Date of competition: Tuesday, September 7

The reigning World champion Nazmi Avluca of Turkey has been a consistent performer for many years. He was also a World champion in 1999, and has added a 2006 World silver medal and a 2005 World bronze medal. He captured a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. Avluca showed that he is still at the top of his game by claiming the 2010 European Championships title and the 2010 World Cup gold medal.

The 2009 World silver medalst was Melonin Noumonvi of France, a talented athlete who has shown great improvement in recent seasons. He placed fifth at the 2008 Olympic Games. Noumonvi has wrestled up at 96 kg during the 2010 season, winning a gold medal at the Pytlasinski International in Poland, a major pre-World tune-up event. However, he was down at 84 kg for the European Championships and placed third.

A top favorite is Alexei Mishin of Russia, who was a 2004 Olympic champion and a 2007 World champion. He did not medal in either the 2008 Olympic Games or 2009 World Championships. He also boast two other World medals. Michine has had a solid year in 2010, winning a silver medal at the European Championships and placing fifth in the FILA Golden Grand Prix finals.

Habibollah Akhlaghi of Iran won a 2009 World bronze medal, and was a 2009 FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals champion. However, Iran’s Taleb Nematpour has won the 2010 FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals and was a 2009 Asian champion at this division as well as a World Cup bronze medalist. Whoever Iran chooses will be very competitive.

Pablo Shorey of Cuba claimed the other 2009 World bronze medal. He captured his first Pan American Championships title this year, and was also fourth at the World Cup. 

Andrea Minguzzi of Italy was the surprise champion at the 2008 Olympic Games, never having medaled at a major event. Minguzzi wrestled a bit in 2009, but has not been active this season. The silver medalist at the 2008 Olympics was Zoltan Fodor of Hungary, who has not won a medal at the European Championships the last two years. His best effort was a bronze medal at the FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals in 2009.

The 2010 Asian champion is Lee Se-Yeol of Korea, who also won a silver medal at the 2010 Junior World Championships and a gold at this year’s Asian Junior Championships.

Jan Fischer of Germany won a bronze medal at the 2010 European Championships and a European silver medalist back in 2007. He seeks his first World Championships medal. Fischer was third in the 2008 World Military Championships.

Placing fifth in the World Championships last year were Badri Khasaia of Georgia and Shalva Gadabadze of Azerbaijan. Khasia won a 2007 World bronze medal and is one of the top veterans in the field. Gadabadze was eighth in the Olympic Games. He also won a 2009 European bronze medal and won a silver medal at the 2010 FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals.

Capturing the gold medal at the Pytlasinski International in Poland this year was Nenad Zugaj of Croatia, who was ninth at the 2009 World Championships. He was also fifth at the 2010 European Championships. 

Other athletes to watch include Jose Antonio Arias Paredes of the Dominican Republic, Damian Janikowski of Poland, Anton Babko Maly of Ukraine, Norikatsu Saikawa of Japan and Yanarbek Kenyaev of Kyrgyzstan. 

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2009 World Championships
84 kg/145.5 lbs. - Gold - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Silver - Melonin Noumonvi (France) ; Bronze - Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran) ; Bronze - Pablo Shorey Hernandez (Cuba); 5th - Badri Khasaia (Georgia); 5th - Shalva Gadabadze (Azerbaijan) ; 7th – Jose Antonio Arias Paredes (Dominican Republic) ; 8th - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 9th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 10th - Hyo-Chul Cho (Korea)

2008 Olympic Games
84 kg/185 lbs. - Gold - Andrea Minguzzi (Italy); Silver - Zoltan Fodor (Hungary); Bronze - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); 5th - Ma Sanyi (China); 5th - Melonin Noumonvi (France); 7th - Denis Forov (Armenia); 8th - Shalva Gadabadze (Azerbaijan); 9th - Alexej Michine (Russia); 10th - Yunior Estrada (Cuba) 

2007 World Championship results
84 kg/185 lbs. - Gold – Alexej Mishin (Russia); Silver – Brad Vering (United States); Bronze – Hassan Tahmasebi (Iran); Bronze – Badri Khasaia (Georgia); 5th - Jung-Sub Kim (Korea); 5th – Ara Abrahamian (Sweden); 7th - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); 8th - Zoltán Fodor (Hungary); 9th - Jan Fischer (Germany); 10th - Alim Selimov (Belarus)

2006 World Championship results
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Mohamed Abdelfatah (Egypt); Silver - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Bronze - Alexey Mishine (Russia); Bronze - Saman Tahmasebi (Iran); 5th - Badri Khasia (Georgia); 5th - Kim-Jussi Nurmela (Finland); 7th - Artur Michalkiewicz (Poland); 8th - Ara Abrahamian (Sweden); 9th - Shingo Matsumoto (Japan); 10th - Adomaitis Laimutis (Lithuania)

2005 World Championships results
84 kg/185 lbs. - Gold - Alim Selimav (Belarus); Silver - Alexei Mishine (Russia); Bronze - Sandor Bardosi (Hungary); Bronze - Namzi Avluca (Turkey); 5th - Kim Jung-Sub (Korea); 5th - Oleg Daragan (Ukraine); 7th - Artur Michalkiewicz (Poland); 8th - Shingo Matsumoto (Japan); 9th - Ntante Charempasvili (Greece); 10th - Luis Mendez (Cuba)