2017 World Championships preview in Greco Roman at 85 kg/187 lbs.
Share:
by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
Two-time Olympian Ben Provisor of the USA, shown at the 2016 Rio Games, will make his first Senior World Championships appearance this year in Paris.
Date of competition: Monday, August 21
Many eyes will be on the 85 kg/187 lbs. Greco-Roman weight class at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, France, as the expected field looks to be one filled with many serious medal threats.
Russia will send 2016 Olympic champion Davit Chakvetadze. This will be only his second World Championships. In 2015, he finished 10th. The Russian has been active since Rio, winning the Ivan Poddubny Tournament and earning silver at Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup. At the European Championships, he finished 11th. Chakvetadze enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed.
Ukraine’s Olympic silver medalist and 2015 World champion Zhan Beleniuk is not expected to compete. Instead, Ukraine will send two-time World Military champion Oleksandr Shyshman to his third World Championships. Recently, he won bronze at the 2016 World Military Championships.
Olympic bronze medalists Denis Kudla of Germany and Javid Gamzatov of Belarus will be back in the mix this year.
Kudla will head to his first Senior World Championships. He owns a 2011 Cadet World title and a 2014 Junior World silver. Since Rio, Kudla won Thor Masters and took third at the U23 European Championships.
Gazmatov claimed bronze at the 2013 University World Games before doing it again at the 2013 World Championships. At the last World Championships in 2015, he finished 19th. Since the Olympics, Gamzatov was the Grand Prix of Hungary runner-up.
Two-time World bronze medalist Viktor Loerincz from Hungary will enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed. He finished fifth at the 2016 Olympic Games, and since then, he won the 2017 European Championships in May.
Azerbaijan will send 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games champion Islam Abbasov, who can be a serious medal contender in Paris. He won two Cadet World titles and a 2014 Junior World championship. In 2015, he finished second at Junior Worlds.
Ranked No. 3 in the world, Abbasov won the respected Golden Grand Prix earlier this year. In 2016 he won the Junior Euro Championships before producing a silver medal at the 2016 World Military Championships.
American Ben Provisor will wrestle in his first Senior World Championships this month. Provisor was a three-time Junior World Team member for the U.S. from 2008-10 prior to making the U.S. Olympic Teams in 2012 and 2016.
Other notables in the field include No. 2-seed Nikolay Bayrakov of Bulgaria, who finished fifth in Rio and European Championships silver medalist Metehan Basar of Turkey.
JULY UWW GRECO-ROMAN WORLD RANKINGS
1. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) – Europe No.1 (1)
2. Nikolai BAYRAKOV (BUL) – Europe No.3 (2)
3. Islam ABBASOV (AZE) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (3)
4. David CHAKVETADZE (RUS) – Poddubny GP No.1 (4)
5. Zhan BELENYUK (UKR) – Ukraine Int’l No.3 (5)
6. Javid GAMZATOV (BLR) – Polyak Memorial No.2@98 (6)
7. Metehan BASAR (TUR) – Europe No.2 (8)
8. Zakarias BERG (SWE) – Nordic C’ships No.1 (10)
9. Denis KUDLA (GER) – European U23 No.3 (7)
10. Robert KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) – Tbilisi GP No.1 (12)
11. Eerik APS (EST) – Polyak Memorial No.3 (9)
12. Yuri SHKRIUBA (UKR) – Ukraine Int’l No.1 (11)
13. Evgeni SALEEV (RUS) – Poddubny GP No.3 (13)
14. Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER) – Europe No.3 (14)
15. Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) – Paris GP No.1 (15)
16. Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) – European U23 No.3 (18)
17. Benjamin PROVISOR (USA) – Pan America No.1 (nr)
18. Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) – Paris GP No.3 (16)
19. Ruslan YUSUPOV (RUS) – European U23 No.2 (17)
20. Hossein NOURI (IRI)
2017 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TOP SEEDS
1. Viktor Lorincz (Hungary)
2. Nikolay Bayrakov (Bulgaria)
3. Davit Chakvetadze (Russia)
4. Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine)
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2016 Olympic Games
85 kg/187 lbs. – Gold – David Chakvetadze (Russia); Silver – Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine); Bronze – Javid Gamzatov (Belarus); Bronze – Denis Kudla (Germany); Fifth – Nikolay Bayryakov (Bulgria); Fifth – Viktor Lorincz (Hungary); Seventh – Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran); Eighth – Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan); Ninth – Roberti Kobliashvili (Georgia); Tenth – Amer Hrustanovic (Austria)
2015 World Championships
85 kg/187 lbs. – Gold – Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine); Silver – Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan); Bronze – Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran); Bronze – Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); 5th – Rami Hietaniemi (Finland); 5th – Viktor Loerincz (Hungary); 7th – Damian Janikowski (Poland); 8th – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 9th – Ramsin Azizsir (Germany); 10th – David Chakvetadze (Russia)
