CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland – Winners from the Mediterranean Games in Mersin (Turkey) and the Golden Grand Prix event in Sassari (Italy) in June churned up the middle of the FILA World Ranking in men’s freestyle.

With many wrestlers at home preparing for their world team trials and the push to September, Taha AKGUL (TUR) was the only top-ranked wrestler to secure a title in June when he won the gold medal at 120kg in the Mediterranean Games.

Olympic silver medalist and second-ranked at 60kg Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) won in Sassari over 2011 world runner-up Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) to close the gap with top-ranked Opan SAT (RUS).

Meanwhile, Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (GEO), previously third-ranked at 55kg, took over the top spot with a third-place showing at 60kg in Sassari and Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) moved into third place at 74kg with a gold medal in Mercin.

Among the winners at the Grand Prix of Germany in Dortmund, Haislan GARCIA VERANAS (CAN) entered the rankings in highest position of No.8 at 66kg, while Akzhurek TANATAROV (KAZ) came in at No.9 at 74kg.

Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) moved from No.8 to No.5 at 60kg to become the highest ranked German Grand Prix winner.

The rankings for June are listed by the wrestler’s name, country code, most notable or most recent result and the wrestler’s previous ranking position.

55kg – European champion Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (GEO) moved to the top of the rankings with a third place at 60kg in Golden Grand Prix event in Sassari, Italy.

EDISHERASHVILI, also third place at the Yasar Dogu tourney in February, moved ahead of Asia champion Amit KUMAR (IND) and London 2012 Olympic bronze medalist YANG Kyong-Il (PRK), who have not wrestled in a FILA event since the Asian championships in April.

1. Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (GEO) - Europe No.1 (3)
2. YANG Kyong-Il (PRK) - Asia No.2 (2)
3. Vladislav ANDREEV (BLR) - Europe No.2 (4)
4. Amit KUMAR (IND) - Asia No.1 (1)
5. Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) - Ali Aliev No.1 (8)
6. Nomin BATBOLD (MGL) – Mongolian Open No.1 (6)
7. Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) – Ivan Yarygin No.1 (7)
8. Sezer AKGUL (TUR) - Europe No.3 (5)
9. Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) - Ali Aliev No.2 (9)
10. Andrei DUKOV (ROU) – German GP No.2 (15)
11. Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL) – German GP No.1 (not ranked)

12. Yasher ALIEV (AZE) - Europe No.3 (10)
13. Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA) – Mediterranean Games No.1 (nr)
14. Sergey RATUSHNIY (UKR) - Black Sea No.1 (11)
15. Ghenadi TULBEA (MON) – GGP Sassari No.1 (nr)

60kg – Asian bronze medalist Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) posted his first major international triumph with a win at the Grand Prix of Germany and leap-frogged into fifth place in the 60kg rankings.

Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR), a silver medalist at the 2001 world championships, rebounded from a shaky showing at Ivan Yarygin in January to finish runner-up in Sassari and edge onto the FILA rankings.

1. Opan SAT (RUS) - Europe No.1 (1)
2. Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) – GGP Sassari No.1 (2)
3. Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) - Europe No.2 (3)
4. HWANG Ryong-Hak (PRK) - Asia No.1 (4)
5. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) – German GP No.1 (8)
6. Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) - Yarygin GP No.2 (6)
7. Masoud ESMAILPOURJYOUBARI (IRI) - World Cup No.1 (5)
8. Erhan BAKIR (TUR) – Mediterranean Games No.1 (nr)
9. Tsogtbaatar DAMDINBAZAR (MGL) – German GP No.3 (nr)
10. YANG Jae-Hoon (KOR), Asia No.2 (7)
11. Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (CUB) - Pan America No.1 (9)
12. Tim SCHLEICHER (GER) - Europe No.3 (No.11)
13. Nikolai AIVASIAN (UKR) - Black Sea No.1 (13)
14. Nyam-Ochir ENKHSAIKAN (MGL) – Mongolian Open No.3 (10)
15. Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) – GGP Sassari No.2 (nr)

66kg – Mustafa KAYA (TUR), last year’s world university champion, won the Mediterranean Games and moved up to fifth place in the rankings while London Olympian Haislan GARCIA VERANES (CAN) took the German Grand Prix title and joined the rankings at No.8.

Another London Olympian Malkhaz ZARKUA (GEO) also broke into the rankings at No.14 by winning in Sassari, his first major international title since being crowned European cadet champion in 2003.

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 (4)
5. Mustafa KAYA (TUR) – Mediterranean Games No.1 (8)
6. Semyon RADULOV (UKR) - Black Sea No.1 (6)
7. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) - Ali Aliev No.3 (7)
8. Haislan GARCIA VERANES (CAN) – German GP No.1 (nr)
9. Amit Dhankar KUMAR (IND) - Asia No.1 (5)
10. Alexander KONTOEV (BLR) - Europe No.3 (9)
11. Brent METCALF (USA) - Yarygin GP No.2 (10)
12. Martin DAUM (GER) – German GP No.2 (nr)
13. Dauren ZHUMAGAZIEV (KAZ) – German GP No.3 (nr)

14. Malkhaz ZARKUA (GEO) – Sassari GGP No.1 (nr)
15. Franklin MAREN CASTILLO (CUB) - Pan America No.1 (12)

74kg – Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) won the Ali Aliev tournay in May, avenging a loss to Ali SHABANOV (BLR) at the European championships, and came back for the Mediterranean Games crown in June to move onto the third rung of the rankings.

