The biggest story in this weight class is the return of 2004 Olympic gold medalist Cael Sanderson.

Sanderson, 32, the head coach at Penn State, is back wrestling again after a layoff of nearly seven years. He is bigger and stronger than when he stepped away from competition at age 25 after winning the Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Sanderson looked strong in sweeping 2009 World silver medalist Jake Herbert in the final-round series of the U.S. World Team Trials in June. He tuned up for the Worlds by winning the Ion Corneanu Memorial in Romania in early August.

Sanderson is a legitimate gold-medal threat who looked very good the past two weeks during World Team Camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Bulgaria’s Mihail Ganev won the title at 84 kg/185 lbs. last year. He beat 2009 World champion Zaurbek Sokhiev of Uzbekistan in the 2010 finals.

Russia’s Soslan Ktsoev and Cuba’s Reineris Salas won the bronze medals in this division last year. Ukraine’s Ibragim Aldatov was fifth last year after winning a bronze medal the previous year.

The deep and loaded Russian team likely will have a new entry here.

Albert Saritov won the Russian Nationals this year. Saritov placed second at the Ivan Yarygin event in Russia this year. Saritov lost in the finals of the Yarygin to Russian Anzor Urishev, who has won the European Championships the past two years. Ktsoev finished third in the Yarygin.

Saritov is expected to be Russia’s entry at the Worlds this year.

Iran’s Ehsan Salman Amini won the Asian Championships this year.

Puerto Rico’s Jaime Espinal, a member of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, placed ninth in the 2009 Worlds.

There have been reports that three-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time World champion Bouvaisa Saitiev of Russia may be returning to the mat, but not until next year. He may bump up a weight class from 74 kilos to 84 kilos in 2012. No wrestler has ever won four Olympic titles.

Saitiev, 36, last competed when he won the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2010 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold – Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria); Silver – Zaurbek Sokhiev (Uzbekistan); Bronze – Soslan Ktsoev (Russia); Bronze – Reineris Salas (Cuba); 5th – Piotr Ianulov (Moldova); 5th – Ibragim Aldatov (Ukraine); 7th – Maciej Balawender (Poland); 8th – Dato Marsagishvili (Georgia); 9th – Vadim Laliev (Armenia); 10th – Nauruz Temrezov (Azerbaijan)

2009 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Zaurbek Sokhiev (Uzbekistan); Silver - Jake Herbert (USA); Bronze - Ibragim Aldatov (Ukraine); Bronze - Sharif Sharipov (Azerbaijan); 5th - Jousop Abdulsalomov (Tajikistan); 5th - Abdusalam Gadisov (Russia); 7th - Gokhan Yavaser (Turkey); 8th - Reineris Salas (Cuba); 9th - Jaime Espinal Fajardo (Puerto Rico); 10th - Istvan Vereb (Hungary)

2008 Olympic Games
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Revaz Mindorashvili (Georgia); Silver - Yusup Abdusalomov (Tajikistan); Bronze – Taras Danko (Ukraine); Bronze – Georgi Ketoev (Russia); 5th – Serhat Balci (Turkey); 5th – Davyd Bichinashvili (Germany); 7th – Nauruz Temrezov (Azerbaijan); 8th – Hartuyun Yenokyan (Armenia); 9th – Zaurbek Sokhiev (Uzbekistan); 10th – Reineris Salas (Cuba)

2007 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Georgi Ketoev (Russia); Silver - Yasup Abdusalamov (Tajikistan); Bronze - Zaurbek Sokhiev (Uzbekistan); Bronze - Reza Yazdani (Iran); 5th - Serhat Balci (Turkey); 5th - Joe Williams (United States); 7th - David Bichinashvili (Germany); 8th - Travis Cross (Canada); 9th - Lazaros Loizidis (Greece); 10th - Felix Polianidis (Cyprus)

2006 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold – Sajid Sajidov (Russia); Silver – Revazi Mindorashvili (Georgia); Bronze – Reza Yazdani (Iran); Bronze – Zaurbek Sokhiev (Uzbekistan); 5th – Taras Danko (Ukraine); 5th – Vadim Laliev (Armenia); 7th – Radoslaw Horbik (Poland); 8th – Dejan Bogdanov (Macedonia); 9th – David Bichinashvili (Germany); 10th – Shinya Matsumoto (Japan)

2005 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. - Gold - Revaz Mindorishvili (Georgia); Silver - Yoel Romero (Cuba); Bronze - Magomed Kurguliev (Kazakhstan); Bronze - Taras Danko (Ukraine); 5th - Sazhid Sazhidov (Russia); 5th - Radoslaw Horbik (Poland); 7th- Mo Lawal (USA); 8th - Thomas Buchell (Switzerland); 9th - Saslan Hattsyiev (Bulgaria); 10th - Matthew White (Puerto Rico)