Russians Saleev, Chakvetadze Top Greco-Roman World Rankings

By William May

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (July 9) – World silver medalist Evgeni SALEEV (RUS) and two-time junior world champion David CHAKVETADZE (RUS) upended top-ranked wrestlers at the European Games and claimed the No.1 positions in the United World Wrestling rankings for Greco-Roman.

Second-ranked Saleev reversed a World Cup loss to No.1 Rafik HUSEYNOV (AZE) in the gold medal final at Heydar Aliev Arena in Baku to move ahead of the hometown hero at 80kg.

Chakvetadze, meanwhile, hammered out a win over defending European champion Zhan BELENYUK (UKR) at 85kg to leap from No.10 to the top of the heap ahead of Belenyuk and reigning world champion Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA), who grabbed a bronze medal at 98kg.

Meanwhile, in addition to the two new No.1’s, Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) overcame a slow start with Europe’s under-23 champion Daniel CATARAGA (MDA) to notch four wins for the Games’ crown and hold onto the No.1 ranking he earned in March following Azerbaijan’s World Cup triumph.

Elvin MURSALIEV (AZE), a world bronze medalist like Chunayev, was the only other local favorite to strike gold with a win over U23 champion Viktor NEMES (SRB) at 75kg. The win lifted Mursaliev to No.4, where he sits behind world champions KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR), Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) and Roman VLASOV (RUS).

Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) and Artem SURKOV (RUS) also climbed to No.4  with victories at the lightest categories in the classic style while heavyweight teammate Islam MAGOMEDOV (RUS) went from 14th to No.2 in the rankings behind world champion Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) with a win at 97kg.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR) won his fourth straight and fifth overall continental crown at 130kg to hold onto No.2 in the rankings behind five-time world champion Mijian LOPEZ NUNEZ (CUB), who is gearing up for this month’s Pan American Games in Toronto.

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 – Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) dialed up three technical falls, including an 11-3 win over junior world champ Elman MUKHTAROV (AZE) in the semifinals, to win the gold medal in Baku and leap from 19th to No.4 in the rankings.

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

66kg – European under-23 champion Artem SURKOV (RUS) received a pair of penalty points and held on for a 2-0 victory over Migran ARUTYUNYAN (ARM) for the European Games gold medal.

The victory lifts Surkov to No.4 in the rankings, while Arutyunyn, ninth at last year’s world meet in Tashkent, goes from unranked to No.5.

1. Davor STEFANEK (SRB) – World No.1 (1)
2. RYU Han-Soo (KOR) – Asia No.1 (2)
3. Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) – World No.3 (3)
4. Artem SURKOV (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (13)
5. Migran ARUTUNYAN (ARM) – Euro Games No.2 (nr)
6. Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) – Hungarian GP No.2 (7)
7. Hasan ALIYEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.3 (5)
8. Istvan LEVAI (SVK) – Euro Games No.3 (17)
9. Aleksander MAKSIMOVIC (SRB) – Euro Games No.5 (18)
10. Denys DEMYANKOV (UKR) – Euro Games No.5 (nr)
11. Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) – Asia No.2 (11)
12. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) – Asia No.3 (12)
13. Abdulsamet UGURLU (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.1 (9)
14. Konstantin STAS (BUL) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (10)
15. Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) – Hungarian GP No.3 (6)
16. Revaz LASHKHI (GEO) – Hungarian GP No.3 (8)
17. Aibek YENSEKHANOV (KAZ) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (14)
18. Miguel MARTINEZ PALACIOS (CUB) – Pan America No.1 (15)
19. Mathias MAASCH (GER) – Euro Games No.7 (nr)
20. Artak MARGARYAN (FRA) – Zagreb Open No.3 (20)

71kg – European and world bronze medalist Frank STAEBLER (GER) rebounded from a quarterfinal loss in Baku to win another bronze medal at the European Games and rejoin the rankings at No.5 after a nine-month absence from international competition.
 
1. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.1 (1)
2. Afshin BYABANGARD (IRI) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (3)
3. Balint KORPASI (HUN) – Euro Games No.2 (7)
4. Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI) – Asia No.1 (5)
5. Frank STAEBLER (GER) – Euro Games No.3 (nr)
6. Mindia TSULUKIDZE (GEO) Euro Games No.5 (nr)
7. Yuri DENISOV (RUS) – Ljubomir Ivanovic No.1 (7)
8. Yunus OZEL (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (4)
9. Sachino DAVITAIA (GEO) – Vehbi Emre No.3 (11)
10. Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (13)
11. Daniel CATARAGA (MDA) – Olympia No.1 (12)
12. JUNG Ji-Hyun (KOR) – Asian Games No.1 (10)
13. Rafael ALEKSANYAN (ARM) – Nikola Petrov No.2 (14)
14. Dilshod TURDIEV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (15)
15. Nikolai SAVCHENKO (UKR) – Euro Games No.7 (nr)
16. Shermet PERMANOV (TKM) – Asian Games No.3 (16)
17. Zackarias TALLROTH (SWE) – Nordic No.1 (17)
18. Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) – Zagreb Open No.1 (18)
19. Svilen KOSTADINOV (BUL) – Euro Games No.5 (nr)
20. Pavel LYAKH (BUL) – Euro Games No.8 (nr)

75kg – World bronze medalist Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) claimed his first major international title at the European Games in Baku, going the distance for four of his five wins, including a 4-2 triumph over 71kg world champion Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) in the quarterfinals.

1. KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) - Asia No.1 (1)
2. Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) – World No.1 (2)
3. Roman VLASOV (RUS) – World Cup No.2 (4)
4. Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.1 (5)
5. Viktor NEMES (SRB) – Euro Games No.2 (6)
6. Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) – Euro Games No.3 (2@71)
7. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) – Euro Games No.5 (11)
8. Dmitri PYSHKOV (UKR) – Euro Games No.3 (nr)
9. Mark MADSEN (DEN) – Nordic No.1 (10)
10. Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) – Euro U23s No.3 (7)
11. Payam BOUYERI PAYANI (IRI) – Asia No.3 (8)
12. Emrah KUS (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.1 (9)
13. Neven ZUGAJ (CRO) – World No.2 (3)
14. Yavor YANAKIEV (BUL) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (nr)
15. Petru SEVCIUC (MDA) – Olympia No.1 (14)
16. Juan Angel ESCOBAR (MEX) – Pan America No.2 (15)
17. Pascal EISELE (GER) – Euro Games No.5 (nr)
18. Laszlo SZABO (HUN) – Hungarian GP No.2 (12)
19. Manukhar TSKHADAIA (GEO) – Ljubomir Ivanovic No.3 (18)
20. Ionel PUSCASU (ROU) – Euro Games No.9 (nr)

80kg – World silver medalist Evgeni SALEEV (RUS) reversed a 2-1 loss to Rafik HUSEYNOV (AZE) in February’s World Cup final with a second-period gut wrench on the edge of the mat for a 2-0 win at the European Games.  The victory also lifted Saleev over Huseynov to No.1 in the rankings.
 
1. Evgeni SALEEV (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (2)
2. Rafik HUSEYNOV (AZE) – Euro Games No.2 (1)
3. Peter BACSI (HUN) – Hungarian GP No.1 (3)
4. Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) – Euro Games No.3 (9)
5. Selcuk CEBI (TUR) – Euro Games No.5 (4)
6. Viktor SASUNOVSKI (BLR) – Euro Games No.3 (18)
7. Arslan ATEM (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.1 (10)
8. Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) – Euro U23s No.1 (7)
9. Yousef GHADERIAN (IRI) – Asia No.1 (11)
10. Joe Rau (USA) – Pan America No.1 (6)
11. Aleksander SHYSHMAN (UKR) – Euro Games No.5 (nr)
12. Giorgi TSIREKIDZE (GEO) – Hungarian GP No.2 (8)
13. Florian NEUMAIER (GER) – Euro Games No.7 (nr)
14. Ashkat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) – Vehbi Emre No.3 (16)
15. Julius MATUZEVICIUS (LTU) – Euro Games No. 8 (nr)
16. Nikolaos VARKAS (GRE) – Olympia No.1 (19)
17. Igor BESLEAGA (MDA) – Olympia No.3 (nr)
18. AISHAN Aishan (CHN) – Asia No.2 (17)
19. Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) – Zagreb Open No.1 (15)
20. Alexander JERSGREN (SWE) – Nordic No.2 (nr)

85kg – Relative newcomer to the national team, David CHAKVETADZE (RUS) held on for a 3-2 win over Zhan BELENYUK (UKR) to claim his first major title for Russia at the European Games.

Chakvetadze vaults to No.1 over defending European champion Belenyuk while world champion Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) slips to No.3 after taking a bronze medal in Baku at 98kg.