2014 World Championships
85 kg/187 lbs. – Gold – Melonin Noumo1.nvi (France); Silver – Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Viktor Loerincz (Hungary); Bronze – Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine); 5th – Kristofer Johansson (Sweden); 5th – Ramsin Azizsir (Germany); 7th – Javid Gamzatov (Belarus); 8th – Masayuki Amano (Japan); 9th – Ahmed Ibrahim (Egypt); 10th – Vladimer Gegeshidze (Georgia)
2013 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Taleb Nematpour (Iran); Silver - Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Javid Gamzatov (Belarus); Bronze - Viktor Loerincz (Hungary); 5th - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 5th - Rami Hietaniemi (Finland); 7th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 8th - Maksim Manukyan (Armenia); 9th – Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan); 10th - Nursultan Tursynov (Kazakhstan)
2012 Olympic Games
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Alan Khugaev (Russia); Silver - Karam Gaber (Egypt); Bronze - Danjel Gajiyev (Kazakhstan); Bronze - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 5th - Vladimer Gegeshidze (Georgia); 5th - Melonin Noumonvi (France); 7th - Pablo Shorey (Cuba); 8th - Vasil Rachyba (Ukraine); 9th - Chas Betts (USA); 10th - Amer Hrustanovic (Austria)
2011 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Alim Selimau (Belarus); Silver - Damian Janikowski (Poland); Bronze - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Bronze - Rami Heitaniemi (Finland); 5th - Alan Khugaev (Russia); 5th - Saman Ahman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); 7th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 8th - Andrea Minguzzi (Italy); 9th - Se-Yeol Lee (Korea); 10th - Marian Mihalik (Slovakia)
2010 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold – Hristo Marinov (Bulgaria); Silver – Pablo Shorey Hernandez (Cuba); Bronze – Alexej Mishin (Russia); Bronze – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 5th – Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); 5th – Damian Janikowski (Poland); 7th – Alhazur Ozdiev (Kazakhstan); 8th – Vladimir Gegeshidze (Georgia); 9th – Vasil Rachyba (Ukraine); 10th – Laimutis Adomaitis (Lithuania)
2009 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Silver - Melonin Noumonvi (France); Bronze - Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran); Bronze - Pablo Shorey Hernandez (Cuba); 5th - Badri Khasaia (Georgia); 5th - Shalva Gadabadze (Azerbaijan); 7th - Jose Antonio Arias Paredes (Dominican Republic); 8th - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 9th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 10th - Hyo-Chul Cho (Korea)
Date of competition: Monday, August 21
Many eyes will be on the 85 kg/187 lbs. Greco-Roman weight class at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, France, as the expected field looks to be one filled with many serious medal threats.
Russia will send 2016 Olympic champion Davit Chakvetadze. This will be only his second World Championships. In 2015, he finished 10th. The Russian has been active since Rio, winning the Ivan Poddubny Tournament and earning silver at Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup. At the European Championships, he finished 11th. Chakvetadze enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed.
Ukraine’s Olympic silver medalist and 2015 World champion Zhan Beleniuk is not expected to compete. Instead, Ukraine will send two-time World Military champion Oleksandr Shyshman to his third World Championships. Recently, he won bronze at the 2016 World Military Championships.
Olympic bronze medalists Denis Kudla of Germany and Javid Gamzatov of Belarus will be back in the mix this year.
Kudla will head to his first Senior World Championships. He owns a 2011 Cadet World title and a 2014 Junior World silver. Since Rio, Kudla won Thor Masters and took third at the U23 European Championships.
Gazmatov claimed bronze at the 2013 University World Games before doing it again at the 2013 World Championships. At the last World Championships in 2015, he finished 19th. Since the Olympics, Gamzatov was the Grand Prix of Hungary runner-up.
Two-time World bronze medalist Viktor Loerincz from Hungary will enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed. He finished fifth at the 2016 Olympic Games, and since then, he won the 2017 European Championships in May.
Azerbaijan will send 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games champion Islam Abbasov, who can be a serious medal contender in Paris. He won two Cadet World titles and a 2014 Junior World championship. In 2015, he finished second at Junior Worlds.
Ranked No. 3 in the world, Abbasov won the respected Golden Grand Prix earlier this year. In 2016 he won the Junior Euro Championships before producing a silver medal at the 2016 World Military Championships.
American Ben Provisor will wrestle in his first Senior World Championships this month. Provisor was a three-time Junior World Team member for the U.S. from 2008-10 prior to making the U.S. Olympic Teams in 2012 and 2016.
Other notables in the field include No. 2-seed Nikolay Bayrakov of Bulgaria, who finished fifth in Rio and European Championships silver medalist Metehan Basar of Turkey.
