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Wrestling weight classes

In many styles of wrestling, opponents are matched based on weight (mass).

International (Olympic) Weight Classes

Current

For Men's Freestyle and Greco-Roman

Currently, men's freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is divided into four main age categories internationally: schoolboys, cadets, juniors, and seniors.

Schoolboys (young men ages 14-15; or age 13 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 32 kg
35 kg
38 kg
42 kg
47 kg
53 kg
59 kg
66 kg
73 kg
73 to 85 kg

Cadets (young men ages 16-17; or age 15 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 42 kg
46 kg
50 kg
54 kg
58 kg
63 kg
69 kg
76 kg
85 kg
85 to 100 kg

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 50 kg
55 kg
60 kg
66 kg
74 kg
84 kg
96 kg
96 to 120 kg

Seniors (men ages 20 and up) competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling do so in one of the following seven weight classes:

50 to 55 kg
60 kg
66 kg
74 kg
84 kg
96 kg
96 to 120 kg

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 and seniors.

36 to 38 kg
40 kg
43 kg
46 kg
49 kg
52 kg
56 kg
60 kg
65 kg
65 to 70 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 44 kg
48 kg
51 kg
55 kg
59 kg
63 kg
67 kg
67 to 72 kg

Seniors (women ages 20 and up) competing in freestyle wrestling do so in one of the following seven weight classes:

44 to 48 kg
51 kg
55 kg
59 kg
63 kg
67 kg
67 to 72 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

Elementary School students competing in wrestling have multiple ways weight classes are determined.

A) "Madison System" - This is a popular tournament format where there is 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.

B) 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.

C) Pure-Weight based system - In this system, the athletes are not divided by age by 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:

78 lb
86 lb
94 lb
102 lb
110 lb
118 lb
126 lb
134 lb
142 lb
152 lb
165 lb
185 lb
275 lb

Some States use these weight classes for middle school

80 lb
86 lb
92 lb
98 lb
104 lb
110 lb
116 lb
122 lb
128 lb
134 lb
142 lb
150 lb
160 lb
172 lb
205 lb
Heavyweight (up to 245 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):

103 lb
112 lb
119 lb
125 lb
130 lb
135 lb
140 lb
145 lb
152 lb
160 lb
171 lb
189 lb
215 lb
Heavyweight (that is, up to 285 lb, formerly 275 lb)

Other states have additional or modified weight classes such as:

96 lb (in the state of New York)
98 lb (in the state of Montana)
105 lb (in place of the 103 lb weight class in the state of Montana)
180 lb (in the state of Texas)

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):

125 lb
133 lb
141 lb
149 lb
157 lb
165 lb
174 lb
184 lb
197 lb
Heavyweight (that is, from 183 lb to 285 lb)

Also:

235 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 174 lb to 235 lb.)

The National Collegiate Wrestling Association has also approved the following eight weight classes for its women's division:

105 lb
112 lb
121 lb
130 lb
139 lb
148 lb
159 lb
176 lb

Professional wrestling

In professional wrestling, weight classes are not as strict or as organized. Cruiserweights can compete against Heavyweight wrestlers, etc.:

Welterweight: weight limit of
Middleweight: weight limit of
Light heavyweight: weight limit of
Junior heavyweight: older term for cruiserweight, used mainly in Japan
Cruiserweight: The weight limit varies from promotion and time period, but generally includes all wrestlers under a certain weight limit. The lowest weight limit ever used for cruiserweights is and the highest is believed to be . However, is usually the most common weight limit for cruiserweights.
Heavyweight: all athletes weighing more than
Super heavyweight: Not an official weight class and not so much coined unless an athlete is extremely large, but any athlete weighing or more is considered a super heavyweight.