China's Li Yanyan is the defending World champion in Greco-Roman at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., but he has looked vulnerable at times this season.

Yanyan was swept in two straight periods by American Harry Lester in February's Chicago Cup.

Lester, a returning World bronze medalist, looks like a guy who is primed to win a gold medal this year. The explosive, multi-talented Lester won the Pan American Games title this year. Among his wins at the Pan Ams was a convincing victory over 2005 World bronze medalist Alain Milan of Cuba.

Returning silver medalist Kamatbek Begaliev of Kirghizistan also will be in the mix here. Begaliev beat Lester last year at the World Championships and won the 2007 Asian Championships.

2005 World champion Nikolai Gergov of Bulgaria also should be in contention in this division. Gergov placed seventh in the 2007 Worlds. He fell to Lester in last year's World Championships. Gergov has pieced together a strong season, including winning a gold medal at the 2007 European Championships.

The other returning World bronze medalist from 2006 is Sergey Kovalenko of Russia.

1997 World champion and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Seref Eroglu of Turkey placed fifth in the World last year. He lost to Lester in the bronze-medal match at the 2006 Worlds.

Oleksey Khvosch of the Ukraine is the other returning fifth-place finisher from 2006. Khvosch placed second to Gergov in the 2007 European Championships.

Germany's Markus Thatner placed third at this year's European Championships.

Look for Lester to make his run at a gold medal this year. If he's on his game, nobody in the World can stop him. Lester looked very dominant in winning the Pan American Games and he's the most talented wrestler on a very strong United States Greco-Roman team.

Lester emerged as a major player on the international stage in last year's Worlds and expect him to build on the momentum of that performance.

Look for Gergov to come back strong again as well after gaining momentum with his title at the European Championships.

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2006 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Gold - Li Yanyan (China); Silver - Kamatbek Begaliev (Kirghizistan); Bronze - Sergey Kovalenko (Russia); Bronze - Harry Lester (USA); 5th - Oleksey Khvosch (Ukraine); 5th - Seref Eroglu (Turkey); 7th - Nikolay Gergov (Bulgaria); 8th - A. Kazakeviv (Lithuania); 9th - Ion Painit (Romania); 10th - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary)

2005 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs.- Gold - Nikolay Gergov (Bulgaria); Silver - Kim Min-Chul (Korea); Bronze - Alain Milan (Cuba); Bronze - Kim Kum-Chol (North Korea ); 5th - Armen Vardanyan (Ukraine); 7th - Li Yanyan (China); 8th - Jimmy Samuelsson (Sweden); 9th - Mukhran Matchutadze (Georgia); 10th - Levente Furedy (Hungary)

2004 Olympic Games
66 kg/145.5 lbs.- Gold - Farid Mansurov (Azerbaijan); Silver - Seref Eroglu (Turkey); Bronze -Mkkhitar Manukyan (Kazakhstan); 4th - Jimmy Samuelsson (Sweden); 5th - Armen Vardanyan (Ukraine) ; 6th - Konstantinos Arkoudeas (Greece); 7th - Jannis Zamanduridis (Germany); 8th - Vaghinak Galustyan (Armenia); 9th - Maxim Semenov (Russia); 10th - Luis Ferrnando Izquierdo (Colombia)

2003 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Gold - Manuchar Kvirkelia (Georgia) dec. Armen Vardanyan (Ukraine), 5-2; Bronze - Levente Furedi (Hungary) dec. Vaghinak Galvstyan (Armenia), 3-2; 5th - Seref Eroglu (Turkey); 6th - Kim In-Sub (Korea); 7th - Jannis Zamandouridis (Germany); 8th - Ferik Masurov (Azerbaijan); 9th - Luis Fernando Izquierdo (Colombia); 10th - Jimmy Samuelsson (Sweden)

2002 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Gold - Jimmy Samuelsson (Sweden) dec. Farid Mansurov (Azerbaijan), 3-0; Bronze - Manuchar Kvirkvelia (Georgia) dec. Maksim Semenov (Russia), 4-2; 5th - Bakhadyr Kurbanov (Uzbekistan); 6th - Mehdi Hodaei (Iran); 7th - Nikolay Gergov (Bulgaria); 8th - Juan Maren (Cuba); 9th - Vaghinak Galustyan (Armenia); 10th - Jerzy Szeibinger (Poland)