In many styles of wrestling, opponents are matched based on weight class.
Olympic and International weight classes
<p>Currently, men's freestyle and Greco-Roman as well as female wrestling have the following weights on the international level:
Men's freestyle
- 57Â kg (126Â lb)
- 61Â kg (134Â lb) (non-Olympic class)
- 65Â kg (143Â lb)
- 70Â kg (154Â lb) (non-Olympic class)
- 74Â kg (163Â lb)
- 86Â kg (190Â lb)
- 97Â kg (214Â lb)
- 97 to 126Â kg (214 to 276Â lb)
Men's Greco Roman
- 59Â kg (130Â lb)
- 66Â kg (145.5Â lb)
- 71Â kg (156Â lb) (non-Olympic class)
- 75Â kg (165Â lb)
- 80Â kg (176Â lb) (non-Olympic class)
- 85Â kg (187Â lb)
- 98Â kg (216Â lb)
- 98 to 130Â kg (216 to 286.5Â lb)
Female wrestling
- 48Â kg (105Â lb)
- 53Â kg (117Â lb)
- 55Â kg (121Â lb) (non-Olympic class)
- 58Â kg (128Â lb)
- 60Â kg (132Â lb) (non-Olympic class)
- 63Â kg (138Â lb)
- 69Â kg (152Â lb)
- 69 to 75Â kg (152 to 165Â lb)
International youth weight classes
For men's freestyle and Greco-Roman
Currently, men's freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is divided into three youth age categories internationally: schoolboys, cadets, and juniors.
Schoolboys (young men ages 13â"14; or age 12 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman do so in one of the following 10 weight classes:
- 29 to 32Â kg (64 to 70Â lb)
- 35Â kg (77Â lb)
- 38Â kg (84Â lb)
- 42Â kg (93Â lb)
- 47Â kg (104Â lb)
- 53Â kg (117Â lb)
- 59Â kg (130Â lb)
- 66Â kg (146Â lb)
- 73Â kg (161Â lb)
- 73 to 85Â kg (161 to 187Â lb)
Cadets (young men ages 15â"16; or age 14 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman do so in one of the following 10 weight classes:
- 39 to 42Â kg (86 to 92Â lb)
- 46Â kg (101Â lb)
- 50Â kg (110Â lb)
- 54Â kg (119Â lb)
- 58Â kg (128Â lb)
- 63Â kg (139Â lb)
- 69Â kg (152Â lb)
- 76Â kg (167Â lb)
- 85Â kg (187Â lb)
- 85 to 100Â kg (187 to 220Â lb)
Juniors (young men ages 18 to 20; or age 17 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman do so in one of the following eight weight classes:
- 46 to 50Â kg (101 to 110Â lb)
- 55Â kg (121Â lb)
- 60Â kg (132Â lb)
- 66Â kg (145Â lb)
- 74Â kg (163Â lb)
- 84Â kg (185Â lb)
- 96Â kg (211Â lb)
- 96 to 120Â kg (211 to 264Â lb) (incorrect)
For men, there is also a special category for some freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions, "Veterans", for men ages 35 and older, that presumably wrestle in the same weight classes as seniors.
For women's freestyle
Women currently compete in freestyle wrestling in one of four age categories on an international level: schoolgirls, cadets, juniors, and seniors.
Schoolgirls (young women ages 14â"15; or age 13 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) competing in freestyle wrestling do so in one of the following 10 weight classes:
- 28 to 30Â kg
- 32Â kg
- 34Â kg
- 37Â kg
- 40Â kg
- 44Â kg
- 48Â kg
- 52Â kg
- 57Â kg
- 57 to 62Â kg
Cadets (young women ages 16â"17; or age 15 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) competing in freestyle wrestling do so in one of the following 10 weight classes:
- 36 to 38Â kg
- 40Â kg
- 43Â kg
- 46Â kg
- 49Â kg
- 52Â kg
- 56Â kg
- 60Â kg
- 65Â kg
- 65 to 70Â kg
Juniors (young women ages 18 to 20; or age 17 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) competing in freestyle wrestling do so in one of the following eight weight classes:
- 40 to 44Â kg
- 48Â kg
- 51Â kg
- 55Â kg
- 59Â kg
- 63Â kg
- 67Â kg
- 67 to 72Â kg
Different nations may have different weight classes and different age categories for their levels of men's and women's freestyle and men's Greco-Roman competition.
