Date of Competition: September 12

By the time competition rolls around in Istanbul, Turkey for the 2011 World Wrestling Championships, Iran’s Hamid Sorian Reihanpour will have celebrated his 26th birthday. Can Reihanpour make Istanbul the sight for his sixth consecutive World Championship?

Hard to believe, looking at it from American wrestling standards, that Reihanpour has been so dominant. Dating back to 2005, where Reihanpour won his first World Championship, the Iranian has only had one subpar performance – a fifth place finish at the 2008 Olympics.

He did finish fifth at the Asian Games two months after winning Gold in Moscow and wrestled up a weight at Tblisi, but those results are more anomalies than they are a sign Reihanpour is slowing down. 

Dominant last year in Russia, he’s making a dedicated run towards London in 2012. 

A handful of highly-credentialed wrestlers are waiting for their chance to knock Reihanpour from his perch, but many of those credentials are placement behind the Iranian lightweight.

Last year’s silver medalist, Gyu-Jin Choi of Korea was a surprise finalist, carving out a great tournament. Choi’s best placement at the Worlds prior to 2010 was seventh. Choi won the Asian Championships in 2010 before finishing second, so his entire season was fairly successful. In 2011, Choi hasn’t shown up in any international events, with Jung-Baek Lee representing the nation at the Asian Championships back in May. Lee, 25, finished with a bronze at the Asian Championships, making him a suitable replacement for Choi.

Roman Amoyan of Armenia has been solid on the scene since 2004. The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist also finished with a bronze last year at the World Championships and in 2009, was the silver medalist behind Reihanpour. 

In 2011, Amoyan won the European Championships back in April and finished second at the Grand Prix of Spain to Poland’s Edward Barsegjan, although that was up at 60kg. Amoyan has a win over Korea’s Lee in the Grand Prix of Slovenia back in February.

Nazir Mankiev didn’t wrestle in 2009 after winning the Olympic Championship in 2008. He returned in 2010 to finish with a bronze medal. Since, Mankiev has won at Poddubny, but finished a eighth in the World Cup. Valeri Borgoyakov represented Russia at the European Championships, but Bekhan Mankiev, not Nazir, won Russian Nationals. With Russia, you never know who they’ll enter, because it’s not always based on their nationals. 

Bulgaria’s Venelin Venkov has twice finished fifth in the World, while fellow fifth-place finisher from 2010, Peter Modos of Hungary, hasn’t wrestled in much since the Worlds.

Keep an eye on young Arsen Eraliev of Kyrgysztan. Eraliev beat Venkov to win the Pytlasinski Cup in early August. The 21-year-old also won the European Championship and might be an emerging presence after two lackluster performances in the World Championships in 2009 and 2010. 

American Spenser Mango makes his third straight World Team and fourth in a row if you count the Olympics. Loaded with talent, Mango is still looking to breakthrough on the world stage. 

The U.S. last medal at the World Championships at this weight came in 2006, when the late Lindsey Durlacher earned a bronze medal in Guangzhou, China. 

Last year, Mango finished outside of the top 10, but does have a ninth-place finish in 2009 and an eighth-place finish at the Olympic Games to his credit.

Others to watch:
Bekhan Mankiev (Russia) – Russian Champion
Elbek Tazhyiev (Belarus) – 3rd at European Championships
Ildar Hafizov (Uzbekistan) – 2nd at Asian Championships
Rajender Kumar (India) – 5th at Asian Championships
Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) – 3rd at European Championships OR
Elchin Aliev (Azerbaijan) – 9th at 2010 World Championships
Thomas Roenningen (Norway)

2010 World Championships
55kg/121 lbs. – Gold – Hamid Sorian Reihanpour (Iran); Silver – Gyu-Jin Choi (Korea); Bronze – Roman Amoyan (Armenia); Bronze – Nazir Mankiev (Russia); 5th – Venelin Venkov (Bulgaria), 5th – Peter Modos (Hungary), 7th – Jani Haapamaeki (Finland); 8th – David Erestic (Poland), 9th – Elchin Aliev (Azerbaijan), 10th – Gustavo Balart Marin (Cuba).

2009 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold - Hamid Sorian Reihanpour (Iran); Silver - Roman Amoyan (Armenia); Bronze - Hakan Nyblom (Denmark); Bronze - Rovshan Bayramov (Azerbaijan); 5th - Erhan Karakus (Turkey); 5th - Virgil Munteanu (Romania); 7th - Gyu-Jim Choi (Korea); 8th - Jani Haapamaki (Finland); 9th - Spenser Mango (USA); 10th - Vyugar Ragymov (Ukraine)

2008 Olympic Games
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold - Nazyr Mankiev (Russia); Silver - Rovshan Bayramov (Azerbaijain); Bronze - Roman Amoyan (Armenia); Bronze - Eun-Chol Park (Korea); 5th - Yagnier Hernandez (Cuba); 5th - Hamid Soryan Reihanpour (Iran); 7th - Kristijan Fris (Serbia); 8th - Spenser Mango (USA); 9th - Lasha Goctadze (Georgia); 10th - Ildar Hafizov (Uzbekistan) 

2007 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs - Gold - Hamid Sorian Reihanpour (Iran); Silver - Eun-Chol Park (Korea); Bronze - Nazyr Mankiev (Russia); Bronze - Kristijan Fris (Serbia); 5th - Ildar Hafizov (Uzbekistan); 5th - Lindsey Durlacher (United States); 7th - Virgil Munteanu (Romania); 8th - Anders Nyblom (Denmark); 9th - Yerbol Konyratov (Kazakhstan); 10th - Rovshan Bayramov (Azerbaijan)

2006 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs. – Gold – Hamid Sorian Reihanpour (Iran); Silver – Roushan Bayramov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Lindsey Durlacher (USA); Bronze – Eun-Chol Park (Korea); 5th – Velenin Venkov (Bulgaria); 5th – Tibor Olah (Hungary); 7th – Vyugar Ragymov (Ukraine); 8th – Yerbel Konyratov (Kazakhstan); 9th – Anders Nyblom (Denmark); 10th – Aliaksandr Shalesny (Belarus)

2005 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold - Hamid Sourian Reinhanpour (Iran); Silver - Eun-Chol Park (Korea); Bronze - Istvan Majoros (Hungary); Bronze - Yermek Kuketov (Kazakhstan); 5th - Anders Nyblom (Denmark); 5th - Lazaro Rivas (Cuba); 7th - Rovshan Bayramov (Azerbaijan); 8th - Irakli Chochua (Georgia); 9th - Roman Amoyan (Armenia); 10th - Kwang Su Cha (North Korea)