CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (July 29) – World and Olympic champion Roman VLASOV (RUS) led the charge for Russia as the host nation for the World University Games (Universiade) crowned five champions in Greco-Roman wrestling.

VLASOV reaffirmed his position as the world’s top welterweight in Greco-Roman by winning the 74kg crown, while Ivan KUYLAKOV (RUS) and Nikita MELNIKOV (RUS) grabbed the top spots at 60kg and 96kg with victories in Kazan, Russia.

London 2012 gold medalist Alan KHUGAEV (RUS), off to a slow start this season, stitched together four wins for the 84kg title and No.4 in the rankings while 55kg winner Ivan TATARINOV (RUS) climbed into second place.

Meanwhile, winners at the Grand Prix of Spain also made their move in the rankings.  Two-time Olympic silver medalist Rovshan BAYRAMOV (AZE) won at 55kg to break into rankings at 55kgand Hassan Saman TAHMASEBI (AZE) came in at No.12 after winning at 84kg.

Robert ROSENGREN (SWE) is new at No.13 after winning at 74kg, while Marthin Hamlet NIELSEN (NOR), who joined the rankings in July at No.14, climbed seven places with his win in Madrid.

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


55kg – Olympic silver medalist and 2011 world champion Rovshan BAYRAMOV (AZE) and 2011 European championships runner-up Vugar RAGIMOV (UKR) broke into the FILA World Rankings with wins at the Grand Prix of Spain and the Ion Corneanu Memorial in Targoviste, Romania.

Ivan TATARINOV (RUS) edged up to No.2 with his triumph at the Universiade, followed by Victor CIOBANU (MDA) who vaulted up to No.3 after finishing with the silver medal.

1. Elbek TAZHYIEV (BLR) - Europe No.1 (No.1)
2. Ivan TATARINOV (RUS) – Universiade No.1 (3)
3. Victor CIOBANU (MDA) - Universiade No.2 (10)
4. Roman AMOYAN (ARM) - Azovmash Cup No.1 (5)
5. Elchin ALIYEV (AZE) – Grand Prix of Spain No.2 (2)
6. Peter MODOS (HUN) – Grand Prix of Germany No.2 (8)
7. Fatih UCUNCU (TUR) - Mediterranean Games No.1 (6)
8. Shota TANOKURA (JPN) – Universiade No.3 (9)
9. Bekhan MANKIEV (RUS) - Europe No. 3 (4)
10. Rovshan BAYRAMOV (AZE) – GP of Spain No.1 (not ranked)
11. CHOIGyu-Jin (KOR)-Asia No.1 (7)
12. Shirzad BEHESHTI TALA(IRI) - Yadegar Imam Cup No.1 (11)
13. Zhanserik SARSENBAEV (KAZ) - Azovmash Cup No.3 (12)
14. Vugar RAGIMOV (UKR) – Ion Corneanu Memorial No.1 (nr)
15. Spenser MANGO (USA) -Jacob Curby No.1(8)

60kg – European silver medalist Ivan KUYLAKOV (RUS) took over the top spot in the rankings with a win at the Universiade after former No.1 Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) dropped an 11-10 decision to 2011 world runner-up Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ).

Virgil MUNTEANU (ROU) posted his first win in 10 years on the international circuit at the Ion Corneanu Memorial and,along with a runner-up showing at Nikola Petrov in February, joins the rankings at No.8.

1. Ivan KUYLAKOV (RUS) - Universiade No.1 (3)
2. Kamran MAMMADOV (AZE) - Universiade No.2 (7)
3. Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) - Asia No.1 (2)
4. Kristijan FRIS (SRB) - Mediterranean Games No.3 (4)
5. Mevlut ARIK (TUR) - Mediterranean Games No.1 (5)
6. Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) -Europe No.1 (2)
7. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) - Universiade No.3, (13)
8. Virgil MUNTEANU (ROU) – Ion CorneanuNo.1 (nr)
9. Dmitri TSYMBALIYUK (UKR) - Azovmash Cup No.1 (6)
10. Lenur TEMIROV (UKR) – Ion Corneanu No.2(8)
11. Istvan LEVAI (SVK) - Europe No.3 (9)
12. Istvan KOZAK (HUN) - Hungarian Golden Grand Prix No.1 (10)
13. Tarik BELMADANI (FRA) - Mediterranean Games No.2 (11)
14. Mohammad NOURBAKHSH (IRI) - Yadegar Imam Cup No.1 (12)
15. Edward BARSEGJAN (POL) - German GP No.1 (14)

