Date of competition: Sunday, Sept. 12

Iran’s Mehdi Taghavi won the World title this year and looked very dominant in winning the gold medal in 2009.

Returning bronze medalists are Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhstan and Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu of Japan.

India’s Sushil Kumar placed fifth in the World in 2009 after winning an Olympic bronze medal the year before. Kumar won the 2010 Asian Championships.

Veteran Otar Tushishvili of Georgia also will be in the mix after placing third in the European Championships. Tushishvili is a past World silver medalist and won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics.

Azerbaijan’s Jabrayli Hasanov won the European Championships and the Heydar Aliyev Golden Grand Prix this year. He was seventh in the World in 2009.

Russia’s Rasul Djukaev placed second at the 2009 World Championships, but the Russians are expected to go with a different wrestler this year.

2010 Junior World champion Alan Gogaev is expected to be Russia’s entry at the Worlds.

The United States features a top young prospect of its own in Brent Metcalf, a two-time NCAA champion for Iowa.

Metcalf is a past Junior World Team member who placed third in July’s Heydar Aliyev Golden Grand Prix in Azerbaijan. Metcalf lost two matches to Hasanov, both in two straight periods, during the U.S. trip to Azerbaijan earlier this summer.

Metcalf is a very driven, confident and talented wrestler who could make an impact in his first World Championships.

The U.S. is looking for its first World-level medal in this class since Bill Zadick won a World title in 2006.

Andriy Stadnik of the Ukraine is another wrestler who could make an impact. The 2008 Olympic silver medalist was eighth in the World last year.

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2009 World Championships
Gold - Mehdi Taghavi (Iran); Silver - Rasul Djukaev (Russia); Bronze - Leonid Spiridonov (Kazakhstan); Bronze - Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (Japan); 5th - Muhammed Ilkhan (Turkey); 5th - Sushil Kumar (India); 7th - Jabrayli Hasanov (Azerbaijan); 8th - Andriy Stadnik (Ukraine); 9th - Chung Song Yang (North Korea); 10th - Purevjav Unurbat (Mongolia)

2008 Olympic Games
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Gold – Ramazan Shahin (Turkey); Silver – Andriy Stadnik (Ukraine); Bronze – Otar Tushishvili (Georgia); Bronze – Sushil Kumar (India); 5th – Geandry Garzon (Cuba); 5th – Leonid Spiridonov (Kazakhstan); 7th – Irbek Farniev (Russia); 8th – Batzorig Buyanjav (Mongolia); 9th – Albert Batyrov (Belarus); 10th – Mehdi Taghavi (Iran)

2007 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Gold - Ramazan Shahin (Turkey); Silver - Geandry Garzon (Cuba); Bronze - Irbek Farniev (Russia); Bronze - Otar Tushishvili (Georgia); 5th - Andrey Stadnik (Ukraine); 5th - Doug Schwab (United States); 7th - Sushil Kumar (India); 8th - Batzorig Buyanjav (Mongolia); 9th - Takayuki Suzuki (Japan); 10th - Arslan Khutaliev (Uzbekistan)

2006 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Bill Zadick (USA); Silver – Otari Tushishvili (Georgia); Bronze – Geandry Garzon (Cuba); Bronze – Andriy Stadnik (Ukraine); 5th – Albert Batyrov (Belarus); 5th – Serafim Barzakov (Bulgaria); 7th – Elman Askerov (Azerbaijan); 8th – Fred Jessy (Nigeria); 9th – Makhach Murtazaliev (Russia); 10th – Leonid Spiridonov (Kazakhstan)

2005 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Gold - Mahach Murtazaliev (Russia); Silver - Serafim Barzakov (Bulgaria); Bronze - Otar Tushishvili (Georgia); Bronze - Geandry Garzon (Cuba); 5th - Leonid Spirodonov (Kazakhstan); 5th - Viktor Bilokopytyy (Ukraine); 7th - Bayunjav Batzorig (Mongolia); 8th - Evan MacDonald (Canada); 9th - Omer Cubukci (Turkey); 10th - Masoud Vahedi (Iran)