Date of competition: Sunday, Aug. 12

Iran’s Mehdi Taghavi Kermani won a tough weight class in capturing a freestyle gold medal at the 2011 World Championships.

The Iranian star downed Japan’s Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu in the finals.

Azerbaijan’s Jabrayil Hasanov and Cuba’s Livan Lopez Azcuy earned bronze medals at the 2011 Worlds.

Alan Gaughan won the Russian Nationals, downing Adam Batirov in the finals. Batirov was fifth in the World in 2011. 2004 and 2008 Olympic champion Mavlet Batirov also could be the Russian entry here.

India’s Sushil Kumar became a national hero after winning a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Kumar followed by winning a World title in 2010. He won February’s Dave Schultz Memorial International in dominating fashion in Colorado Springs.

2008 Olympic champion and 2007 World champion Ramazan Shahin of Turkey also could be a contender in this division.

Georgia’s Otar Tushishvili, a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and 2006 World silver medalist, also has qualified at 66 kilos.

Canada’s Haislan Garcia is another wrestler to keep an eye on. He was fifth in the World in 2010 and won the Pan American Olympic Qualifier this year.

American Jared Frayer made his first World-level team this year after a string of near-misses.

Frayer is a dangerous wrestler with big-move capability. He is a tough matchup who is never out of a match.

The U.S. is looking for its first win in this weight class at a World Championships or Olympics since Doug Schwab placed fifth at the 2007 Worlds.

EXPECTED OLYMPIC ENTRIES
66 kg/145.5 lbs.

1st at 2011 World Championships – Mehdi Taghavi (Iran)
2nd at 2011 World Championships – Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (Japan)
3rd at 2011 World Championships – Yabrail Hasanov (Azerbaijan)
3rd at 2011 World Championships – Livan Lopez Azcuy (Cuba)
5th at 2011 World Championships – Leonid Bazan (Bulgaria)
5th at 2011 World Championships – Alan Gaughan (Russia)
2012 European Olympic qualifier champion – Ali Shabanov (Belarus)
2012 European Olympic qualifier runner-up – David Safaryan (Armenia)
2012 Asian Olympic qualifier champion – Ikhtiyor Navruzov (Uzbekistan)
2012 Asian Olympic qualifier runner-up – Akzhurek Tanatarov (Kazakhstan)
2012 Pan American Olympic qualifier champion –Haislan Garcia (Canada)
2012 Pan American Olympic qualifier runner-up – Jared Frayer (United States)
2012 Africa/Oceania Olympic qualifier champion – Omar Abdou Abdou (Egypt)
2012 Africa/Oceania Olympic qualifier runner-up – Haithem Ben Alayech (Tunisia)
Olympic Qualifier #1 champion – Sushil Kumar (India)
Olympic Qualifier #1 runner-up – Otar Tushishvili (Georgia)
Olympic Qualifier #1 bronze medalist – Andrey Kviatkovski (Ukraine)
Olympic Qualifier #2 champion – Zelimkhan Yusupov (Tajikistan)
Olympic Qualifier #2 runner-up – Ramazan Shahin (Turkey)

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2011 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Mehdi Taghavi (Iran); Silver – Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (Japan); Bronze – Jabrayil Hasanov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Livan Lopez Azcuy (Cuba); 5th – Leonid Bazin (Bulgaria); 5th – Adam Batirov (Russia); 7th – Innokenti Innokentev (Kyrgyzstan); 8th – Jakub Kacenak (Slovakia); 9th – Andriy Stadnik (Ukraine); 10th - Vladimir Gotisan (Moldova)

2010 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Sushil Kumar (India); Silver – Alan Gogaev (Russia); Bronze – Jabrayil Hasanov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Geandry Garzon (Cuba); 5th – Batzorig Buyanjav (Mongolia); 5th – Haislan Garcia (Canada); 7th – Heinrich Barnes (South Africa); 8th – Martin Daum (Germany); 9th – Yuri Poliak (Israel); 10th – Akzhurek Tantarov (Kazakhstan)

2009 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – 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)

2004 Olympic Games
66 kg/ 145.5 lbs. – Gold - Elbrus Tedeyev (Ukraine); Silver - Jamill Kelly (USA); Bronze - Makhach Murtazaliev (Russia); 4th - Leonid Spirdonov (Kazakhstan); 5th - Kazuhiko Ikematu (Japan); 6th - Apostolos Taskoudis (Greece); 7th - Omer Cubucki (Turkey); 8th - Serafim Barzakov (Bulgaria); 9th - Serguei Rondon (Cuba); 10th - Kumar Na Ramesh (India)