JULY UWW GRECO-ROMAN WORLD RANKINGS
1. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) – Europe No.1 (1)
2. Nikolai BAYRAKOV (BUL) – Europe No.3 (2)
3. Islam ABBASOV (AZE) – Vehbi Emre No.2 (3)
4. David CHAKVETADZE (RUS) – Poddubny GP No.1 (4)
5. Zhan BELENYUK (UKR) – Ukraine Int’l No.3 (5)
6. Javid GAMZATOV (BLR) – Polyak Memorial No.2@98 (6)
7. Metehan BASAR (TUR) – Europe No.2 (8)
8. Zakarias BERG (SWE) – Nordic C’ships No.1 (10)
9. Denis KUDLA (GER) – European U23 No.3 (7)
10. Robert KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) – Tbilisi GP No.1 (12)
11. Eerik APS (EST) – Polyak Memorial No.3 (9)
12. Yuri SHKRIUBA (UKR) – Ukraine Int’l No.1 (11)
13. Evgeni SALEEV (RUS) – Poddubny GP No.3 (13)
14. Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER) – Europe No.3 (14)
15. Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) – Paris GP No.1 (15)
16. Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) – European U23 No.3 (18)
17. Benjamin PROVISOR (USA) – Pan America No.1 (nr)
18. Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) – Paris GP No.3 (16)
19. Ruslan YUSUPOV (RUS) – European U23 No.2 (17)
20. Hossein NOURI (IRI)
2017 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TOP SEEDS
1. Viktor Lorincz (Hungary)
2. Nikolay Bayrakov (Bulgaria)
3. Davit Chakvetadze (Russia)
4. Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine)
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2016 Olympic Games
85 kg/187 lbs. – Gold – David Chakvetadze (Russia); Silver – Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine); Bronze – Javid Gamzatov (Belarus); Bronze – Denis Kudla (Germany); Fifth – Nikolay Bayryakov (Bulgria); Fifth – Viktor Lorincz (Hungary); Seventh – Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran); Eighth – Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan); Ninth – Roberti Kobliashvili (Georgia); Tenth – Amer Hrustanovic (Austria)
2015 World Championships
85 kg/187 lbs. – Gold – Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine); Silver – Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan); Bronze – Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran); Bronze – Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); 5th – Rami Hietaniemi (Finland); 5th – Viktor Loerincz (Hungary); 7th – Damian Janikowski (Poland); 8th – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 9th – Ramsin Azizsir (Germany); 10th – David Chakvetadze (Russia)
2014 World Championships
85 kg/187 lbs. – Gold – Melonin Noumo1.nvi (France); Silver – Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Viktor Loerincz (Hungary); Bronze – Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine); 5th – Kristofer Johansson (Sweden); 5th – Ramsin Azizsir (Germany); 7th – Javid Gamzatov (Belarus); 8th – Masayuki Amano (Japan); 9th – Ahmed Ibrahim (Egypt); 10th – Vladimer Gegeshidze (Georgia)
2013 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Taleb Nematpour (Iran); Silver - Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Javid Gamzatov (Belarus); Bronze - Viktor Loerincz (Hungary); 5th - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 5th - Rami Hietaniemi (Finland); 7th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 8th - Maksim Manukyan (Armenia); 9th – Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan); 10th - Nursultan Tursynov (Kazakhstan)
2012 Olympic Games
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Alan Khugaev (Russia); Silver - Karam Gaber (Egypt); Bronze - Danjel Gajiyev (Kazakhstan); Bronze - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 5th - Vladimer Gegeshidze (Georgia); 5th - Melonin Noumonvi (France); 7th - Pablo Shorey (Cuba); 8th - Vasil Rachyba (Ukraine); 9th - Chas Betts (USA); 10th - Amer Hrustanovic (Austria)
2011 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Alim Selimau (Belarus); Silver - Damian Janikowski (Poland); Bronze - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Bronze - Rami Heitaniemi (Finland); 5th - Alan Khugaev (Russia); 5th - Saman Ahman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); 7th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 8th - Andrea Minguzzi (Italy); 9th - Se-Yeol Lee (Korea); 10th - Marian Mihalik (Slovakia)
2010 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold – Hristo Marinov (Bulgaria); Silver – Pablo Shorey Hernandez (Cuba); Bronze – Alexej Mishin (Russia); Bronze – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 5th – Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); 5th – Damian Janikowski (Poland); 7th – Alhazur Ozdiev (Kazakhstan); 8th – Vladimir Gegeshidze (Georgia); 9th – Vasil Rachyba (Ukraine); 10th – Laimutis Adomaitis (Lithuania)
2009 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Silver - Melonin Noumonvi (France); Bronze - Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran); Bronze - Pablo Shorey Hernandez (Cuba); 5th - Badri Khasaia (Georgia); 5th - Shalva Gadabadze (Azerbaijan); 7th - Jose Antonio Arias Paredes (Dominican Republic); 8th - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 9th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 10th - Hyo-Chul Cho (Korea)
