GARDNER RANKED THIRD IN 1997 FILA INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS 
   Rulon Gardner (Gilbert, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) was ranked third at 286 pounds in Greco-Roman in the 1997 Ranking List of Wrestlers, released by FILA, the international wrestling federation. Gardner had the highest ranking of all U.S. wrestlers. 
   The rankings are based upon the results of the World Championships, Continental Championships and selected FILA Grand Prix events. U.S. wrestlers traditionally do not place high in the rankings, as they are often unable to attend as many of the ranking events as athletes from European nations. 
   Gardner placed fifth in the World Championships, and second in the Pan American Championships. He also won a gold medal at the Pytlasinsky Grand Prix in Poland, one of the ranking events. 
   Five U.S. Greco-Roman were listed in the rankings. Randy Couture (Corvallis, Ore./Sunkist Kids), was seventh at 213.75 pounds. Broderick Lee (Portland, Ore./Peninsula WC) was eighth at 119 pounds. Jim Gruenwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) was 10th at 127.75 pounds and Kevin Bracken (Dekalb, Ill./New York AC) was tied for 10th at 138.75 pounds 
   Three U.S. freestyle wrestlers were ranked in the top 10 of their weight classes, led by 1997 World silver medalist Cary Kolat (Lock Haven, Pa./Dave Schultz WC), who was ranked fourth at 138.75 pounds. Les Gutches (Corvallis, Ore./Sunkist Kids), who was the World Champion at 187.25 pounds, placed fifth in the rankings at his weight class. Tom Erikson (W. Lafayette, Ind./Sunkist Kids) was ninth in the rankings at 286 pounds. 
   The World Championships and the Continental Championships were ranking events for both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers. 
   In Greco-Roman, the other ranking events were the Peer Gynt Cup (Norway), Takhti Cup (Iran), Grand Prix Hungary, Pytlasinksy Grand Prix (Poland), Sweden Cup, Acropolis Grand Prix (Greece), Petrov Cup (Bulgaria) and the Trophee Milone (Italy). 
   In freestyle the other ranking events were the Yarygin Cup (Russia), the Medved Tournament (Belarus), the Yasar Dogu Tournament (Turkey), the Acropolis Grand Prix (Greece), the Takhti Cup (Iran) and the Trophe Milone (Italy). 
   FILA also announced its Wrestlers of the Year for 1997. The Freestyle Wrestler of the Year was Magomed Azizov of Russia and the Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year was Seref Eroglu of Turkey. The Women's Wrestler of the Year was Christine Nordhagen of Canada. 
   Azizov was third in the World Championships at 138.75 pounds, and was the 1997 European Champion. Eroglu was the 1997 World Champion at 138.75 pounds, and was second in the European Championships. Nordhagen was the 1997 World Champion and 1997 Pan American Champion at 149.75 pounds. 
  1997 FILA INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS 
  Freestyle 
   54 kg/119 lbs. - 1. Judong Jin (North Korea), 29 pts.; 2. Gholam Reza Mohammadi (Iran), 27; 3. Quintana Garcia (Cuba), 26; 4. Maxim Molonov (Russia), 26; 5. Alexander Zaharuk (Ukraine), 25; 6. Namig Abdullayev (Azerbaijan), 24; 7. Alexis Vila (Cuba), 22; 8. Maulen Mamyrov (Kazakhstan), 16; 9. German Kontoev (Belarus), 15; 10. Ivan Tzonov (Bulgaria), 13 
   58 kg/127.75 lbs. - 1. Mohammad Talaii (Iran), 36; 2. Murad Umachanov (Russia), 26; 3. Giuvi Sissaouri (Canada), 21; 4. David Pogosian (Georgia), 18; 5. Ramil Islamov (Uzbekistan), 17; 6. Tadeus Kovalski (Poland), 14; 7. Musa Sajdulbekov (Ukraine), 13; 8. Serafim Barzakov (Bulgaria), 12; 9. Arif Abdullayev (Azerbaijan), 12; 10. (tie) Benhamida (Algeria), Oyunbilg Purwvbatar (Mongolia) and Yeondri Albear (Cuba), 12 
   63 kg/138.75 lbs. - 1. Abbas Haji-Kenari (Iran), 38; 2. Magomed Azizov (Russia), 36; 3. Elbrus Tedeev (Ukraine), 28; 4. Cary Kolat (USA), 17; 5. Jin Kuk Baek (Korea), 16; 6. Carlos Ortiz (Cuba), 15; 7. Oleg Gogol (Belarus), 15; 8. Sergei Smal (Belarus), 13; 9. Tarek (Egypt), 12; 10. T. Enkhbayar (Mongolia), 11 