Collegiate (scholastic) weight classes
Elementary school
Elementary school students competing in wrestling have multiple ways weight classes are determined.
- "Madison system" - This is a popular tournament format where there are no weight classes and the tournament director pairs wrestlers into brackets (usually 8 or 16 man) based on weight at weigh-ins. This is a popular method because it discourages "weight cutting" in young athletes.
- Division-based system - In this system, the tournament director separates athletes by age (ex: Grade 2 and under, Grade 4 and under, and Grade 6 and under), and by weight class. Weight class and division is at the tournament director's discretion.
- Pure-weight based system - In this system, the athletes are not divided by age but rather just by weight class. This is rarely used because it pairs younger, less experienced athletes with older, more experienced athletes.
Middle school
Wrestling weight classes for Middle (junior high) school in the United States vary from state to state and are not regulated by the NFHS. Students may compete in scholastic wrestling in one of the following weight classes:
- 78Â lb
- 86Â lb
- 93Â lb
- 103Â lb
- 110Â lb
- 117Â lb
- 124Â lb
- 134Â lb
- 142Â lb
- 152Â lb
- 165Â lb
- 185Â lb
- 275Â lb
Some states use these weight classes for middle school:
- 70Â lb
- 75Â lb
- 80Â lb
- 86Â lb
- 92Â lb
- 98Â lb
- 104Â lb
- 110Â lb
- 116Â lb
- 122Â lb
- 128Â lb
- 134Â lb
- 142Â lb
- 150Â lb
- 160Â lb
- 172Â lb
- 205Â lb
- Heavyweight (up to 245Â lb)
Also in some states:
- 75Â lb
- 80Â lb
- 85Â lb
- 90Â lb
- 95Â lb
- 100Â lb
- 105Â lb
- 110Â lb
- 115Â lb
- 122Â lb
- 130Â lb
- 138Â lb
- 145Â lb
- 155Â lb
- 165Â lb
- 185Â lb
- 210Â lb
- Heavyweight (up to 240Â lb)
High school
High school students in the United States competing in scholastic wrestling do so in one of the following 14 weight classes set by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
- 106Â Ib
- 113Â lb
- 120Â lb
- 126Â lb
- 132Â lb
- 138Â lb
- 145Â lb
- 152Â lb
- 160Â lb
- 170Â lb
- 182Â lb
- 195Â lb
- 220Â lb
- Heavyweight (up to 285 pounds; up to 275 pounds from 1988-89 through 2005-06; unlimited before 1988-89).
The AAU has their own weight classes for their tournaments.
- 103
- 108
- 117
- 124
- 130
- 135
- 140
- 145
- 150
- 157
- 165
- 176
- 194
- 220
- 300
These weights are only for their Freshman/Sophomore State Tournament.
Other states have additional or modified weight classes such as:
- 99Â lb (in the state of New York)
- 98Â lb (in the state of Montana)
- 105Â lb (in place of the 103Â lb weight class in Montana)
- 182Â lb (in the state of Texas)l
The state of Michigan has different weight classes than the standard classes listed above. The classes include:
- 103
- 112
- 119
- 125
- 130
- 135
- 140
- 145
- 152
- 160
- 171
- 189
- 215
- HWT (285)
Rankings for these classes in Michigan can be found on Michigan Grappler.
College
College and university students in the United States competing in collegiate wrestling do so in one of the following 10 weight classes set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA):
- 125Â lb
- 133Â lb
- 141Â lb
- 149Â lb
- 157Â lb
- 165Â lb
- 174Â lb
- 184Â lb
- 197Â lb
- Heavyweight (183Â lb to 285Â lb)
Also:
- 235Â lb (Only the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA), which governs college wrestling for institutions outside of the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA, currently allows this weight class, which ranges from 174Â lb to 235Â lb.)
The National Collegiate Wrestling Association has also approved the following eight weight classes for its women's division:
- 105Â lb
- 112Â lb
- 121Â lb
- 130Â lb
- 139Â lb
- 148Â lb
- 159Â lb
- 200Â lb
See also
- Boxing weight classes
- Kickboxing weight classes
- Mixed martial arts weight classes
- Taekwondo weight classes
- Professional wrestling weight classes
References
External links
- www.fila-wrestling.com
- www.nfhs.org wrestling rules changes 2006