2019 International Rankings - Men's Freestyle

Takahashi Stays Up Top

By Seth Petarra (@SethPetar)

In what was a rematch of last year’s semifinals, It was #3 Giorgi Edishrerashvili (AZE) who would come out victorious in the finals of the European Championships over #4 Zaur Uguev (RUS) with a last second lat drop. The Military world championships were a big cause for shakeup in the rankings and that’s thanks to Gwan Un Pak (PRK) who was on fire on his way to the finals with wins over #11 Afghan Khasalov (AZE) in the quarterfinals and #5 Azamat Tuskaev (RUS) in the semis before falling in the finals to Mehran Rezazadeh (IRI).

Here’s how Military world’s changes up the rankings: Atri moves up five spots to number nine in the rankings, Mehran Rezazadeh debuts at number ten off the strength of his military world title plus a win over #4 Zaur Uguev (RUS) at the Iranian Club League last year. Gwan Un Pak (PRK) debuts at #11 with the wins over #5 Tuskaev and #11 Khasalov. Tuskaev drops one spot to number six. Khasalov drops six spots down to number seventeen, which is because of his loss to Pak, plus he doesn’t have a quality win like #12 Reineri Andreu Ortega in the form of Thomas Gilman, and he doesn’t have the high finish at the world championships like the aforementioned Gilman, and doesn’t quite have the body of work of a talented but quiet inconsistent Sandeep Tomar. Additionally, Daton Fix teched him at Junior worlds last year and Khasalov’s body of work isn’t as good as Tony Ramos, so that’s why he’s at number seventeen. 

Reineri Andreu Ortega (CUB) moves up four spots to #12 after winning the Pan-Am Championships where he knocked off returning world runner-up #7 Thomas Gilman (USA) in the semifinals. Gilman drops six spots to #13 after the loss to the aforementioned Andreu Ortega. 2017 Junior world champ Daton Fix (USA) debuts in the rankings after winning the U.S. World Team Trials over #15 Tony Ramos (USA). 

#13 Nyurgun Aleksandarov (RUS) has moved up to 61 KG where he beat #7 Ibragim Ilyasov (RUS) 8-5 in his first round match at the Ali Aliyev before losing to #8 Artem Gebek (RUS) in the semis and then losing to #15 Rustam Abdurashidov (RUS) for bronze. Abdurashidov would also register a runner-up finish in May to Eduard Grigoriev (RUS) at the Russian University National Championships. Dzhabrail Gairbekov (RUS) gets in the rankings at #20 after winning the Ali Aliyev over 2017 Junior world runner-up Ismail Gadzhiev (RUS). At the Ali Aliyev, Muslim Sadulaev (RUS) beat #18 Khasanguseynov Badrudinov (RUS) in the quarterfinals, then Gairbekov beat Sadulaev 13-7 in the semis. Later in the month, Badrudinov beat Gairbekov at Russian University Nationals before losing in the finals 9-2 to two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist Aryan Tyutrin (RUS). For his Russian University National title plus body of work Aryan Tyutrin (RUS) debuts at #19.