   69 kg/152 lbs. - 1. Araik Gevorkian (Armenia), 38; 2. Zaza Zazirov (Ukraine), 32; 3. Adam Saitiev (Russia), 25; 4. Yuksel Sanli (Turkey), 25; 5. Davood Ghanbari (Iran), 24; 6. Yosmany Sanchez (Cuba), 24; 7. Almazbek Askarov (Kyrgyzstan), 21; 8. Igor Kupeev (Uzbekistan), 20; 9. Sang Ho Hwang (Korea), 17; 10. Malherbe Ertijies (South Africa), 12 
   76 kg/167.5 lbs. - 1. Buvaisa Saitiev (Russia), 38; 2. Eui Jae Moon (Korea), 30; 3. Alexander Leipold (Germany), 28; 4. Kamil Kocaagaoglu (Turkey), 25; 5. Leonardo Diaz (Cuba), 25; 6. Miroslav Gotchev (Bulgaria), 24; 7. Kullo Koiv (Estonia), 17; 8. Ruslan Hinchagov (Uzbekistan), 13; 9. (tie) Nourbek Isabekov (Kyrgyzstan) and Arpad Richter (Hungary), 13 
   85 kg/187.25 lbs. - 1. Alireza Heidari (Iran), 34; 2. Khadjimurad Magomedov (Russia), 31; 3. Yoel Romero (Cuba), 24; 4. Eldar Asanov (Ukraine), 22; 5. Les Gutches (USA), 20; 6. Soslan Fraev (Uzbekistan), 19; 7. Nicolae Ghita (Romania), 19; 8. Michal Stanislavski (Poland), 17; 9. Magomed Ibragimov (Azerbaijan), 15; 10. David Bininasvili (Ukraine), 13 
   97 kg/213.85 lbs. - 1. Eldar Kurtanidze (Georgia), 34; 2. Ahmet Dogu (Turkey), 28; 3. Islam Bairamoukov (Kazakhstan), 27; 4. Aravat Sabejiew (Germany), 22; 5. Kouramagomed Kouramagomedov (Russia), 20; 6. Marek Garmulewicz (Poland), 20; 7. Sergey Priadun (Ukraine), 20; 9. Janis Igavens (Latvia). 15; 10. Aslan Magurov (Russia), 14 
   130 kg/286 lbs. - 1. Alexis Rodriguez (Cuba), 39; 2. David Musolbes (Russia), 34; 3. Alexei Medvedev (Belarus), 27; 4. Zekeriya Guglu (Turkey), 26; 5. Ebrahim Mehraban (Iran), 24; 6. Yuri Chobitko (Ukraine), 19; 7. Sven Thiele (Germany), 19; 8. Aydin Polatci (Turkey), 14; 9. Tom Erikson (USA), 13; 10. Hesham (Egypt), 12 
  Greco-Roman 
   54 kg/119 lbs.  - 1. Ercan Yildiz (Turkey), 24; 2. Oleg Nemtchenko (Russia), 24; 3. Alfed Ter Mkrtchyan (Germany), 23; 4. Lazaro Rivas (Cuba), 22; 5. Han-Yu Wei (China), 21; 6. Oleg Koucherenko (Germany), 20; 7. Vahen Juharyan (Armenia), 17; 8. Broderick Lee (USA), 17; 9. Simon Milev (Bulgaria), 16; 10. (tie) Darius Jablonski (Poland), Dilshod Aripov (Uzbekistan). 16 
   58 kg/127.75 lbs. - 1. Yuriy Melnitchenko (Kazakhstan), 32; 2. Ruslan Khakimov (Ukraine), 23; 3. Luis Sarmiento (Cuba), 21; 4. Viljat Agaev (Azerbaijan), 19; 5. Marian Sandu (Romania), 19; 6. Rafik Simonian (Russia), 17; 7. Djamel Ainaoui (France), 17; 8. Armen Nazarian (Bulgaria), 16; 9. Ergurder Bekisdamai (Turkey), 16; 10. Jim Gruenwald (USA), 15 
   63 kg/138.75 lbs. - 1. Seref Eroglu (Turkey), 43; 2. Nikolai Monov (Russia), 39; 3. Michael Beilin (Israel), 25; 4. Mkkhitar Manukyan (Kazakhstan), 24; 5. Juan Maren (Cuba), 23; 6. Wlodzimierz Zawadzki (Poland), 22; 7. Akaki Chachua (Georgia), 19; 8. Matyas Megyes (Hungary), 18; 9. Coats (South Africa), 12; 10. Walid (Egypt), Motoki Yasutoshi (Japan) and Kevin Bracken (USA), 11 
   69 kg/152 lbs. - 1. Alexander Tretyakov (Russia), 30; 2. Adam Juretzko (Germany), 29; 3. Ender Memet (Romania), 27; 4. Valeri Nikitin (Estonia), 26; 5. Song Sang Pil (Korea), 20; 6. Biser Guerguiev (Bulgaria), 19; 7. Rustem Agchi (Ukraine), 18; 8. Mecnum Guler (Turkey), 15; 9. Christian Eyer (France); 10. (tie) Liubal Colas (Cuba), Magdi (Algeria) and Sang Son Choi (Korea), 12 
   76 kg/167.5 lbs. - 1. Filiberto Azcuy (Cuba), 34; 2. Yvon Riemer (France), 23; 3. Tamas Berzica (Hungary), 21; 4. Marko Yli Hannunksela (Finland), 20; 5. Valeri Kapaev (Russia), 20; 6. Marko Asell (Finland), 19; 7. Torbjorn Kornbakk (Sweden), 18; 8. Matt Lindland (USA), 17; 9. Biolst Detseiv (Kyrgyzstan); 10. Khvica Bichinachvili (Georgia), 16 
   85 kg/187.25 lbs. - 1. Hamza Yerlikaya (Turkey), 35; 2. Thomas Zander (Germany), 32; 3. Sergei Tsvir (Russia), 26; 4. Ferenc Takacs (Hungary), 26; 5. Martin Lidberg (Sweden), 23; 6. Valery Tsilent (Belarus), 18; 7. Raatek Sanatbaev (Kyrgyzstan), 18; 8. Igor Bugei (Ukraine), 15; 9. Zafarhon Achilov (Uzbekistan), 12; 10. (tie) Luis Mendez (Cuba), Myung Suk Parkn (Korea), Aiman (Egypt), 12 
   97 kg/213.85 lbs. - 1. Anatoli Federenko (Belarus), 36; 2. Mikael Ljungberg (Sweden), 24; 3. Hakki Basser (Turkey), 24; 4. Gogui Kogouachvili (Russia), 20; 5. Ali Mollov (Bulgaria), 20. 6. Maik Bullman (Germany), 18; 7. Randy Couture (USA), 17; 8. Petru Sudureac