66kg – Former European junior champion Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) stunned Beijing 2008 gold medalist Islambek ALBIEV (RUS) with a technical fall in the final of the Universiade and danced his way into fifth place in the rankings.

Meanwhile, European bronze medal winner Hasan ALIYEV (AZE) won the Grand Prix of Spain to remain one step ahead of his Azerbaijani teammate in the rankings.

1. Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) - Europe No.1 (1)
2. Adam KURAK (RUS) - Europe No.2 (2)
3. Atakan YUKSEL (TUR) - Mediterranean Games No.1 (3)
4. Hasan ALIYEV (AZE) – GP of Spain No.1 (5)
5. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) – Universiade No.1 (13)
6. Aleksandar MAKSIMOVIC (SRB) - Mediterranean Games No.2 (4)
7. Islambek ALBIEV (RUS) – Universiade No.2 (12)
8. KIM Ji-Hun (KOR) - Asia No.1 (6)
9. Frank STAEBLER (GER) - German GP No.1 (14)
10. Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) - Mediterranean Games No.3 (7)
11. Artak MARGARYAN (FRA) - Mediterranean Games No.3 (9)
12. Yerbol KONYRATOV (KAZ) - Asia No.3 (10)
13. Davor STEFANEK (SRB) - Adriatic Trophy No.1 (11)
14. Sasun GHAMBARYAN (ARM) - TropheeMilone No.1 (15)
15. Alexander CASAL HINOJOSA (CUB) - Pan America No.1 (8)

74kg – Olympic and world champion Roman VLASOV (RUS), with a dominating performance at the World University Games, claimed his 15th international triumph since first becoming European cadet champion in 2006.

VLASOV surrendered only one point, that to London 2012 silver medalist Arsen JULFALAKYAN in their second round bout, and then shut out his next three opponents on his way to the title.

1. Roman VLASOV (RUS) –UniversiadeNo.1 (1)
2. Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) - Universiade No.3 (3)
3. KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) - Asia No.1 (2)
4. Emrah KUS (TUR) - Mediterranean Games No.1 (4)
5. SerefTUFENK(TUR) - VehbiEmre No.1 (5)
6. Hadi ALIZEDAH POURNIA (IRI) - Universiade No.2 (6)
7. Neven ZUGAJ (CRO) - Mediterranean Games No.2 (9)
8. Yavor YANAKIEV (BUL) - Europe No.3 (7)
9. Mark MADSEN (DEN) - Hungarian GGP No.1 (10)
10. Steeve GUENOT (FRA) - Mediterranean Games No.3 (11)
11.Ilian GEORIGIEV (BUL) – Ion Corneanu No.1 (nr)
12. Pascal EISELE (GER) –IonCorneanu No.3 (nr)
13. Robert ROSENGREN (SWE) – GP of Spain No.1 (nr)
14. Piotr PRZEPIORKA (POL) - Azovmash Cup No.2 (14)
15. Nikolai DARAGAN (UKR) – Ion CorneanuNo.3 (nr)

84kg – London 2012 gold medalist Alan KHUGAEV (RUS) won the Universiade championship and climbed to the No.4 spot in the rankings for August.

London Olympian HasanSaman TAHMASEBI (AZE) broke into the rankings at No.12 after winning the Grand Prix of Spain, his first competition since finishing fifth at the European championships in March.

