World and Olympic champion Hamid SORYAN (IRI) edged past Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) to claim the No.1 position at 59kg in this month's Greco-Roman FILA World Rankings. (Photo: Borna Ghasemi, FILA-Wrestling.com) 

Iran’s Soryan Claims Top Spot in Greco-Roman World Rankings
By Willam May

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (August 7) – London 2012 Olympic Games gold medalist Hamid SORYAN (IRI) took over the top spot at 59kg followed closely by world champion Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) as the race for No.1 in the FILA World Rankings for Greco-Roman heated up in July.

Soryan, who won the Hungarian Grand Prix in March in his return to international competition, moved up to 66kg to win at the Pytlasinski Memorial and replace Aleksandar KOSTADINOV (BUL) at the top of the rankings after the European champion finished fifth at the Golden Grand Prix Final in Baku.

Meanwhile, to make things hotter at Greco-Roman’s lightest weight category, 60kg world champion Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) also returned to competition by defeating European bronze medalist Ivan KUYLAKOV (RUS), 1-0, in the Pytlasinski final at 59kg.

Other top-ranked wrestlers are facing challenges in the lead-up to the world championships in September are Adam KURAK (RUS) at 60kg, Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) at 71kg, Peter BACSI (HUN) at 80kg, a double-barrel threat to Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) at 98kg, and Riza KAYAALP (TUR) at 130kg.

Hasan ALIYEV (AZE), already No.2 in the rankings at 66kg, cruised to victory in Baku to keep the pressure on top-ranked Kurak, who won the European title in April when Aliyev was disqualified in the closing seconds of the championship bout.

Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) also showed that he is edging closer to No.1 Lorincz, who needed a late bodylock takedown for a 4-0 win in Baku.  European champion Bacsi, meanwhile, lost, 5-5, in a wild finish to Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE), who climbed to No.4 in the rankings after his win.

Third-ranked world bronze medalist Balasz KISS (HUN) defeated second-ranked Cenk ILDEM (TUR), 3-0, in the 98kg final in Baku, in a bout certain to have attracted the attention of top-ranked Aleksanyan.

On the other side of the world, two-time Olympic Games gold medalist Mijain LOPEZ NUNEZ (CUB) won his ninth Pan American championship title for his third tournament triumph since returning to action at 130kg in February.

While it might seem odd to refer to Lopez Nunez as a “challenger,” top-ranked Riza KAYAALP (TUR) has won three larger events this year, including the European championships, and is currently the top-ranked heavyweight in Greco-Roman.

In the rankings, wrestlers are listed by name, country code, their most notable or most recent result, and their position in the previous rankings.

59kg – Hamid SORYAN (IRI), wrestling at 66kg, won his second title of the season at the Pytlasinski Memorial in Gdansk, while world champion Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) prevailed at 59kg in his return to international competition. Both wrestlers move ahead of European champion Aleksander KOSTADINOV (BUL), who finished in fifth place in Baku.

Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) won the Golden Grand Prix Final with wins over Mediterranean champion Kristijan FRIS (SRB) and Stockholm Open winner Stig Andre BERGE (NOR), who defeated two-time Olympic Games silver medalist Rovshan BAYRAMOV (AZE) in the round of 16.

1. Hamid SORYAN (IRI) – Pytlasinski No.1@66 (2)

2. Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) – Pytlasinski No.1@59 (not ranked)

3. Aleksandar KOSTADINOV (BUL) – Europe No.1 (1)

4. Ivan KUYLAKOV (RUS) – Pytlansinski No.2 (4)

5. Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) – Vehbi Emre No.1 (3)

6. Roman AMOYAN (ARM) – German Grand Prix No.1 (6)

7. Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) – Asia No.1 (5)

8. Edward BARSEGJAN (POL) – German GP No.2 (7)

9. Rahman BILICI (TUR) – Hungarian GP No.2 (8)

10. Kristijan FRIS (SRB) – Mediterranean No.1 (10)

11. Stig Andre BERGE (NOR) – Stockholm Open No.1 (17)

12. Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) – GGP Final No.1 (nr)

13. Saman ABDVALI (IRI) – GGP Final No.2 (nr)

14. Kamran MAMMADOV (AZE) – GGP Final No.3 (12)

15. Shinobu OTA (JPN) – Asia No.2 (9)

16. Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) – German GP No.3 (11)

17. Kanybek ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) – World University No.1 (14)

18. Victor CIOBANU (MDA) – Europe No.2 (15)

19. Soslan DAUROV (BLR) – Pytlasinski No.3 (16)

20. YUN Won-Chol (PRK) – Asia No.3 (13)

66kg – European silver medalist Hasan ALIYEV (AZE) edged Hungarian Grand Prix winner Davor STEFANEK (USA), 2-1, in the semifinals of the Golden Grand Prix Final and then forced a disqualification on 2011 European champion Revas LASHKHI (GEO) to move to within a step of the No.1 ranking.

