COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The 2006 wrestling season was one Joe Williams wanted to forget.

He lost his first match to an American in six years and his string of making five straight U.S. World freestyle teams came to a screeching halt.

But the setbacks gave the two-time World bronze medalist a chance to reflect on what went wrong.

"I kind of took things for granted," Williams said. "I had been on past World Teams and I just figured I would be back on the team in 2006. I underestimated how hard the weight cut would be and how tough the competition was. It was real tough not being on the team last year. When you don't get what you expect, you go back and critique yourself and figure out what you did wrong."

Determined not to feel that way again, the 32-year-old Williams returned with a vengeance in 2007. He bumped up a weight class from 74 kg/163 lbs. to 84 kg/185 lbs. and won both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials.

He now takes aim at his third World-level medal at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. He is slated to compete Sept. 20.

Williams won World bronze medals in 2001 and 2005. He also placed fourth at the 1999 World Championships and took fifth at the 2004 Olympic Games.

"Every World Championships has been a letdown and a disappointment to me - it's left a sour taste in my mouth," said Williams, a three-time NCAA champion for Iowa. "Anything other than first is not acceptable. I've been close before, but I need to move past that semifinal round and win a gold medal."

Bumping up a weight class is one reason for the optimism of Williams this year.

"Oh man, it's made a big difference for me," he said. "It's given me a new spark and my batteries are recharged. I'm actually trying to keep my weight up now instead of worrying about cutting all the time. It's been great and it's been a blessing. I can just focus on wrestling and training now."

Even with his success this year, Williams has battled adversity. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle and had surgery immediately after winning June's U.S. World Team Trials in Las Vegas.

He sat out for eight weeks before resuming training about three weeks ago. He just took part in the final World Team Camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

"I'm back now and I feel good," he said. "I'm not even thinking about it now when I wrestle. I'm ready to go."

The powerful, explosive Williams (Belvidere, Ill./Sunkist Kids) still has the ability to make a splash at the World level.

"Joe's chances are excellent if he wrestles with a mindset to always look for scores," USA Wrestling National Coach Kevin Jackson said. "If he wrestles like he's been trained he will win."

Known for being quicker than most opponents during his days at 163, Williams has that same edge at 185.

"My speed is a big asset against these guys," Williams said. "Plus I still think I have the strength to wrestle those guys. It's just a matter of putting it all together at the right time."

Williams said having extensive experience at the World Championships "can help you and hurt you."

"You can't be too comfortable with it just because you've been there before," he said. "You have to keep your edge and look at it as a new opportunity to win a gold medal. I'm excited for this opportunity."

Williams is one of only two wrestlers on the seven-member 2007 U.S. World Team in freestyle who owns a World-level medal. 2006 World silver medalist Mike Zadick is the other. Zadick competes at 60 kg/132 lbs.

"This team is real close, and we really push and motivate each other," Williams said. "We have a young team with some new guys on it, but you saw what both Zadick brothers accomplished last year by making it to the finals. The mindset we have on this team is we can all be World champions and this is our opportunity. It starts with the young guy in our lineup, Henry Cejudo. He is a firecracker who gives us a spark and it carries all through our lineup. I think we have a strong team."

Williams is one of three past Iowa Hawkeyes on the U.S. World Team. Zadick and Doug Schwab (66 kg/145.5 lbs.) are the others.

"I've been around Zadick and Schwab, and watched them grow up in the same program that I did," Williams said. "You connect with those guys and seeing them work hard motivates me to keep working hard."

Williams, a Chicago native who was named to the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team, said he plans to wrestle through the 2008 Olympics. When Williams made his first World Team in 1999, Cejudo was just 12 years old.

"I've been wrestling a long time, but I love it and I think I'm still good at it," he said. "I have a family and I have other aspirations like coaching that I want to pursue. But the last thing I want to do is leave the sport when I'm still very competitive."