CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 12) - London 2012 Olympian Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) and veteran Khadshimourad GATSALOV (RUS) finished one-two at the Ali Aliev tourney on May 23-27, resulting in a shake-up at 96kg in the FILA World Rankings for men's freestyle.

GADISOV, who took a third place at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in January, moved from unranked into third place on the FILA rankings with his win before the hometown fans in Makhachkala, Russia.

Athens 2004 gold medalist GATSALOV, who won the International Ukrainian tourney in February, breaks into the rankings a step lower in fourth place.

The latest GADISOV-GATSALOV showdown sent shockwaves throughout the weight category as London 2012 champion Jake VARNER (USA) slipped into fifth place while silver medalist Valeri ANDRIITSEV (UKR) moved into eighth place after his Black Sea triumph.

With the rankings expanded to 15 wrestlers per weight category this month, many of the top wrestlers in the other categories were safe as most of the changes occurred in the middle or lower end of the rankings.

Mongolian wrestlers led the assault on the rankings as results from the Mongolian Open in mid-month gave the central Asian favorites a boost in the rankings. Asia bronze medalist Nomin BATBOLD (MGL), who moved into sixth at 55kg, with a win in Ulan Baatar and 2010 Asian Games champion Mandakhnaran GANZORIG (MGL) took the fourth run at 66kg.

Meanwhile, Andrei DUKOV (ROU) became Romania's first entry in men's freestyle rankings with a third place at 55kg in the Black Sea tourney and is joined by Black Sea runner-up Piotr IANULOV (MDA) and Africa champion Adnan RAHIMI (TUN), both at 84kg.

Yuri MAIER (ARG) also becomes Argentina's first wrestler in the FILA rankings after a third-place at the Cerra Pelado International in February and a runner-up finish at 96kg in the Pan American championships in April.

MAIER has worked tirelessly for the Save Olympic Wrestling movement, which is headed toward a climax in September at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Buenos Aires. 
The wrestlers are listed by name, country code, results and their previous position (in parentheses) in the rankings.  NR means "not ranked" in the previous month's rankings.

55kg - Asia bronze medal winner Nomin BATBOLD (MGL) won the Mongolian Open to move onto the rankings at No.6, while Ali Aliev tournament winner Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) joins at No.8.

Sergey RATUSHNIY (UKR) came in at No.11 in the expanded rankings as a handful of last month's top 10 slipped a little lower in the rankings.

1. Amit KUMAR (IND) - Asia No.1 (1)
2. YANG Kyong-Il (PRK) - Asia No.2 (2)
3. Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (GEO) - Europe No.1 (3)
4. Vladislav ANDREEV (BLR) - Europe No.2 (4)
5. Sezer AKGUL (TUR) - Europe No.3 (5)
6. Nomin BATBOLD (MGL) - Asia No.3 (nr)
7. Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) - Ivan Yarygin GP No.1 (7)
8. Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) - Ali Aliev Tr. No.1 (nr)
9. Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) - Ali Aliev No.2 (10)
10. Yasher ALIEV (AZE) - Europe No.3 (6)
11. Sergey RATUSHNIY (UKR) - Black Sea Tr. No.1 (nr)
12. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) - World Cup No.2 (8)
13. Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) - Yarygin GP No. 3 (9)
14. Mihran JABURYAN (ARM) - Black Sea No.2 (nr)
15. Andrei DUKOV (ROU) - Black Sea No.3 (nr)

60kg - Yasar Dogu silver medalist Nyam-Ochir ENKHSAIKAN (MGL) took a bronze medal in the Mongolian Open to edge Tim SCHLEICHER (GER) out of 10th place as the top nine positions remained unchanged.

American collegiate champion Logan STIEBER (USA), a 2011 junior world silver medalist, defeated top-ranked Opan SAT (RUS) in three periods at the Rumble on the Rails exhibition event in New York to earn a place on the expanded rankings. 