London 2012 bronze medalist at 66kg Akzhurek TANATAROV (KAZ) enters the rankings at No.9 after winning in Dortmund, while Luca LAMPIS (FRA) joins at No.11 with the title in Sassari and a bronze medal at the Mediterranean Games.

1. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) - World Cup No.1 (1)
2. Andiar GEDUEV (RUS) - Europe No.1 (2)
3. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) – Mediterranean Games No. 1 (6)
4. Gabor HATOS (HUN) - Europe No.2 (3)
5. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) - Asia No.1 (5)
6. Ankhbayar BATCHULUUN (MGL) - Mongolian Open No.1 (7)
7. Gia CYKHLANDZE (UKR) - Europe No.3 (8) 
8. Leonid BAZAN (BUL) - Europe No.3 (9)
9. Akzhurek TANATAROV (KAZ) – German GP No.1 (nr)
10. Yunieski BLANCO MORA (CUB) - Pan America No.1 (10)
11. Luca LAMPIS (FRA) – GGP Sassari No.1 (nr)
12. Andrej SHYYKA  (GER) – German GP No.2 (nr)
13. Ali SHABANOV (BLR) - Ali Aliev No.2 (13)
14. Cleopas NCUBE (CAN) – GGP Sassari No.2 (nr)
15. Andrey NAGORNY (UKR) - Black Sea No.1 (15)

84kg – Serder BOKE (TUR) won the Mediterranean Games and veteran Murad GAIDAROV (BLR) added the German Grand Prix crown to his Medved Prizes victory in March to move up in the middle of the rankings.

London 2012 silver medalist Jaime Yusept ESPINAL (PUR) returned to international competition for the first time since last August and finished as runner-up in Sassari..

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. Meisam MOSTAFA JOUKAR (IRI) - Takhti Cup No.1 (6)
7. Serder BOKE (TUR) – Mediterranean Games No.1 (9)
8. Murad GAIDAROV (BLR) – German GP No.1 (13)
9. Umidyon ISMANOV (UZB) - Asia No.1 (7)
10. Aibek USUPOV (KGZ) - Asia No. 2 (8)
11. Uitimen ORGODOL (MGL) - Mongolian Open No.2 (11)
12. Ehsan AMINI (IRI) - Asian No.3 (12)
13. Semyon SEMENOV (KAZ) – German GP No.3 (nr)
14. Azlan KAKHIDZE (KAZ) – German GO No.2 (nr)
15. Jaime Yusept ESPINAL (PUR) – Sassari GGP No.2 (nr)

96kg – Two-time Mediterranean championships winner Kenan GOR (TUR) won the Golden Grand Prix in Sassari and teammate Riza YILDIRIM (TUR) took the Mediterranean Games as the two previously unranked wrestlers reached the ninth and 13th positions, respectively.

London Olympian Nicolae CEBAN (MDA) reached the medals podium for the first time this year with a third place at the Golden Grand Prix tourney in Italy and broke into the rankings at No. 12. CEBAN last stepped onto the podium last October to accept a silver medal at the world university championships.

1. Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS) - Ivan Yarygin GP No.1 (1)
2. Pavlo OLEYNIK (UKR) - Europe No.1 (2)
3. Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) - Ali Aliev No.1 (3)
4. Khadshimourad GATSALOV (RUS) - Ali Aliev No.2 (4)
5. Valeri ANDRIITSEV (UKR) - Black Sea No.1 (8)
6. Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) - Yasar Dogu No.1 (9)
7. Khetag GAZYMOV (AZE) - Yasar Dogu No.2 (10)
8. Kamil SKASKIEWICZ (POL) - Europe No.2 (7)
9. Kenan GOR (TUR) – Sassari GGP No.1 (nr)
10. Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR) - Alexander Medved No.1 (11)
11. Javier CORTINA LACERRA (CUB) - Pan America No.1 (12)
12. Nicolae CEBAN (MDA) – Sassari GGP No.3 (nr)
13. Riza YILDIRIM (TUR) – Mediterranean Games No.1 (nr)
14. Manjot SANDHU (CAN) – German GP No.2 (nr)
15. Yuri MAIER (ARG) - Pan America No.2 (14)

120kg – Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (GEO), who won four straight titles last summer and fall, finally struck gold again in the Golden Grand Prix in Sassari to earn a No.11 ranking behind Olympic silver medalist David MODZMANASHIVILI (GEO) – the only wrester to have defeated the former European junior champ in the last 13 months.

Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ), No.5 at the 2012 Olympics, won the German Grand Prix to move onto the rankings at No.13 while Africa champion Slim TRABELSI (TUN) was silver medalist at the Mediterranean Games to grab No.15.

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 (6)
7. Aslan DZEBISHOV (AZE) - Ali Aliev No.1 (7)
8. Kurban KURBANOV (UZB) - Ali Aliev No.3 (8)
9. Daniel LIGETI (HUN) - Ali Aliev No.3 (9)
10. David MODZMANASHVILI (GEO) - Int'l Ukrainian No.3 (10)
11. Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (GEO) – Sassari GGP No.1 (nr)
12. Tervel DLAGNEV (USA) – Medved Prizes No.1 (13)
13. Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ) – German GP No.1 (nr)
14. Chuluunbat JARGALSAIKHAN (MGL) - Mongolian Open No.1 (11)
15. Slim TRABELSI (TUN) – Mediterranean Games No.2 (nr)

William May conducts the World Rankings for FILA.  He 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 Corsier-Sur-Vevey, Switzerland. 

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