) – Asia No.2 (11)
14. Mathias MAASCH (GER) – Pytlasinski No.1 (19)
15. Wuileixis RIVAS ESPINOZA (VEN) – Pan Am Games No.1 (nr)
16. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) – Asia No.3 (12)
17. Abdulsamet UGURLU (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.1 (13)
18. Konstantin STAS (BUL) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (14)
19. Miguel MARTINEZ PALACIOS (CUB) – Pan Am Games No.3 (18)
20. David KARECINSKI (POL) – Spanish GP No.1 (nr) 

71kg – European under-23 champion Daniel CATARAGA (MDA) won his third title of the year at the Ion Corneanu Memorial in Bucharest to break into the top 10 in the rankings.

1. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.1 (1)
2. Afshin BYABANGARD (IRI) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (2)
3. Balint KORPASI (HUN) – Euro Games No.2 (3)
4. Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI) – Asia No.1 (5)
5. Mindia TSULUKIDZE (GEO) Euro Games No.5 (6)
6. Yuri DENISOV (RUS) – Ljubomir Ivanovic No.1 (7)
7. Daniel CATARAGA (MDA) – Ion Corneanu No.1 (11)
8. Yunus OZEL (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (8)
9. Sachino DAVITAIA (GEO) – Vehbi Emre No.3 (9)
10. Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (10)
11. ZHANG Ridong (CHN) – Asia No.3 (nr)
12. Petter KARLSEN (NOR) – Spanish GP No.2 (nr)
13. Rafael ALEKSANYAN (ARM) – Nikola Petrov No.2 (13)
14. Varsham BORANYAN (ARM) – Spanish GP No.1 (nr)
15. Tomi HINOVEANU (ROU) – Ion CORNEANU No.2 (nr)
16. Dilshod TURDIEV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (14)
17. Nikolai SAVCHENKO (UKR) – Euro Games No.7 (15)
18. JUNG Ji-Hyun (KOR) – Asian Games No.1 (12)
19. Zackarias TALLROTH (SWE) – Nordic No.1 (17)
20. Svilen KOSTADINOV (BUL) – Euro Games No.5 (19)

75kg – KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) edged Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM), 1-0, in a meeting of world champions at the Grand Prix of Spain, and London 2012 Olympic Games gold medalist Roman VLASOV (RUS) won this year’s pre-world tune-up at the Pytlasinski Cup.
 
1. KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) - Asia No.1 (1)
2. Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) – World No.1 (2)
3. Roman VLASOV (RUS) – Pytlasinski No.1 (3)
4. Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.1 (4)
5. Viktor NEMES (SRB) – Euro Games No.2 (5)
6. Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) – Euro Games No.3 (6)
7. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) – Euro Games No.5 (7)
8. Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) – Pytlasinski No.2 (19@80)
9. Emrah KUS (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.1 (12)
10. Dmitri PYSHKOV (UKR) – Euro Games No.3 (8)
11. Mark MADSEN (DEN) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (9)
12. Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (10)
13. Payam BOUYERI PAYANI (IRI) – Asia No.3 (11)
14. Andrew BISEK (USA) – Pan Am Games No.1 (nr)
15. Yavor YANAKIEV (BUL) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (14)
16. Petru SEVCIUC (MDA) – Olympia No.1 (15)
17. Juan Angel ESCOBAR (MEX) – Olympia No.2 (16)
18. Florian NEUMAIER (GER) – Ion Corneanu No.2 (13@80)
19. Laszlo SZABO (HUN) – Hungarian GP No.2 (18)
20. Manukhar TSKHADAIA (GEO) – Ljubomir Ivanovic No.3 (19) 

80kg – Eduard SARGSYAN (ARM) followed up a bronze medal at the Nikola Petrov tourney in April with his first international triumph at the Grand Prix of Spain in Madrid. The World Cup team member defeated veteran Mehdi KHODAEI (IRI), 5-3, in the Madrid final to join the rankings at No.10.

1. Evgeni SALEEV (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (1)
2. Rafik HUSEYNOV (AZE) – Euro Games No.2 (2)
3. Peter BACSI (HUN) – Pytlasinski No.1 (3)
4. Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) – Euro Games No.3 (4)
5. Viktor SASUNOVSKI (BLR) – Pytlasinski No.2 (6)
6. Selcuk CEBI (TUR) – Pytlasinski No.3 (5)
7. Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) – Euro U23s No.1 (8)
8. Arslan ATEM (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.1 (7)
9. Yousef GHADERIAN (IRI) – Asia No.1 (9)
10. Eduard SARGSYAN (ARM) – Spanish GP No.1 (nr)
11. Aleksander SHYSHMAN (UKR) – Euro Games No.5 (11)
12. Dogan GOKTAS (TUR) – Spanish GP No.3 (nr)
13. Jonas BOSSERT (SUI) – Ion Corneanu No.1 (nr)
14. Igor BESLEAGA (MDA) – Ion Corneanu No.3 (17)
15. AISHAN Aishan (CHN) – Pytlasinski No.3 (18)
16. Giorgi TSIREKIDZE (GEO) – Pytlasinski No.5 (12)
17. Ashkat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) – Vehbi Emre No.3 (14)
18. Nikolaos VARKAS (GRE) – Olympia No.1 (16)
19. Julius MATUZEVICIUS (LTU) – Euro Games No. 8 (15)
20. Alexander JERSGREN (SWE) – Nordic No.2 (20)

85kg – Former world and Athens 2004 Olympic champion Alexej MISHIN (RUS), stepping on the mat for the first time in 2015, hammered out a 1-1 victory on criteria over two-time world bronze medalist Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) for the Pytlasinski Cup title and No.9 in the rankings.