1. David CHAKVETADZE (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (16)
2. Zhan BELENYUK (UKR) – Euro Games No.2 (3)
3. Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) – World No.1 (1)
4. Habibollah AKHLAGHI (IRI) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (5@80)
5. Metehan BASAR (TUR) – Euro Games No.3 (9)
6. Islam ABBASOV (AZE) – Euro Jrs No.1 (6)
7. Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) – Euro Games No.5 (9)
8. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (4)
9. Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER) – Euro Games No.3 (nr)
10. Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) – Asia No.1 (10)
11. Hasan Saman TAHMASEBI (AZE) – World No.2 (2)
12. Jordan HOLM (USA) – Hungarian GP No.1 (12)
13. Aleksandr KAZAKEVIC (LTU) – Paris GP No.1 (12@80)
14. Gilberto PIQUET HERRERA (CUB) – Pan America No.1 (14)
15. Denis KUDLA (GER) – Euro U23s No.1 (7)
16. Javid HAMZATOV (BLR) – Zagreb Open No.1 (5)
17. Nenad ZUGAJ (CRO) – Ljubomir Ivanovic No.3 (nr)
18. Kristoffer JOHANSSON (SWE) – Hungarian GP No.2 (15)
19. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) – Asia No.2 (18)
20. Davod ABEDINADEH (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.2 (11)

98kg – Two-time junior world champion Islam MAGOMEDOV (RUS) captured his first major title as a senior with a 4-0 decision over Takhti Cup runner-up Dimitri TIMCHENKO (UKR) to bound from 14th to No.2 in the rankings behind 2014 world champ Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM).

Timchenko, 32, defeated 85kg world champion Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA), 5-0, in the quarterfinals on his way to securing his first medal at a European meet since 2005, when he won a bronze medal in Varna, Bulgaria.

1. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) – World No.1 (1)
2. Islam MAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Euro Games No.1 (14)
3. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) – Euro Games No.3 (2)
4. Dimitri TIMCHENKO (UKR) – Euro Games No.2 (nr)
5. Mahdi ALIYARI FEYZABADI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (5)
6. Orkhan NURIEV (AZE) – Euro Games No.5 (nr)
7. Daigoro TIMONCINI (ITA) – Nikola Petrov No.2 (8)
8. Aleksander HRABOVIK (BLR) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (4)
9. Ghasem REZAEI (IRI) – World No.3 (7)
10. Timofej DEYNICHENKO (BLR) – Euro Games No.5 (19)
11. Alin ALEX-CIURARIU (ROU) – Nikola Petrov No.1 (11)
12. Seyedmostafa SALEHIZADEH (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (9)
13. Balasz KISS (HUN) – Hungarian GP No.1 (10)
14. Ardo ARUSAAR (EST) – Paris GP No.1 (16)
15. Oliver HASSLER (GER) – World No.2 (3)
16. XIAO Di (CHN) – Asia No.2 (11)
17. Vladislav METODIEV (BUL) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (12)
18. Villius LAURINAITIS (LTU) – Euro Games No.7 (nr)
19. Fatih BASKOY (TUR) – Euro U23s No.1 (17)
20. Tuomas LAHTI (FIN) – Euro U23s No.2 (18)

130kg – Riza KAYAALP (TUR) won his fifth continental crown and fourth in a row with a gut wrench in the first period and then fighting off a late attempt by Sabah SHARIATI (AZE) for a 3-1 triumph in Baku.

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. Balint LAM (HUN) – Hungarian GP No.2 (13)
8. Sergey SEMENOV (RUS) – Euro U23s No.1 (7)
9. Sabah SHARIATI (AZE) – Euro Games No.2 (nr)
10. MENG Qiang (CHN) – Asia No.2 (8)
11. Bashir Asgiri BABAJANZADEH – Asia No.3 (9)
12. Ali Nail ARSLAN (TUR) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (10)
13. Miloslav METODIEV (BUL) – Nikola Petrov No.3 (11)
14. Behnam MEHDIZADEH (IRI) – Vehbi Emre No.3 (12)
15. Iosif CHUGOSHVILI (BLR) – Euro Games No.3 (17)
16. Kiril GRISHCHENKO (BLR) – Hungarian GP No.3 (15)
17. Nemanja PAVLOVIC (SRB) – Ljubomir Ivanovic No.2 (16)
18. Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) – Euro Games No.5 (nr)
19. Robert SMITH (USA) – Pan America No.1 (18)
20. Ramon Antonio GARCIA (DOM) – Pan America No.2 (19)

Criteria for United World Wresting Rankings