Former European junior champion Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) defeated world bronze medalist Frank STAEBLER (GER) and held five-time world champ Hamid SORYAN (IRI) to a 2-0 decision in the final to finish second at the Pytlasinski Memorial. Etlinger makes a leap to No.13 in the rankings.

1. Adam KURAK (RUS) – Europe No.1 (1)

2. Hasan ALIYEV (AZE) – GGP Final No.1 (2)

3. Frank STAEBLER (GER) – Pytlasinski No.3 (3)

4. Revaz LASHKHI (GEO) – GGP Final No.2 (5)

5. Davor STEFANEK (SRB) – GGP Final No.3 (6)

6. Istvan LEVAI (SVK) – Europe No.3 (4)

7. Omid NOROOZI (IRI) – Hungarian GP No.3 (7)

8. Aram JULFALAKYAN (ARM) – German GP No.1 (9)

9. Azamat AKHMEDOV (RUS) – German GP No.2 (10)

10. RYU Han-Soo (KOR) – Asia No.3 (8)

11. Fredrik BJERREHUUS (DEN) – Stockholm Open No.1 (12)

12. Atakan YUKSEL (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.1 (11)

13. Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) – Pytlasinski No.2 (20)

14. Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ) – Asia No.1 (13)

15. Khusrav OBLOBERDIEV (TJK) – Asia No.2 (14)

16. David KARECINSKI (POL) – Pytlasinski No.5 (15)

17. Denys DEMYANKOV (UKR) – German GP No.3 (16)

18. Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI) – Asia Jr No.1 (17)

19. Jussi-Pekka NIEMISTOE (FIN) – Stockholm Open No.3 (18)

20. Miguel MARTINEZ (CUB) – Pan American No.1 (nr)

71kg – European champion Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) won the rematch of the championship final in April, 4-0, with a late bodylock takedown against second-ranked Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) to firm up his grip on the top-ranking at 71kg.

Athens 2004 gold medalist JUNG Ji-Hyun (KOR) won the Olympia tourney climb from No.19 to No.14, while 2013 Ivan Podubbny bronze medalist Yuri DENISOV (RUS) won all four bouts in a five-wrestler round-robin to claim the Pytlasinski crown and No. 15 in the rankings.

1. Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) – GGP Final No.1 (1)

2. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) – GGP Final No.2 (2)

3. Saeid Mourad ABDVALI (IRI) – Asia No.3 (3)

4. Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) – Ivan Poddubny No.1 (4)

5. Mindia TSULUKIDZE (GEO) – GGP Final No.3 (9)

6. Manukhar TSKHADAIA (GEO) – GGP Final No.5 (7)

7. Aleksander MAKSIMOVIC (SRB) – Mediterranean No.1 (8)

8. Balint KORPASI (HUN) – World Cup No.2 (5)

9. Abuyazid MANTSIGOV (RUS) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (6)

10. Aleksander DZEMYANOVICH (BLR) – Europe No.3 (11)

11. Yunus OZEL (TUR) – Europe No.3 (12)

12. Mate NEMES (SRB) – Mediterranean No.2 (13)

13. Mohammad KARIMI (IRI) – Hungarian GP No.3 (10)

14. JUNG Ji-Hyun (KOR) – Olympia No.1 (19)

15. Yuriy DENISOV (RUS) – Pytlasinski No.1 (nr)

16. Mathias MAASCH (GER) – Pytlasinski No.2 (nr)

17. Maksat YEREZHEPOL (KAZ) – Spanish GP No.2 (20)

18. Askhat ZHANBIROV (KAZ) – Spanish GP No.2 (nr)

19. Varsham BORANYAN (ARM) – German GP No.1 (15)

20. Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR) – German GP No.2 (nr)

75kg – Rafik HUSEYNOV (AZE) dropped from 80kg to defend his Golden Grand Prix Final title at 75kg and edged 2013 European silver medalist Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO), 1-0, for the crown. Huseynov moves from No.15 at 80kg to No.6 at the lighter category.

Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) took advantage of the crowded FILA Calendar in July to win at the Pytlasinski Memorial, take a bronze at the world student championships and advance to the bronze medal finals at the Golden Grand Prix Final.

1. KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) - Asia No.1 (1)

2. Aleksander CHEKHIRKIN (RUS) – Europe No.1 (2)

3. Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) – Europe No.2 (3)

4. Roman VLASOV (RUS) – Ivan Poddubny No.2 (4)

5. Mark MADSEN (DEN) – Europe No.3 (5)

6. Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) – Europe No.3 (6)

7. Robert ROSENGREN (SWE) – Stockholm Open No.1 (7)

8. Viktor NEMES (SRB) – Mediterranean No.1 (8)

9. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) – GPP Final No.2 (13)

10. Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) – Pytlasinski No.1 (nr)

11. Neven ZUGAJ (CRO) – Pytlasinski No.3 (nr)

12. Laszlo SZABO (HUN) – GGP Final No.3 (11)

13. Emrah KUS (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.1 (9)

14. Takehiro KANAKUBO (JPN) – Asia No.2 (10)

15. Andrew BISEK (USA) – Pan America No.1 (16)

16. Jure KUHAR (SLO) – Mediterranean No.2 (14)

17. Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) – Mediterranean No.3 (15)

18. Julio BASTIDA MENDOZA (CUB) – Pan America No.3 (nr)

19. Juan Angel ESCOBAR (MEX) – Spanish GP No.1 (nr)

20. Seref TUFENK (TUR) - German GP No.2 (12)

80kg – European bronze medalist Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) scored a mid-air gut-wrench and survived a confusing scramble later to emerge with a 5-5 criteria triumph over top-ranked Peter BACSI (HUN) in the championship round of the Golden Grand Prix Final. The win lifted Mursaliyev from No.6 at 75kg to No.4 at 80kg.

Tadeusz MICHALIK collected bronze medals in his last four tournaments in a row, including the Golden Grand Prix Final where he rolled up a technical fall against Vyacheslav ZVARYCH (UKR) in the bout for third place.

1. Peter BACSI (HUN) – Europe No.1 (1)

2. Selcuk CEBI (TUR) – Europe No.2 (2)

3. Habibollah AKHLAGHI (IRI) – Hungarian GP No.1 (3)

4. Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) – GGP Final No.1 (6@75)

5. Viktor SASUNOVSKI (BLR) – Vehbi Emre No.1 (4)

6. Aleksandr KAZAKEVIC (LTU) – GGP Final No.3 (6)

7. Aleksander SHYSHMAN (UKR) – Europe No.3 (7)

8. Giorgi TSIREKIDZE (GEO) – Europe No.3 (8)

9. Imil SHARAFEDINOV (RUS) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (9)

10. Bekhan OZDOEV (RUS) – Europe No.5 (5)

11. Petar BALO (SRB) – Mediterranean No.1 (13)

12. Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) – GGP Final No.3 (nr)

13. Evgeni SALEEV (RUS) – Pytlasinski No.1 (nr)

14. Yanarbek KENYEEV (KGZ) – Asia No.1 (10)

15. Yousef GHADERIAN (IRI) – Asia No.2 (11)

16. Azamat KUSTUBAEV (KAZ) – Asia No.3 (12)

17. Jonas BOSSERT (SUI) – Stockholm Open No.3 (16)

18. Michael WAGNER (AUT) – Stockholm Open No.3 (14)

19. Doszhan KARTIKOV (KAZ) – Spanish GP No.1 (nr)

20. KIM Jun-Hyung (KOR) – Olympia No.1 (nr)

85kg – Robert KOBLIASHVILI, a European junior bronze medalist in 2013, used a double-arm trap and drop on senior world silver medalist Hasan Saman TAHMASEBI (AZE) to win the Golden Grand Prix Final title, 3-0, and climb to No.9 in the rankings. 

Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA), enjoying life at 96-98kg since finishing fifth at the London 2012 Olympic Games, returned to 85kg and came from behind to defeat Asian bronze medal winner Mojtaba KARIMFAR (IRI), 4-2, at the Pytlasinski Memorial. Noumonvi joins the 85kg rankings at No.12.