CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 11) – Three wrestlers from Georgia, including two London 2012 medal winners, top the pre-Wrestling World Championships edition of the FILA World Rankings for men’s freestyle
Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) tops the rankings at 60kg, London bronze medalist Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO) has been the leader at 84kg all summer, and Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (GEO) won one of the last senior tournaments of the summer to strengthen his position at 55kg.
KHINCHEGASHVILI, the Olympic silver medalist one year ago at 55kg, slipped into the top spot at 60kg as Opan SAT (RUS) has faltered since winning the European championships in March.
Russian national champion Bekhan GOYGEREEV (RUS), who won the Universiade in July, and 2011 world silver medalist Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) are making a charge up the rankings to challenge KHINCHEGASHIVILI at 60kg.
European champion MARSAGISHVILI, meanwhile, has been on top at 84kg all summer as have Olympic gold medalist and world champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) at 74kg and Taha AKGUL (TUR), who has turned away all challengers at 120kg in 2013.
AKGUL has won four tournament titles in 2013, including the European championships, and was awarded top individual honors at the men’s freestyle World Cup in February.
Last year’s junior world champion Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) claimed the top spot at 66kg last month with a win at the Universiade and heads into the world championships as the weight category’s leader ahead of European champion David SAFARYAN (ARM).
London Olympian Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) also remains on top at 96kg, a spot he earned after a win at the University Games over European champion Pavlo OLEYNIK (UKR). GADISOV, however, is only listed second on Russia’s entries for the world championships behind national champion Anzor BOLTUKAEV (RUS).
The rankings are listed by the wrestler’s name, country code, most recent or most significant result of the year, and the wrestler’s ranking the previous month.
>See the International wrestling rankings Men's freestyle (September 2013)