1. Selcuk CEBI (TUR) - Mediterranean Games No.1 (1)
2. Alexej MISHIN (RUS) - Europe No.1 (2)
3. Revazi NADAREISHVILI (GEO) - Hungarian GGP No.2 (3)
4. Alan KHUGAEV (RUS) – Universiade No.1 (9)
5. Vladimir GEGESHIDZE (GEO) - Europe No.2 (4)
6. Damian JANIKOWSKI (POL) - Azovmash Cup No.1 (5)
7. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) - German GP No.1 (7)
8. Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) - Asia No.1 (6)
9. Aleksandr KAZAKEVICH (LTU) - Azovmash Cup No.3 (8)
10. Artur SHAHINYAN (ARM) - Europe No.3(10)
11. Vasil RACHYBA (UKR) - Azovmash Cup No.2 (11)
12. Hassan Saman TAHMASEBI (AZE) – GP of Spain No.1 (nr)
13. PARK Jin-Sung (KOR) - Asia No.2 (12)
14. TalebNariman NEMATPOUR (IRI) - Asia No.3 (13)
15. Jordan HOLM (USA) - Jacob Curby No.1 (14)

96kg – Last year’s world student champion Nikita MELNIKOV (RUS) broke open a evenly matched bout with European championArtur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) for a first-period technical fall, the Universiade title and the top spot in the FILA World Rankings.

MELNIKOV scored three lifts from par terre in the final 30 seconds of the first period for an 8-0 technical fall victory over ALEKSANYAN, who had been top-ranked over the first three months of the rankings.

1. Nikita MELNIKOV (RUS) - Universiade No.1 (3)
2. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) - Universiade No.2 (1)
3. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) - Europe No.3 (2)
4. Dimitri TIMCHENKO (UKR) - German GP No.1 (6)
5. Mikhail KAJAIA (GEO) - Hungarian GGP No.1 (7)
6. Villius LAURINAITIS (LTU) - Jacob Curby No.1 (4)
7. Marthin NIELSEN (NOR) – GP of Spain No.1 (14)
8. Mahdi ALIYARI FEYZABADI (IRI) – Universiade No.3 (nr)
9. Fredrik SCHOEN (SWE) – GP of Spain No.2 (nr)
10. Yerulan ISKAKOV (KAZ) - Azovmash Cup No.2 (11)
11. Vladislav METODIEV (BUL) - Europe No.2 (12)
12. Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) - Mediterranean Games No.1 (13)
13. Rustam TOTROV (RUS) - Adriatic Trophy No.1 (5)
14. Balasz KISS (HUN) - Hungarian GGP No.2 (8)
15. Timo KALLIO (FIN) - German GP No.3 (15)

120kg – European champion Riza KAYAALP won his fourth tournament title of the year at the Universiade with four of the top five places in the rankings going to medal winners from the student games.

Amir ALIAKBARI (IRI), the 2010 world champion at 96kg re-emerging from a two-year absence, held the lead over KAYAALP after the first period, but gave up a penalty point and then slipped out of bounds to give the Olympic bronze medalist the title.

1. Riza KAYAALP (TUR) -Universiade No.1 (1)
2. Johan Magnus EUREN (SWE) - German GP No.1 (2)
3. Nurmakhan TINALIEV (KAZ) – Universiade No.3 (4)
4. Amir ALIAKBARI (IRI) – Universiade No.2 (nr)
5. Balint LAM (HUN) - Universiade No.3 (9)
6. Evgeni ORLOV (UKR) - Europe No.2 (3)
7. Aleksander CHERNETSKI (UKR) - German GP No.3 (7)
8. Guram PHERSELIDZE (GEO) - Europe No.3 (6)
9. Eduardo POPP (GER) – Ion CorneanuNo.2 (nr)
10. Mindaugas MIZGAITIS (LTU) - German GP No.3 (8)
11. NIE Xiaoming (CHN) - Asia No.2 (5)
12. Alikhan AYUBOV (RUS) - Ivan Poddubny No.3 (12)
13. Kamil BLONSKI (POL) - Azovmash Cup No.3 (13)
14. Radhouane CHEBBI (TUN) - Mediterranean Games No.2 (14)
15. Rocco FICARA (ITA) - Mediterranean Games No. 3 (15)