Date of competition: Friday, Aug. 10

American Jordan Burroughs stormed into his first World Championships last year and emerged from a tough bracket to win a gold medal.

The multi-talented Burroughs is the favorite heading into London, but he is in a very strong weight class.

Burroughs beat Russia’s Denis Tsargush, the 2009 and 2010 World champion, en route to winning the World freestyle title. Tsargush has bounced back strong this season, winning the Russian Nationals. Russia could enter Adam Saitiev, who won the European Olympic qualifier this year.

Two other wrestlers Burroughs beat at last year’s Worlds – Iran’s Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi and Azerbaijan’s Ashraf Aliyev – are very strong. Goudarzi has been second at the last two World Championships and Aliyev was third last year.

Burroughs earned another win over Goudarzi in May’s World Cup. Burroughs has won all 34 of his freestyle matches on the Senior level after winning the 2011 NCAA title for Nebraska.

Georgia’s Davit Khutshishvili won the other World bronze medal last year.

Ricardo Robertty Moreno of Venezuela is another wrestler who could challenge for a medal in this division. He was fifth in the World last year.

Hungary’s Gabor Hatos could also make a splash in this weight class. He was third in the 2010 Worlds.

Canada’s Matt Gentry, a past NCAA champion for Stanford, is another wrestler to watch. Gentry qualified for his second Olympics, and he has had a superb season. Gentry won the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in March.

EXPECTED OLYMPIC ENTRIES
74 kg/163 lbs.

1st at 2011 World Championships – Jordan Burroughs (United States)
2nd at 2011 World Championships – Sadegh Goudarzi (Iran)
3rd at 2011 World Championships – Ashraf Aliev (Azerbaijan)
3rd at 2011 World Championships – David Khutishvili (Georgia)
5th at 2011 World Championships – Ricardo Antonio Robertty Moreno (Venezuela)
5th at 2011 World Championships – Abdulhakim Shapiev (Kazakhstan)
2012 European Olympic qualifier champion – Adam Saitiev (Russia) or Denis Tsargush (Russia)
2012 European Olympic qualifier runner-up – Kiril Terziev (Bulgaria)
2012 Asian Olympic qualifier champion – Rashid Kurbanov (Uzbekistan)
2012 Asian Olympic qualifier runner-up – Sosuke Takatani (Japan)
2012 Pan American Olympic qualifier champion – Matthew Gentry (Canada)
2012 Pan American Olympic qualifier runner-up – Francisco Daniel Soler Tanco (Puerto Rico)
2012 Africa/Oceania Olympic qualifier champion – Auusto Midana (Guinea-Bisau)
2012 Africa/Oceania Olympic qualifier runner-up – Bilel Ouechtati (Tunisia)
Olympic Qualifier #1 champion – Purejav Unurbat (Mongolia)
Olympic Qualifier #1 runner-up – Gabor Hatos (Hungary)
Olympic Qualifier #1 bronze medalist – Chongyao Zhang (China)
Olympic Qualifier #2 champion – Narasingh Pancham Yadav (India)
Olympic Qualifier #2 runner-up – Oleg Motsalin (Greece)

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2011 World Championships
74 kg/163 lbs. – Gold – Jordan Burroughs (USA); Silver – Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi (Iran); Bronze – 
Ashraf Aliyev (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Davit Khutshishvili (Georgia); 5th – Ricardo Robertty Moreno (Venezuela); 5th – Abdulkhakim Shapiyev (Kazakhstan); 7th – Rashid Kurbanov (Uzbekistan); 8th – Murad Gaidarov (Belarus); 9th – Chongyao Zhang (China); 10th – Andriy Skyyka (Germany)

2010 World Championships
74 kg/163 lbs. – Gold – Denis Tsargush (Russia); Silver – Sadegh Goudarzi (Iran); Bronze – Gabor Hatos (Hungary); Bronze – Abdulkhakim Shapiev (Kazakhstan); 5th – Krystian Brzozowski (Poland)
5th – Ivan Fundora (Cuba); 7th – Kiril Terziev (Bulgaria); 8th – Volodymyr Syrotyn (Ukraine); 9th – Andriy Shyyka (Germany); 10th – Roman Dermenji (Moldova)

2009 World Championships
74 kg/163 lbs. – Gold – Denis Tsargush (Russia); Silver – Chamsulvara Chamsulvarayev (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Ramesh Kumar (India); Bronze – Sadegh Goudarzi (Iran); 5th – Alexandr Burca (Moldova); 5th - Murad Gaidarov (Belarus); 7th – Apostolos Taskoudis (Greece); 8th – Kiril Terziev (Bulgaria); 9th – Bi Shengfeng (China); 10th – Andrej Shyyka (Germany)

2008 Olympic Games
74 kg/163 lbs. - Gold – Bouvaisa Saitiev (Russia); Silver – Soslan Tigiev (Uzbekistan); Bronze – Murad Gaidarov (Belarus); Bronze – Kiril Terziev (Bulgaria); 5th – Gheorghita Stefan (Romania); 5th – Ivan Fundora (Cuba); 7th – Ben Askren (USA); 8th – Arsen Gitinov (Kyrgyzstan); 9th – Emzarios Bentinidis (Greece); 10th – Ahmet Gulhan (Turkey)

2007 World Championships
74 kg/163 lbs. – Gold - Makhach Murtazaliev (Russia); Silver - Ibragim Aldatov (Ukraine); Bronze - Chamsulvara Chamsulvaraev (Azerbaijan); Bronze - Ivan Fundora (Cuba); 5th - Stefan Gheorghita (Romania); 5th - Joe Heskett (USA); 7th - Gabor Hatos (Hungary); 8th - Gela Saghirashvili (Georgia); 9th – Ali Asghar Bazrighaleh (Iran); 10th - Emzarios Bentinidis (Greece)

2006 World Championships
74 kg/163 lbs. – Gold – Ibraghim Aldatov (Ukraine); Silver – Ali Asharbazrei (Iran); Bronze – Soslan Tigiev (Uzbekistan); Bronze – Donny Pritzlaff (USA); 5th – Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria); 5th – Murad Gaidarov (Belarus); 7th – Emzarios Betinidis (Greece); 8th – Bouvaisa Saitiev (Russia); 9th – Krystian Brzozowski (Poland); 10th – Stefan Gheorghita (Romania)

2005 World Championships
74 kg/163 lbs. – Gold - Bouvaisa Saitiev (Russia); Silver - Arpad Ritter (Hungary); Bronze - Joe Williams (USA); Bronze - Nikolay Paslar (Bulgaria); 5th - Alexandru Burca (Moldova); 5th - Mehdi Hajizadeh (Iran); 7th - Ivan Fundora (Cuba); 8th - Soslan Tigiev (Uzbekistan); 9th - Talant Jekshenov (Krygyzstan); 10th - Salvatore Rinella (Italy)

2004 Olympic Games
74 kg/163 lbs. – Gold - Bouvaisa Saitiev (Russia); Silver - Gennadiy Laliev (Kazakhstan); Bronze - Ivan Fundora (Cuba); 4th - Krystian Brzoziwki (Poland); 5th -Joe Williams (USA); 6th - Daniel Igali (Canada); 7th - Salvatore Rinella (Italy); 8th - Arayik Gevorgyan (Armenia); 9th - Yusup Adulsalomov (Tajikistan); 10th - Emzarios Betinidis (Greece)