The 78th World Championship in Blois has had a significant impact on the UMB world ranking. While Myung Woo Cho remains firmly at the top, Eddy Merckx moves into second place, Phuong Vinh Bao enters the top five, and several players make major gains after their performances in France.
The new ranking, published on September 27, replaces the previous edition from September 6, immediately after the Lier World Cup. The changes therefore reflect both the results in Blois and the replacement of older results in the ranking calculation.
Merckx moves into second place
Myung Woo Cho remains World No. 1, although his ranking total drops from 499 to 466 points.
The biggest change at the top is Eddy Merckx. The Belgian moves from fourth to second place, increasing his total from 365 to 404 points. His strong performance in Blois, where he reached the knockout stage after finishing second in his qualification group, played an important role in the reshuffling.
Sameh Sidhom also moves significantly upward, from sixth to third with 345 points. Martin Horn remains fourth on 345 points, while Phuong Vinh Bao makes one of the most important moves at the very top of the ranking, climbing from 11th to fifth place with 306 points.
Bao's rise comes after an outstanding World Championship in Blois, where he reached the semi-finals and finished third.
Caudron drops from second to seventh
One of the most notable movements concerns Frédéric Caudron.
The Belgian was ranked second before Blois with 372 points. He now sits seventh with 291 points, a drop of five positions.
Caudron nevertheless started the World Championship brilliantly, producing the best qualifying average of the entire field with 3.076. His Blois campaign ended in the Round of 16, where he was eliminated by Haeng Jik Kim.
Berkay Karakurt also moves down, from fifth to eighth, while Marco Zanetti stays seventh in the previous ranking's position but is now ninth with 278 points.
Peter Ceulemans, meanwhile, climbs from 10th to 10th — but with his points total increasing from 250 to 266, he closes the gap considerably on the players immediately above him.
Son Jun Hyuk makes one of the biggest jumps
Among the most spectacular movements is that of Son Jun Hyuk.
The Korean was ranked 64th before Blois with 46 points. He now occupies 31st place with 85 points, gaining 33 positions.
Son Jun Hyuk qualified for the knockout stage in Blois after finishing second in his group behind Sameh Sidhom. He then reached the quarter-finals, where he was eliminated by Jérémy Bury.
Another strong mover is Alexander Salazar, who rises from 142nd with 21 points to 69th with 45 points — a gain of 73 positions.
Salazar was one of the revelations of Blois. He won his qualifying group and then advanced through the knockout stage before reaching the quarter-finals.
Lowe and Villanueva also climb
Tom Löwe moves from 44th to 33rd, gaining 11 places and reaching 80 points.
The German had already made his mark in Blois by winning his qualifying group, before advancing to the Round of 16.
William Villanueva also makes a double-digit gain, moving from 49th to 39th. The Spaniard qualified for the knockout stage in Blois and reached the Round of 16.
Raymundo Muñoz, who was not inside the top 100 before the World Championship, now appears at 85th with 38 points after an excellent run in Blois that took him through qualification and into the Round of 16.
Jaspers remains 11th
Dick Jaspers stays in 11th place, with his total unchanged at 258 points.
The Dutchman reached the semi-finals in Blois, where he lost to Berkay Karakurt. Despite his deep run, the ranking calculation leaves him in the same position.
Jung Han Heo moves from 12th to 12th, increasing his total from 239 to 254 points, while Glenn Hofman climbs from 15th to 13th with 220 points.
A difficult ranking week for some players
Several established names lose ground.
Tayfun Taşdemir rises from ninth to sixth, despite his total increasing only from 252 to 297 points. His excellent qualifying performance in Blois, where he produced a 2.285 average, helped him move back into the top six.
Roland Forthomme remains 28th, while Huberney Catano drops from 23rd to 20th despite reaching the knockout stage in Blois.
Arnim Kahofer experiences one of the more significant downward movements among the established players, falling from 25th to 43rd.
The French players at home
Among the French players, Jérémy Bury remains inside the top 20, moving from 18th to 19th with 135 points.
Mikaël Devogelaere stays at 25th, on 106 points. He reached the Round of 16 in Blois after qualifying from his group.
Maxime Panaia moves from 53rd to 48th, while Pierre Soumagne climbs from 62nd to 55th.
The new Top 10
The new UMB ranking after the World Championship in Blois is:
- Myung Woo Cho – KOR – 466
- Eddy Merckx – BEL – 404
- Sameh Sidhom – EGY – 345
- Martin Horn – GER – 345
- Phuong Vinh Bao – VIE – 306
- Tayfun Taşdemir – TUR – 297
- Frédéric Caudron – BEL – 291
- Berkay Karakurt – TUR – 290
- Marco Zanetti – ITA – 278
- Peter Ceulemans – BEL – 266