USA Today, a leading national daily newspaper in the United States, made its medal predictions for the 2004 Olympic Games in all sports, in their August 2 issue. In their wrestling predictions, USA Today selected the United States to win six medals in wrestling. Included in the USA Today picks were one gold medal, one silver medal and four bronze medals. Chosen to win an Olympic gold medal was Rulon Gardner (Cascade, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. in men's Greco-Roman wrestling. Gardner was a 2000 Olympic champion and 2001 World Champion. USA Today picked Hungary's Mihaly Deak-Bardos for the silver and Russia's Hassan Baroev for the bronze behind Gardner. Said USA Today of Gardner's weight class summary: "Gardner won his first international title since the 2001 world championship at a tournament in Poland last month, beating the last two world bronze medalists along the way. Deak Bardos has finished second at the last three world championships and the last two European championships. Chosen to win an Olympic silver medal was Toccara Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio/New York AC) in women's wrestling at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Chosen to win Olympic bronze medals were Cael Sanderson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 84 kg/185 lbs. in men's freestyle, Kerry McCoy (Bethlehem, Pa./New York AC) in men's freestyle at 120 kg/264.5 lbs., Patricia Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Dave Schultz WC) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. in women's freestyle and Sara McMann (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) in women's freestyle. According to these picks, the U.S. will get three women's freestyle medals, two men's freestyle medals and one men's Greco-Roman medals. The United States won seven medals at the 2000 Olympic Games, four in men's freestyle and three in men's Greco-Roman. (Women's wrestling was not contested in 2000). USA Today selected a U.S. Greco-Roman athlete for its "athlete to watch" for wrestling: "Athlete to watch: U.S. Greco-Roman heavyweight Rulon Gardner went from underdog to hero in 2000 when he beat three-time Olympic champion Alexander Karelin of Russia 1-0 in the gold-medal match. He's overcome bigger odds just getting back to the Games: He had a frostbitten toe amputated in 2002 after a snowmobiling incident that nearly took his life, and he beat Dremiel Byers - who won the 2002 world title in his absence - at the U.S. Olympic trials this year with a dislocated wrist." The USA Today picks gave Russia, Georgia and Japan three gold medals each in wrestling. The only other country picked for more than one wrestling gold medal was Uzbekistan, with two. In all sports, USA Today predicted that the United States would win the medal race with 119 medals, including 50 golds. Russia is predicted to be second with 92 medals (31 golds) and China is predicted in third with 74 medals (24 golds). The medal count in wrestling, according to the USA Today predictions, has Russia with eight medals. The United States is second with six medals. Cuba and Ukraine are predicted with five medals, while Japan is slated for four medals (all in women's wrestling). There is a picture of wrestling star Rulon Gardner on the front page of the issue, posing in an ancient Greek robe. On page two of USA Today, there is also an action photo of women's wrestler Patricia Miranda. USA TODAY MEDAL PICKS Men's Greco-Roman 55 kg (121 pounds) Gold: Im Dae Wong, Korea Silver: Hasan Rangraz, Iran Bronze: Lazaro Rivas, Cuba 60 kg (132 pounds) Gold: Armen Nazarian, Bulgaria Silver: Roberto Monzon, Cuba Bronze: Wlodzimierz Zawadzki, Poland 66kg (145.5 pounds) Gold: Manuchari Kvirkvelia, Georgia Silver: Armen Vardanyan, Ukraine Bronze: Kim In Sub, Korea 74 kg (163 pounds) Gold: Filiberto Azcuy, Cuba Silver: Alexei Gloushkov, Russia Bronze: Alexander Dokturishvili, Uzbekistan 84 kg (185 pounds) Gold: Ara Abrahamian, Sweden Silver: Hamza Yerlikaya, Turkey Bronze: Alexei Michin, Russia 96 kg (211.5 pounds) Gold: Ramaz Nozadze, Georgia Silver: Martin Lidberg, Sweden Bronze: Karam Mohammed Gaber, Egypt 120 kg (264.5 pounds) Gold: Rulon Gardner, USA Silver: Mihaly Deak Bardos, Hungary Bronze: Khassan Baroev, Russia Men's Freestyle 55 kg (121 pounds) Gold: Dilshod Mansurov, Uzbekistan Silver: Namik Abdulayev, Azerbaijan Bronze: Alexander Zakharuk, Ukraine 60 kg (132 pounds) Gold: Arif Abdulayev, Azerbaijan Silver: Yandro Quintana, Cuba Bronze: Purevbaatar Oyunbuleg, Mongolia 66kg (145.5 pounds) Gold: Irbek Farniev, Russia Silver: Serafim Barzakov, Bulgaria Bronze: Elbrus Tedeev, Ukraine 74 kg (163 pounds) Gold: Bouvaisa Saitiev, Russia Silver: Mourad Gaidarov, Belarus Bronze: Gennadi Laliev, Kazakhstan 84 kg (185 pounds) Gold: Sazhid Sazhidov, Russia Silver: Yoel Romero, Cuba Bronze: Cael Sanderson, USA 96 kg (211.5 pounds) Gold: Eldari Kurtanidze, Georgia Silver: Alireza Heydari, Iran Bronze: Krassimir Kotchev, Bulgaria 120 kg (264.5 pounds) Gold: Artur Taimazov, Uzbekistan Silver: Kuramagomed Kuramagomedov, Russia Bronze: Kerry McCoy, USA Women's Freestyle 48 kg (105.5 pounds) Gold: Irina Melnik, Ukraine Silver: Chiharu Icho, Japan Bronze: Patricia Miranda, USA 55 kg (121 pounds) Gold: Saori Yoshida, Japan Silver: Natalya Golts, Russia Bronze: Ida Theres Karlsson, Sweden 63 kg (138.5 pounds) Gold: Kaori Icho, Japan Silver: Lili Meng, China Bronze: Sara McMann, USA 72 kg (158.5 pounds) Gold: Kyoko Hamaguchi, Japan Silver: Toccara Montgomery, USA Bronze: Xu Wang, China Predicted medal count: Russia, 8 medals United States, 6 medals Cuba and Ukraine, 5 medals Japan, 4 medals Bulgaria, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Sweden, 3 medals Korea, Iran, Azerbaijan, China, 2 medals Poland, Turkey, Egypt, Hungary, Mongolia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, 1 medal