CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 4) – The FILA World Wrestling Rankings kick off their second year with a new system of weights for each style and an expanded list of the top wrestlers in each category.
The Greco-Roman rankings for January, the first compiled for 2014, were based on the results of the Herman Kare tourney in Kouvola (FIN), the Ivan Poddubny in Tyumen (RUS) and the Yadegar Imam Cup in Tehran.
A total of 20 wrestlers were listed in each of the eight new weight categories, or 160 wrestlers ranked in each style – compared to the top 105 wrestlers in seven categories (15 per weight) in 2013.
Some challenges have emerged as wrestlers and coaches try to determine which of the new categories will be the best fit for a wrestler – a process that is likely going to take a few months to sort itself out.
For the new rankings, consultants avoided any speculation about which category a wrestler might wrestle in and filled out the categories with only the wrestlers who have competed there.
For this reason, Greco-Roman’s non-Olympic weight categories, 71kg and 80kg, are largely populated with wrestlers from Ivan Poddubny and the Yadegar Imam Cup. It will likely take a couple more months to get a more accurate understanding of new weight categories.
But, despite the new weights, new rules, and new rankings challenges, on the mat it is wrestling as usual as world champions YUN Won-Chol (PRK) and Nikita MELNIKOV (RUS) fell in kick-off events along Olympic gold medalists Islambek ALBIEV (RUS) and Roman VLASOV (RUS).
None of the toppled champions were adversely affected by their setbacks in January as their list of successes in 2013 have given them a bit of wiggle room – at least, until the continental championships this spring.
Meanwhile, former world champions Saeid Mouran ABDVALI (IRI), Balasz KISS (HUN) and Olympic gold medalist Alexej MISHIN (RUS) received a boost in the rankings with big wins in January.
Also, world silver medalist at 60kg Ivan KUYLAKOV (RUS) made the drop to 59kg and won at Ivan Poddubny, claiming the No.3 ranking at Greco-Roman’s new lightest weight for January.
London 2012 silver medalist Tamas LORINCZ (HUN), top-ranked all of last summer at 66kg, won the Yadegar Imam crown at 71kg while Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) came down from 74kg to win Ivan Poddubny for the top two spots in one of Greco-Roman’s "in-between" categories.
For more information please contact FILA at 41.21 312 84 26 or Bob Condron, Press Officer, condron@fila-wrestling.com or rscondron@yahoo.com.
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