Rio 2016 Qualifiers Shake up Lower Half of Freestyle World Rankings By: William May
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From: Tim Foley [email protected] Subject: Rio 2016 Qualifiers Shake Up Lower Half of Freestyle World Rankings Date: May 3, 2016 at 10:33 AM To: [email protected] Rio 2016 Qualifiers Shake Up Lower Half of Freestyle World Rankings By: William May CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (May 3) – With much of March and all of April given to qualification events for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the United World Wrestling freestyle rankings have been largely stable on top with plenty churn underneath. Many of the winners at the continental qualifiers in Algeria and Serbia as well as the first world qualifying tourney in Ulaanbaatar found new places on the lower two-thirds of the rankings, while all of the ticket-holders to Rio 2016 via last year’s world championships were standing pat. Even wrestlers from the two “non-Olympic” weight categories – 61kg and 70kg – improved in their “home” category after successful qualifying performances at weights on the Rio 2016 schedule. Continental champions Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) and Adam BATIROV (BRN), both at 70kg, each won qualifying events at 65kg. European champion Gadzhiev held onto his No.2 ranking at 70kg with a win at the regional qualifier in Zrenjanin, Serbia. Asia champion Batirov, meanwhile, qualified for Rio with a win over world bronze medalist at 70kg Yakup GOR (TUR) in the Ulaanbaatar semifinals at 65kg. Batirov’s victory lifted him from 19th to No.3 at 70kg – the biggest leap in freestyle for April. Meanwhile, world bronze medalist at 61kg Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) made the drop to 57kg and secured a ticket to Rio 2016 with four technical falls to climb from No.7 to third at featherweight. Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA), successful at 70kg the previous two years including a silver medal at the 2015 Yasar Dogu meet, secured the special third-place ticket at 74kg in Ulaanbaatar, but slipped slightly in the rankings from No.9 at 70kg to 12th at welterweight. As for wrestlers unranked in March, Daniel LIGETI (HUN) climbed into the 125kg rankings at No.14 after a third place in Zrenjanin and a second place in Ulaanbaatar to qualify for his second Olympic Games. Beijing 2008 Olympian Istvan VEREB (HUN) won at 86kg in Zrenjanin for No.15. At 97kg, Ibragim BOLUKBASI (TUR) punched his ticket for Rio and grabbed No.15 in the rankings as a runner-up in Zrenjanin while Beijing 2008 bronze medalist Georgi KETOEV (ARM), ended a three-year hiatus with a victory in Ulaanbaatar and No.17 in the rankings. Wrestlers in the rankings are listed by name, country code, most notable or most recent result over the last 12 months, and their position in the previous rankings. 57kg – European championships bronze medal winner at 61kg Ivan GUIDEA (ROU) rolled over Riga silver medalist Andrey YATSENKO (UKR) by technical fall in Ulaanbaatar to join the bantam rankings at No.13 after being 11th at featherweight. 1. Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) – World No.1 (1) 2. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) – World No.2 (2) 3. Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) – World No.3 (3) 4. JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) – Asia No.2 (4) 5. Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB) – Pan Am OG Qualifier No.1 (5) 6. ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL) – Mongolia Open No.1 (6) 7. Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) – GGP Final No.1 (7) 8. Artas SANAA (KAZ) – World No.5 (8) 9. Gadshimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (9) 10. Reza ATRANAGHARCHI (IRI) – Medved Prizes No.1 (10) 11. Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) – Europe No.3 (11) 12. DAMDINBAZAR Tsogtbaatar (MGL) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (12) 13. Ivan GUIDEA (ROU) – Ulaanbaatar OG Qualifier No.1 (11@61kg) 14. Tomar SANDEEP (IND) – Asia No.1 (19) 15. Andrey YATSENKO (UKR) – Europe No.2 (13) 16. Mirjalal HASANZADE (AZE) – Ulaanbaatar OG Qualifier No.2 (Not Ranked) 17. Suleyman ATLI (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (18) 18. Andrei DUKOV (ROU) – Europe No.3 (14) 19. Adama DIATTA (SEN) – Africa No.1 (20) 20. Garnik MNATSAKANYAN (ARM) – European OG Qualifier No.2 (nr) 61kg – World bronze medalists Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) and Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) trade places in the rankings after dropping to 57kg for the European qualifier in Serbia. Dubov punches his ticket with four technical falls for No.3 in the rankings, Shuptar was one- and-done to slip to seventh. 1. Haji ALIEV (AZE) – Europe No.3 (1) 2. Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) – Buryatia Cup No.1 (2) 3. Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) – European OG Qualifier No.1 (7) 4. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) – Asia No.1 (4) 5. Imam ADZHIEV (RUS) – European U23 No.1 (5) 6. Georgi KALIEV (BLR) – Europe No.2 (6) 7. Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) – World No.3 (3) 8. Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (8) 9. Nyurgun SKRYABIN (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (9) 10. Volodya FRANGULYAN (ARM) – Ukraine Int’l No.3 (10) 11. TUMENBILEG Tuvshintulga (MGL) – Mongolian Open No.1 (12) 12. Bekhan GOIGEREEV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.2 (13) 13. Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (14 14. Mehran NASIRIFRANCHALI (IRI) – Ukraine Int’l No.1 (15) 14. Mehran NASIRIFRANCHALI (IRI) – Ukraine Int’l No.1 (15) 15. Masakazu KAMOI (JPN) – World No.5 (16) 16. Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) – Ziolkowski Memorial No.3 (17) 17. Coleman SCOTT (USA) – Pan America No.1 (18) 18. Muenir Recep AKTAS (TUR) – Europe No.8 (19) 19. Mathiouthi CHEDLI (TUN) – Africa No.1 (20) 20. Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) – European U23 No.3 (nr) 65kg – Zurabi IAKOBISHIVILI (GEO) narrowly misses qualifying for Rio 2016 with a 2-2 loss to London 2012 Olympian Andrey KVIATKOVSKI (UKR) in the Zrenjanin semifinals, but makes the cut a week later in Ulaanbaatar with three hard-fought victories. 1. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) – Europe No.1 (1) 2. Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.1 (2) 3. Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) – World No.2 (3) 4. Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI) – World No.3 (4) 5. Togrul ASGAROV (AZE) – European Games No.1 (5) 6. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (6) 7. Meysam NASIRI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (7) 8. Israil KASUMOV (RUS) – Europe No.3 (8) 9. BATCHULUUN Batmagnai (MGL) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (9) 10. Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) – Ulaanbaatar OG Qualifier No.2 (15@70) 11. Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) – Dan Kolov No.1 (10) 12. Andrey KVIATKOVSKI (UKR) – European OG Qualifier No.2 (nr) 13. Mustafa KAYA (TUR) – Europe No.2 (11) 14. BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) – Mongolian Open No.2 (12) 15. GANZORIG Mandakhnaran (MGL) – Yarygin GP No.3 (14) 16. Yogeshwar DUTT (IND) – Asian OG Qualifier No.1 (16) 17. David SAFARYAN (ARM) – European OG Qualifier No.3 (nr) 18. Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (CUB) – Pan Am OG Qualifier No.2 (18) 19. YEERLANDIEKE Katal (CHN) – Asian OG Qualifier No.2 (nr) 20. Daniel AMAS (NGR) – Africa-Oceania OG Qualifier No.1 (nr) 70kg – Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) and Adam BATIROV (BRN) won qualifiers in Serbia and Mongolia at 65kg for No.2 and No.3 in the rankings. Batirov vaults 16 places with a 7-2 win over world bronze medalist Yakup GOR (TUR) in the Ulaanbaatar semifinals. 1. Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – World No.1 (1) 1. Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – World No.1 (1) 2. Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) – Europe No.1 (2) 3. Adam BATIROV (BRN) – Asia No.1 (19) 4. Yakup GOR (TUR) – World No.3 (2) 5. James GREEN (USA) – World No.3 (4) 6. Azamat NURIKOV (BLR) – Europe No.3 (5) 7. David TLASHADZE (GEO) – Europe No.2 (6) 8. BUYANJAV Batzorig (MGL) – Asia No.3 (7) 9. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (8) 10. Miroslav KIROV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.3 (7) 11. Rasul ARSANALIEV (RUS) – European U23, No.1 (11) 12. Gadjimurad OMAROV (AZE) – European U23 No.2 (12) 13. Nikolay KURTEV (BUL) – Europe No.3 (13) 14. Evgeni ZHERBAEV (RUS) – Buryatia Cup No.1 (14) 15. Aaron PICO (USA) – Medved Prizes No.3 (16) 16. Khabib MAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.3 (17) 17. Nurlan BEKZHANOV (KAZ) – Asia No.2 (18) 18. Muhammad NADERI – Takhti Cup No.1 (20) 19. Adrian Ionut MOISE (ROU) – Europe No.5 (nr) 20. Maher GHANMI (TUN) – Africa No.1 (nr) 74kg – Riga bronze medalist Yakob MAKARASHVILI (GEO) rallies late for a 12-8 semifinal triumph over Taymuraz FRIEV NASKIDEAVA (ESP) at the European qualifier to book a place at Rio 2016 and No.15 in the rankings. 1. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) – World No.1 (1) 2. Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS) – World No.3 (2) 3. Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.1 (3) 4. PUREVJAV Unurbat (MGL) – World No.2 (4) 5. Narasingh YADAV (IND) – World No.3 (5) 6. Livan LOPEZ AZCUY (CUB) – Pan Am OG Qualifier No.1 (6) 7. Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (7) 8. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) – Europe No.1 (8) 9. Yabrail HASANOV (AZE) – Europe No.2 (9) 10. Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (IRI) – Medved Prizes No.2 (10) 11. Zaur MAKIEV (RUS) – Europe No.3 (11) 12. Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA) – Ulaanbaatar OG Qualifier No.3 (9@70) 13. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) – Medved Prizes No.3 (12) 14. Yakob MAKARASHVILI (GEO) – European OG Qualifier No.2 (nr) 15. Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) – GGP Final No.1 (13) 16. Moustafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (16) 17. Sosuke TAKATANI (JPN) – Asian OG Qualifier No.2 (17) 18. Galimzhan USSERBAEV (KAZ) – Asian OG Qualifier No.1 (18) 19. Georgi IVANOV (BUL) – Ulaanbaatar OG Qualifier No.2 (nr) 20. Augusto MIDANA (GBS) – Africa No.1 (nr) 86kg – Medved Prizes bronze medal winner Amarhadshi MAGOMEDOV (BLR) edged 2013 world champ Ibragim ALDATOV (UKR), 3-3, in the Zrenjanin semifinals for a Rio 2016 berth and No.16 in the rankings. 1.