Iranian Greco-Roman wrestler Ghasem Rezaei has maintained his position as the world’s second best athlete in the 98-kilogram weight category in the February 2016 edition of the United World Wrestling rankings. 

The 30-year-old London 2012 Olympics gold medalist renewed his claim to the No. 2 ranking of the weight class, and stood behind Artur Aleksanyan from Armenia.

Russia’s Islam Magomedov, Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler Dimitri Timchenko, Xiao Di from China and Bulgarian sportsman Elis Guri claimed the third to sixth places of the chart.

On September 7, 2015, Rezaei earned a silver medal at the 12th edition of the World Wrestling Championships.

The 35-year-old Iranian sportsman, who had had a bye in the first round, emerged triumphant 4-2 in his first bout against Russian rival Islam Kurbanovich Magomedov in the 98-kilogram weight class at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, the United States.

Rezaei then overcame his Cuban opponent Yasmany Daniel Lugo Cabrera 5-0 in the next round, before notching up a 4-0 victory against Turkey’s Cenk Ildem in the quarterfinal round.

The Iranian stunned 32-year-old Elis Guri of Bulgaria 3-0 in the semifinals, and qualified for the final bout, where he conceded a 3-0 defeat to Armenia’s Artur Aleksanyan and scooped up the silver.

The 12th edition of the World Wrestling Championships opened on September 7, and finished on September 12.