The dominant force at this freestyle weight class has been Khadjimurad Gatsalov of Russia, who won the 2004 Olympics at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. before striking gold again at the 2005 and 2006 World Championships.

Russia has another stud in this weight class in 2007 European champion Shirvani Muradov, but Gatsalov is listed on the FILA Website as Russia's entrant in this division.

Georgia's Gerge Gogsehelidze placed second to Gatsalov in last year's Worlds. Gogsehelidze won a bronze medal at this year's European meet.

2006 World bronze medalist Ruslan Sheyikhov of Belarus was second in the 2007 European Championships.

Cuba's Michel Batista, also a returning bronze medalist at the Worlds, recently won the Pan American Games.

1998 World champion and 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Ali Reza Heidari of Iran placed fifth at the 2006 Worlds.

Aleksei Kruphyakov of Kirghizistan, seventh in the World in 2006, won the 2007 Asian Championships.

Daniel Cormier of the United States, fourth at the 2000 Olympics and fifth at the 2003 World meet, has failed to place at the last two World Championships but has looked strong this season.

Cormier defeated past U.S. World Team member Mo Lawal to make his fifth straight World or Olympic Team. Cormier won a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games and still is a very talented and dangerous wrestler.

Gatsalov is the heavy favorite to win here, but Cormier is a wrestler with the potential and ability to knock him off.

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2006 World Championships
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Gold - Khajimurad Gatsalov (Russia); Silver - Gerge Gogsehelidze (Georgia); Bronze - Michel Batista (Cuba); Bronze - Ruslan Sheyikhov (Belarus); 5th - David Zilberman (Canada); 5th - Ali Reza Heidari (Iran); 7th - Aleksei Kruphyakov (Kirghizistan); 8th - Vasil Tesmynetskyy (Ukraine); 9th - Stepan Kehrer (Germany); 10th - Patal Rohit (India)

2005 World Championships
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Gold - Khajimurad Gatsalov (Russia); Silver - Luka Kurtanidze (Georgia); Bronze - Aleksei Krupnykov (Krygyzstan); Bronze - Vasyl Tesmeyneckyy (Ukraine); 5th - Tae-Hyun Koo (Korea); 5th - Siarhei Pernikau (Belarus); 7th - Amir Ganji (Iran); 8th - Bartolomie Bartnicki (Poland); 9th - Nurzhan Katayev (Kazakhstan); 10th - Gergely Kiss (Hungary)

2004 Olympic Games
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Gold - Khajimurad Gatsalov (Russia); Silver - Magomed Ibragimov (Uzbekistan); Bronze -Ali Reza Heidari (Iran); 4th -  Daniel Cormier (USA); 5th -Rustem Aghayev (Azerbaijan); 6th -Wan Yuanyan (China); 7th - Aleksandr Shemarov (Belarus); 8th - Eldar Kurtanidze (Georgia); 9th - Fatih Cakiroglu (Turkey); 10th - Islam Bairamukov (Kazakhstan)

2003 World Championships
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Gold - Eldar Kurtanidze (Georgia) dec. Ali Reza Heidari (Iran), 4-0; Bronze - Krassimir Kotchev (Bulgaria) dec. Tuvshintur Enkhtuya (Mongolia), 5-1; 5th - Daniel Cormier (United States); 6th - Nico Jacobs (Namibia); 7th - Bartolomiej Bartnicki (Poland); 8th - Vadym Tasoev (Ukraine); 9th - Radovan Valach (Austria); 10th - Alexandr Shemarov (Belarus)

2002 World Championships
96 kg/211.25 lbs. - Gold - Eldar Kurtanidze (Georgia) won by ref. dec. over Ali Reza Heidari (Iran), 2-1, ot, 9:00; Bronze - Vadim Tasoev (Ukraine) won by tech. fall over Alexandre Xanthopoulos (Greece), 10-0, 4:24; 5th - Alexander Shemarov (Belarus); 6th - Georgi Gogshelizhiev (Russia); 7th - Wilfredo Morales (Cuba); 8th - Rolf Scherrer (Switzerland); 9th - Dean Schmeichel (Canada); 10th - Zoltan Farkas (Hungary)