Reigning world champ Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA), returning to 85kg for the first time since last September, made an abrupt exit after a 3-1 loss to unranked Artur OMAROV (CZE) in the second round and tumbled from third to No.10 in the rankings.

1. David CHAKVETADZE (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (1)
2. Zhan BELENYUK (UKR) – Euro Games No.2 (2)
3. Habibollah AKHLAGHI (IRI) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (4)
4. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) – Pytlasinski No.2 (8)
5. Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER) – Pytlasinski No.3 (9)
6. Metehan BASAR (TUR) – Euro Games No.3 (5)
7. Islam ABBASOV (AZE) – Euro Jrs No.1 (6)
8. Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) – Nikola Petrov No.2 (7)
9. Alexej MISHIN (RUS) – Pytlasinski No.1 (nr)
10. Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) – World No.1 (3)
11. Denis KUDLA (GER) – Pytlasinski No.3 (15)
12. Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) – Asia No.1 (10)
13. Jordan HOLM (USA) – Hungarian GP No.1 (12)
14. Kristoffer JOHANSSON (SWE) – Hungarian GP No.2 (18)
15. Mojtaba KARIMFAR (IRI) – Spanish GP No.1 (nr)
16. Artur SHAHINYAN (ARM) – Spanish GP No.2 (nr)
17. Jonathan ANDERSON (USA) – Pan Am Games No.2 (nr)
18. Nenad ZUGAJ (CRO) – Ljubomir Ivanovic No.3 (17)
19. Javid HAMZATOV (BLR) – Zagreb Open No.1 (16)
20. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) – Asia No.2 (19)

98kg – London 2012 gold medalist Ghasem REZAEI (IRI) laced up the shoes for his first international competition since Tashkent for four wins and a default to waltz home with the Pytlasinski Cup crown and a No.3 in the rankings.

1. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) – World No.1 (1)
2. Islam MAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (2)
3. Ghasem REZAEI (IRI) – Pytlasinski No.1 (9)
4. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) – Euro Games No.3 (3)
5. Dimitri TIMCHENKO (UKR) – Euro Games No.2 (4)
6. Mahdi ALIYARI FEYZABADI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (5)
7. Orkhan NURIEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.5 (6)
8. Timofej DEYNICHENKO (BLR) – Euro Games No.5 (10)
9. Daigoro TIMONCINI (ITA) – Nikola Petrov No.2 (7)
10. Aleksander HRABOVIK (BLR) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (8)
11. Alin ALEXUC-CIURARIU (ROU) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (11)
12. Peter OEHLER (GER) – Pytlasinski No.2 (nr)
13. Fredrik SCHOEN (SWE) – Pytlasinski No.3 (nr)
14. Felix BALDAUF (NOR) – Spanish GP No.3 (nr)
15. Marthin Hamlet NIELSEN (NOR) – Spanish GP No.2 (nr)
16. Ardo ARUSAAR (EST) – Paris GP No.1 (14)
17. XIAO Di (CHN) – Asia No.2 (16)
18. Vladislav METODIEV (BUL) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (17)
19. Seyedmostafa SALEHIZADEH (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (12)
20. Balasz KISS (HUN) – Hungarian GP No.1 (13)

130kg – Asian championships silver medalist MENG Qiang (CHN) pipped two-time former world champion Heiki NABI (EST), 2-2 on criteria, in the quarterfinals and went on to win the Pytlasinski Cup crown and climb to No.7 in the rankings.
 
1. Mijain LOPEZ NUNEZ (CUB) – World No.1 (1)
2. Riza KAYAALP (TUR) – Euro Games No.1 (2)
3. Johan Magnus EUREN (SWE) – World Cup No.2 (3)
4. Heiki NABI (EST) – Euro Games No.3 (4)
5. Nurmakhan TINALIEV (KAZ) – Asia No.1 (5)
6. Beylal MAKHOV (RUS) – World No.3 (6)
7. MENG Qiang (CHN) – Pytlasinski No.1 (10)
8. Balint LAM (HUN) – Pytlasinski No.3 (13)
9. Sergey SEMENOV (RUS) – Euro U23s No.1 (8)
10. Sabah SHARIATI (AZE) – Euro Games No.2 (9)
11. Christian JOHN (GER) – Pytlasinski No.2 (nr)
12. Bashir Asgari BABAJANZADEH – Asia No.3 (11)
13. Ali Nail ARSLAN (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (12)
14. Miloslav METODIEV (BUL) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (13)
15. Behnam MEHDIZADEH (IRI) – Vehbi Emre No.3 (14)
16. Iosif CHUGOSHVILI (BLR) – Euro Games No.3 (15)
17. KIM Yong-Min (KOR) – Spanish GP No.2 (nr)
18. Robert SMITH (USA) – Pan Am Games No.3 (18)
19. Kiril GRISHCHENKO (BLR) – Hungarian GP No.3 (16)
20. Vitali SHCHUR (RUS) – Pytlasinski No.3 (nr)