1. Opan SAT (RUS) - Europe No.1 (1)
2. Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) - Europe No.3 (2)
3. Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) - Europe No.2 (3)
4. HWANG Ryong-Hak (PRK) - Asia No.1 (4)
5. Masoud ESMAILPOURJYOUBARI (IRI) - World Cup No.1 (5)
6. Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) - Yarygin GP No.2 (6)
7. YANG Jae-Hoon (KOR), Asia No.2 (7)
8. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) - Asia No.3 (8)
9. Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (CUB) - Pan America No.1 (9)
10. Nyam-Ochir ENKHSAIKAN (MGL) - Mongolian Open No.3 (nr)
11. Tim SCHLEICHER (GER) - Europe No.3 (No.10)
12. Muenir Recep AKTAS (TUR) - World Cup No. 2 (nr)
13. Nikolai AIVASIAN (UKR) - Black Sea No.1 (nr)
14. Nemebayar BATSAIKHAN (MGL) - Mongolian Open No.1 (nr)
15. Logan STIEBER (USA) - Rumble on the Rails No.1 (nr)

66kg - Former Asian Games champion Mandakhnaran GANZORIG (MGL) won the Mongolian Open to sneak past Asia champion Amit Dhankar KUMAR (IND) into fourth place at 66kg.

Junior world champion Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) and European junior champ Mustafa KAYA (TUR) both earned bronze medals at Ali Aliev for seventh and eighth place, respectively, in this month's rankings.

1. David SAFARYAN (ARM) - Europe No.1 (1)
2. Yakup GOR (TUR) - Europe No.2 (2)
3. Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) - Yarygin GP No.1 (3)
4. Mandakhnaran GANZORIG (MGL) - Mongolian Open No.1 (5)
5. Amit Dhankar KUMAR (IND) - Asia No.1 (4)
6. Semyon RADULOV (UKR) - Black Sea No.1 (nr)
7. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) - Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
8. Mustafa KAYA (TUR) - Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
9. Alexander KONTOEV (BLR) - Europe No.3 (8)
10. Brent METCALF (USA) - Yarygin GP No.2 (10)
11. Mehdi TAGHAVI KERMANI (IRI) - World Cup No.4 (7)
12. Franklin MAREN CASTILLO (CUB) - Pan America No.1 (9)
13. Arsen IEDIGAROV (UKR) - Alexander Medved Prizes No.2 (nr)
14. Servet COSKUN (TUR) - Dan Kolov Tr. No.1 (nr)
15. Agan MUSTAFAEV (AZE) - Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)

74kg - Former junior world silver medalist Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) triumphed at Ali Aliev to take sixth place in the 74kg rankings, while 2011 Asian bronze medal winner Ankbayar BATCHULUUN (MGL) won the Mongolian Open to climb to seventh.

London 2012 Olympian Ali SHABANOV (BLR) snared 13th by being runner-up to DEMIRTAS and Andrey NAGORNY (UKR) won the Black Sea event in Odessa for 15th. 

1. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) - World Cup No.1 (1)
2. Andiar GEDUEV (RUS) - Europe No.1 (2)
3. Gabor HATOS (HUN) - Europe No.2 (3)
4. Sadegh GOUDARZI (IRI) - World Cup No.3 (4)
5. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) - Asia No.1 (5)
6. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) - Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
7. Ankhbayar BATCHULUUN (MGL) - Mongolian Open No.1 (nr)
8. Gia CYKHLANDZE (UKR) - Europe No.3 (6) 
9. Leonid BAZAN (BUL) - Europe No.3 (7)
10. Yunieski BLANCO MORA (CUB) - Pan America No.1 (8)
11. ZHANG Chongyao (CHN) - Asia No.2 (9)
12. Aleksander GOSTIEV (AZE) - Yasar Dogu No.1 (nr)
13. Ali SHABANOV (BLR) - Ali Aliev No.2 (nr)
14. David KHUTISHVILI (GEO) - Europe No.7 (10)
15. Andrey NAGORNY (UKR) - Black Sea No.1 (nr)

84kg - University world champion Meisan MOSTAFA JOUKAR (IRI) won the Takhti Cup crown and claimed the No.6 ranking from countryman Ehsan LASHGARI (IRI), who has only seen limited action since winning a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Student silver medalist Serder BOKE (TUR) grabbed ninth with a third-place finish at Yasar Dogu and university bronze medal winner Akhmed MAGOMEDOV (RUS) is 10th after a silver at Ali Aliev.

1. Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO) - Europe No.1 (1)
2. Anzor URISHEV (RUS) - Europe No.3 (2)
3. Musa MURTAZALIEV (ARM) - Europe No.2 (3)
4. Ibragim ALDATOV (UKR) - Europe No.3 (4)
5. Hakki CEYLAN (TUR) - Yasar Dogu No.2 (5)
6. Meisan MOSTAFA JOUKAR (IRI) - Takhti Cup No.1 (nr)
7. Umidyon ISMANOV (UZB) - Asia No.1 (7)
8. Aibek USUPOV (KGZ) - Asia No. 2 (8)
9. Serder BOKE (TUR) - Yasar Dogu No.3 (nr)
10. Akhmed MAGOMEDOV (RUS) - Ali Aliev No.2 (nr)
11. Uitimen ORGODOL (MGL) - Mongolian Open No.2 (nr)
12. Amini ASSAN (IRI) - Asian No.3 (9)
13. Murad GAIDAROV (BLR) - Alexander Medved No.1 (10)
14. Piotr IANULOV (MDA) - Black Sea No.2 (nr)
15. Adnan RAHIMI (TUN) - Africa No.1 (nr)

96kg- The GADISOV-GATSALOV rivalry puts three Russians into the top four of the rankings with Ivan Yarygin winner and European bronze medalist Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS) on top.

Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO), with a win at Yasar Dogu in February, finished third in the Ali Aliev meet is sandwiched between Olympic silver medalist and Black Sea winner Valeri ANDRIITSEV (UKR) and bronze medalist Khetag GAZYMOV (AZE) in ninth place. GAZYMOV was second in Yasar Dogu.

1. Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS) - Ivan Yarygin GP No.1 (1)
2. Pavlo OLEYNIK (UKR) - Europe No.1 (3)
3. Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) - Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
4. Khadshimourad GATSALOV (RUS) - Ali Aliev No.2 (nr)
5. Jake VARNER (USA) - Dan Kolov No.2 (2)
6. Lyuben ILIEV (BUL) - Europe No. 3 (5)
7. Kamil SKASKIEWICZ (POL) - Europe No.2 (4)
8. Valeri ANDRIITSEV (UKR) - Black Sea No.1 (nr)
9. Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) - Yasar Dogu No.1 (6)
10. Khetag GAZYMOV (AZE) - Yasar Dogu No.2 (7) 
11. Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR) - Alexander Medved No.1 (8)
12. Javier CORTINA LACERRA (CUB) - Pan America No.1 (9)
13. KIM Jae-Gang (KOR) - Asia No.1 (10)
14. Yuri MAIER (ARG) - Pan America No.2 (nr)
15. Hamed TATARI (IRI) - Asia No. 3 (nr)

120kg - Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) won the Black Sea tourney to join the rankings in sixth place and complete the set of medals he was collecting this year, following a bronze medal at the Yarygin Grand Prix in January and a silver at the International Ukrainian in February. 

Kurban KURBANOV (UZB) took a bronze medal at Ali Aliev to go with his silver from Yasar Dogu as he moves up a rung in the rankings to eighth place.  KURBANOV, fifth at 96kg in London, continues to adjust to his new weight category under the watchful eye of coach and three-time Olympic Games gold medalist Artur TAIMAZOV (UZB).

1. Taha AKGUL (TUR) - Europe No.1 (1)
2. Alen ZASEEV (UKR) - Europe No.2 (2)
3. Jamalladin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) - Europe No.3 (3)
4. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) - Europe No.3 (4)
5. Magomedgazhi NURASULOV (RUS) - Yarygin No.1 (5)
6. Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) - Black Sea No.1 (nr)
7. Aslan DZEBISHOV (AZE) - Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
8. Kurban KURBANOV (UZB) - Ali Aliev No.3 (9)
9. Daniel LIGETI (HUN) - Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
10. David MODZMANASHVILI (GEO) - Int'l Ukrainian No.3 (6)
11. Chuluunbat JARGALSAIKHAN (MGL) - Mongolian Open No.1 (nr)
12. Parviz HADI (IRI) - Asia No.1 (nr)
13. Tervel DLAGNEV (USA) - Medved No.1 (8)
14. Dimitar KUMCHEV (BUL) - Dan Kolov No.1 (nr)
15. Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) - Asia No.3 (nr)

William May has been active in wrestling across three continents for more than 40 years as a competitor, coach, referee and journalist., William worked as the "Sports Information Specialist" for wrestling at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games.  He can be reached on his Facebook page or by email, wmay52@hotmail.com. 

About FILA
FILA, the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, is the global governing body of the sport of wrestling. It works to promote the sport and facilitate the activities of its 177 national federations from around the world. It is based in Vevey, Switzerland. 

To learn more about FILA’s campaign to keep wrestling in the Olympic Games visit its official website; Facebook page, or Twitter handle, @FILA_Official.

(For more information please contact FILA at 41.21 312 84 26 or Bob Condron, Press Officer, condron@fila-wrestling.com)