Jong, Ghasemi Slump in World Freestyle Rankings After Losses in Doha

By William May

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (June 2) – Top-ranked bantamweight JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) and second-ranked super heavyweight Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) slumped in the United World Wrestling freestyle rankings for June, after surprise losses at the Asian Championships in Doha.

Jong, No.1 at freestyle’s lightest category, fell in the 57kg semifinals at Aspire Dome in the Qatari capital to ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL) and lost again to Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) in the bronze medal final.

Jong’s fifth-place finish saw the Asian Games gold medalist slump to No.3 in the rankings behind world champion and compatriot YANG Kyong-il (PRK) and Erdenebat, who had bagged bronze medals earlier this year at the Yarygin Grand Prix and the Medved Prizes.

Meanwhile, world silver medalist Ghasemi tumbled from No.2 to fourth in the rankings after being pinned by Yasar Dogu runner-up Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) in the Asian championships final.

Lazarev, who lost to top-ranked Taha AKGUL (TUR) in Istanbul in late March, climbed from 17th to No.11 in the rankings with his first-ever Asian crown.

Also at super heavyweight, 2013 world bronze medalist Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) returned to action after a six-month anti-doping ban with three wins to take the Olympia Tournament and grab No.16 in the rankings.

Petriashvili had been sitting out since being tested positive for the metabolic modulator trimetazidine at last summer’s junior world championships in Zagreb.

Yarygin Grand Prix bronze medalist Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) made the biggest leap in the June rankings, going from unranked to No.13 at 65kg after winning the 70kg title in Olympia. 

While the top halves of this month’s rankings in each category were largely unchanged, winners at the Asian championships made advances in the top 10.

Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) and Alireze KARIMIMACHI (IRI) each went from 11th to No.7 at 61kg and 86kg, respectively, while Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) climbed to No.5 at 70kg and Peyman YARAHMADI (IRI) advanced to fourth at 74kg.

Wrestlers in the rankings are listed by name, country code, most recent or most significant result over the last 12 months, and their ranking the previous month. 

57kg – ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL) won his first continental championship crown, bumping off Asian Games gold medalist JONG Hak-Jin (PRK), to climb two places to No.2 in the rankings just behind world champion YANG Kyong-Il (PRK).

Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA), a 2014 European bronze medalist, returned to international competition with a triumph at the Olympic Tournament and to the rankings at No.18.

1. YANG Kyong-Il (PRK) – World No.1 (2)
2. ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL) – Asia No.1 (4)
3. JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) – Asia No.5 (1)
4. Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) – World No.2 (3)
5. Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (5)
6. Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) – European U23s No.1 (6)
7. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) – World Cup No.2 (7)
8. Vladislav ANDREEV (BLR) – Medved Prize No.1 (8)
9. Samat NADYRBEK UULU (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (11)
10. Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (10)
11. DAMDINBAZAR Tsogtbaatar (MGL) – Buryatia Cup No.1 (9)
12. Sezer AKGUL (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (No.12)
13. Anthony RAMOS (USA) – World Cup No.4 (13)
14. Younes SARMASTIDZAJI (IRI) – Asia No.3 (18)
15. Nyurgun SKRYABIN (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (14)
16. Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.5 (15)
17. John PINEDA (CAN) – Cerro Pelado No.1 (19)
18. Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA) – Olympia No.1 (not ranked)
19. Levan METREVELI (ESP) – Mediterranean No.1 (20)
20. Adama DIATTA (SEN) – Africa No.1 (nr)

61kg – Medved Prizes third-place finisher Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) won his first Asian championships title after back-to-back bronze medals in the continental meet in 2013 and 2014 to climb four places to No.7 in the rankings.

1. Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (1)
2. Masoud ESMAILPOUR (IRI) – Paris Grand Prix No.2 (2)
3. Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB) – World Cup No.1 (3)
4. Bekhan GOIGEREEV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.2 (4)
5. Volodya FRANGULYAN (ARM) – Medved Prizes No.1 (7)
6. Dyamal OTARSULTANOV (RUS) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (9)
7. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) – Asia No.1 (11)
8. ENKHSAIKHAN Nyam-Ochir (MGL) – World No.3 (5)
9. Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (6)
10. Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) – World Cup No.1 (18)
11. Iman SADEGHIKOUKANDEH (IRI) – Paris GP No.1 (8)
12. Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) – Paris GP No.2 (10)
13. Artas SANAA (KAZ) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (12)
14. Muenir Recep AKTAS (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (14)
15. Murshid MUTALIMOV (RUS) – Olympia No.1 (19)
16. Andrei PERPELITA (MDA) – Olympia No.2 (18)
17. Rustam AMPAR (RUS) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (16)
18. Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.1 (17)
19. Nomin BATBOLD (MGL) – Asia No.3 (19)
20. Abdelrahim SAYED (ALG) – Africa No.1 (nr)

65kg – Yarygin Grand Prix bronze medal winner Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) ran the table at 70kg with four wins in a five-wrestler round robin with a combined score of 39-4 to win the Olympia Tournament and join the rankings at No.13.

1. Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI) – World No.2 (1)
2. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.2 (2)
3. Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) – World No.1 (3)
4. Magomed MUSLIMOV (AZE) – Paris GP No.1 (4)
5. Brent METCALF (USA) – World Cup No.1 (5)
6. GANZORIG Mandakhnaran (MGL) – Asia No.3 (6)
7. Azamat NURIKOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.1 (7)
8. Borislav NOVACHKOV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.1 (8)
9. Mustafa KAYA (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (9)
10. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) – Europe U23s No.1 (10)
11. Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (11)
12. Haji ALIEV (AZE) – Paris GP No.3 (13)
13. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) – Olympia No.1 (nr)
14. Mihail SAVA (MDA) – Olympia No.2 (14)
15. Tomotsugu ISHIDA (JPN) – Asia No.2 (20)
16. Alexandr KONTOEV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.3 (12)
17. Togrul ASGAROV (AZE) – World Cup No.3 (15)
18. Yogeshwar DUTT (IND) – Asian Games No.1 (16)
19. Jordan OLIVER (USA) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (19)
20. Jean Bernard DIATTA (SEN) – Africa No.1 (nr)

70kg – Asian Games gold medalist Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) won his second continental crown in a row at the Asian championships with a 6-5 triumph over Zelimkhan YUSUPOV (TJK) to leapfrog ahead of the silver medalist and grab No.5 in the rankings.

1. Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) – World No.1 (1)
2. Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (2)
3. Yakup GOR (TUR) – World No.2 (3)
4. Israil KASUMOV (RUS) – World Cup No.1 (4)
5. Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) – Asia No.1 (9)
6. Zelimkhan YUSUPOV (TJK) – Asia No.2 (5)
7. Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (IRI) – World Cup No.2 (6)
8. Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (8)
9. Rasul ARSANALIEV (RUS) – European U23s No.1 (7)
10. Ruslan DIBIRGADZHIYEV (AZE) – Paris GP No.3 (10)
11. Nicholas MARABLE (USA) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (11)
12. Rasul DZUKAEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (12)
13. Magomed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.1 (13)
14. Andrey KARPACH (BLR) – European U23s No.3 (14)
15. Dustin SCHLATTER (USA) – Pan America No.1 (15)
16. Miroslav KIROV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.1 (17)
17. Dejan MITROV (MKD) – Macedonia Pearl No.1 (nr)
18. Saeed DADASHPOUR (IRI) – Yarygin GP No.2 (16)
19. Elaman DOGDURUBEK UULU (KGZ) – Asia No.3 (nr)
20. Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (nr)

74kg – Takhti Cup winner Peyman YARAHMADI (IRI) edged Asian Games gold medalist Rashid KURBANOV (UZB), 2-0, in the semifinals of the Asian championships to leap five places in the rankings to No.4 – just ahead of the 2013 world bronze medalist.

1. Denis TSARGUSH (RUS) – World No.1 (1)
2. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) – World Cup No.1 (2)
3. Livan LOPEZ AZCUY (CUB) – World Cup No.2 (3)
4. Peyman YARAHMADI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (9)
5. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (5)
6. Sosuke TAKATANI (JPN) – World No.2 (4)
7. Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (6)
8. Jumber KVELASHVILI (GEO) – Takhti Cup No.2 (7)
9. Krystian BRZOZOWSKI (POL) – Cerro Pelado No.1 (8)
10. Morteza REZAEI GALEH (IRI) – World Cup No.3 (10)
11. Yabrail HASANOV (AZE) – World Cup No.4 (11)
12. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (12)
13. Ali SHABANOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.3 (13)
14. Yakob MAKARASHVILI (GEO) – Medved Prizes No.2 (14)
15. Daisuke SHIMADA (JPN) – Asia No.2 (nr)
16. Narasingh YADAV (IND) – Asia No.3 (nr)
17. Zurab ERBOTSONASHVILI (GEO) – European U23s No.1 (16)
18. Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM) – European U23s No.2 (17)
19. Georgi ZLATOV (BUL) – Macedonian Pearl No.1 (nr)
20. Augusto MIDANA (GBS) – Africa No.1 (nr)

86kg – Yarygin Grand Prix bronze medalist Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS) followed three wins at the World Cup with three more at the Olympia Tournament in Greece to rise to No.8 in the rankings – right behind newly crowned Asia champion Alireza KARIMIMACHI (IRI).

1. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) - World No.1 (1)
2. Meisam MOSTAFA JOUKAR (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (2)
3. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) – Cerro Pelado No.1 (3)
4. Mohammad MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) – World No.3 (3)
5. Aleksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) – European U23s No.1 (5)
6. Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – European U23s No.3 (6)
7. Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (11)
8. Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS) – World Cup No.1 (12)
9. Radoslaw MARCINKIEWICZ (POL) – Oueslati Memorial No.1 (10)
10. Atsushi MATSUMOTO (JPN) – Asia No.2 (14)
11. Selim YASAR (TUR) – World No.3 (7)
12. Anzor URISHEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (8)
13. ORGODOL Uitumen (MGL) – Yarygin GP No.2 (9)
14. Aleksander GOSTIEV (AZE) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (13)
15. Clayton FOSTER (USA) – Cerro Pelado No.2 (15)
16. Amarhadshi MAGOMEDOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.3 (16)
17. Sebastien JEZIERZANSKI (POL) – Oueslati Memorial No.2 (17)
18. Halil ZUBAIROV (MKD) – Macedonian Pearl No.1 (nr)
19. Mohamed Aly ZAGHLOUL (EGY) – Africa No.1 (nr)
20. Georgi SREDKOV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.2 (19)

97kg – Asian Games silver medalist Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ) bagged another silver medal at the Asian championships to slip ahead of former European champion Pavlo OLIYNIK (UKR) at No.10 in the rankings.

1. Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) – World No.1 (1)
2. Khetag GAZUMOV (AZE) – Medved Prizes No.1 (2)
3. Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) – Medved Prizes No.2 (3)
4. Valeri ANDRIITSEV (UKR) – Medved Prizes No.3 (4)
5. Reza YAZDANI (IRI) – Asian Games No.1 (5)
6. Javier CORTINA LACERRA (CUB) – World Cup No.3 (6)
7. Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) – Takhti Cup No.1 (7)
8. Omar GUSOSHIVILI (GEO) – European U23s No.1 (8)
9. Yuri BELONOVSKI (RUS) – World Cup No.2 (9)
10. Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (11)
11. Pavlo OLIYNIK (UKR) – Paris GP No.3 (10)
12. Ibragim SAIDOV (BLR) – Yarygin GP No.1 (12)
13. Zainulla KURBANOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (14)
14. Radoslaw BARAN (POL) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (15)
15. Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (16)
16. William HARTH (GER) – Dan Kolov No.1 (17)
17. Jakob VARNER (USA) – World Cup No.4 (18)
18. DORJKHAND Khuderbulga (MGL) – Asian Games No.3 (13)
19. Dragomir STOICHEV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.1 (20)
20. Nikolae CEBAN (MDA) – Olympia No.1 (nr)

125kg – Yasar Dogu runner-up Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) stunned world silver medalist Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) for his first Asian championships crown to vault six places to No.17, while Ghasemi slumped to fourth in the rankings.

1. Taha AKGUL (TUR) – World No.1 (1)
2. Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) – Paris GP No.1 (3)
3. Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS) – European U23s No.1 (4)
4. Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) – Asia No.2 (2)
5. Aleksey SHEMAROV (BLR) – World Cup No.1 (5)
6. Alen ZASEEV (UKR) – Medved Prizes No.2 (6)
7. Parviz HADI (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (7)
8. Khadshimourad GATSALOV (RUS) – World No.3 (8)
9. Tervel DLAGNEV (USA) – World No.3 (9)
10. David MODZMANASHVILI (GEO) – Medved Prizes No.1 (13)
11. Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) – Asia No.1 (17)
12. JARGALSAIKHAN Chuluunbat (MGL) – Yargyin GP No.3 (10)
13. Tanji GEMICI (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (11)
14. Jamalladin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) – Paris GP No.2 (12)
15. Zachery REY (USA) – Pan America No.1 (14)
16. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) – Olympia No.1 (nr)
17. DENG Zhiwei (CHN) – Asia No.3 (nr)
18. Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (18)
19. Robert BARAN (POL) – European U23s No.3 (19)
20. Soslan GAGLOEV (SVK) – Dan Kolov No.1 (20)