Byers qualifies his weight class for the 2000 Olympic Games at the 1999 World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships in Athens, Greece 
   Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) qualified for the quarterfinals at 286 pounds at the 45th Greco-Roman World Championships in Athens, Greece, Saturday, Sept. 25.   
 In the round of 16 competitors, Byers defeated Anasstasios Sofianidis of Greece, by a 2-0 overtime referee's decision. The victory qualifies Byers for the quarterfinals, where he will face D. Endelandze of Georgia on Sunday. 
  BYERS QUALIFIES USA FOR THE OLYMPICS AT HIS WEIGHT   
 By making the quarterfinals, Byers has guaranteed himself a finish in the top eight of his weight class, and has qualified the United States a position at the 2000 Olympic Games at 286 pounds.   
 Byers scored a solid 4-1 win over 1997 World silver medalist Mihaly Deak-Bardos of Hungary in his first match. In the second round, he edged Ion Ticala of Romania in a 1-1 overtime referee's decision.   
 Byers, the 1999 U.S. Nationals and Armed Forces champion, is competing in his first World Championships. Byers defeated 1996 Olympic silver medalist Matt Ghaffari to qualify for the U.S. team. 
  CLARK, KLOHS LOSE MATCHES ON SATURDAY   
 Quincey Clark (New Brighton, Minn./Minnesota Storm) lost in the round of 16 at 187.25 pounds to Behrouz Jamshidi of Iran, by a 2-2 overtime referee's decision. Clark defeated 1996 Olympic Champion Hamza Yerlikaya of Turkey, 3-0, in his opening match. Yerlikaya has also won two World Championship gold medals (1993, 1995).   
 Clark placed ninth in the 1998 World Championships and won his first U.S. Nationals title in 1999. Clark competed in college for the Univ of Oklahoma and San Diego State Univ.   
 Jason Klohs (Maple Grove, Minn./Minnesota Storm) lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Gogi Koguaschvili of Russia, 4-0, at 213.75 pounds. Koguaschvili was a 1993, 1994, 1997 and 1998 World Champion.    
 Klohs competed in the 1998 World Championships and was also the 1998 U.S. Nationals champion. He wrestled in college for the Univ. of Wyoming and the Univ. of Minnesota. 
  HALL AND ZUNIGA ELIMINATED FROM COMPETITION ON SATURDAY   
 Dennis Hall (Plover, Wis./Sunkist Kids) lost his third match of the tournament to Uludamirbek Asilbekov of Kyrgyzstan, 4-1, at 127.75 pounds on Saturday. Hall finished 0-3 at the championships. In the first round, Hall lost to Igor Piatrenka of Belarus, 6-1. In the next match, he was defeated by 1996 Olympic champion Armen Nazarian of Bulgaria, 8-1.   
 Hall was a 1995 World Champion, 1996 Olympic silver-medalist and 1993 World bronze medalist. He is also a two-time Pan American Games champion. Hall is an eight-time U.S. Nationals champion and is competing on his sixth U.S. World team.    
 Dave Zuniga (New Brighton, Minn./Minnesota Storm) lost his second match to Mowses Karapetyan of Armenia, 7-6. He did not score enough points to advance. He lost his first match at 152 pounds to Thomas Amundson of Norway, 5-0. Zuniga was a member of the 1996 Olympic team where he finished tenth. This is Zuniga's fourth World team berth. He placed fourth at the 1994 World Championships.   
 The 1999 World Championships serves as the first and largest qualifying event for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The top eight place winners at the 1999 World Championships in Greco-Roman qualify their nation to participate in the 2000 Olympic Games in their weight division. In total, 64 Olympic berths will be determined at the 1999 World Greco-Roman Championships.   
 The team is led by head coach Dan Chandler of Minneapolis, Minn., assistant coach Rob Hermann of Pensacola, Fla. and USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo.   
 Visit the USA Wrestling web page at http://www.usawrestling.org or the World Championships web page at http://www.wrestling.org.gr/wrestling/world99/main_en.html   
 Final placings were not yet available for Clark, Klohs, Hall and Zuniga. 
  1999 GRECO-ROMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 
  at Athens, Greece 
  U.S. results on Saturday, Sept. 25   
 97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Jason Klohs, Maple Grove, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) - lost dec. to Gogi Koguaschvili (Russia), 4-0   
 58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Dennis Hall, Plover, Wis. (Sunkist Kids) - lost dec. to Uludamirbek Asilbekov (Kyrgyzstan), 4-1   
 69 kg/152 lbs. - Dave Zuniga, New Brighton, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) - lost dec. to Mowses Karapetyan (Armenia), 7-6   
 85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Quincey Clark, New Brighton, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) - lost dec. to Behrouz Jamshidi (Iran), 2-2, ot, rd, 9:00   
 130 kg/286 lbs. - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) - dec. Anasstasios Sofianidis (Greece), 2-0, ot, rd, 9:00 
  U.S. Quarterfinal action on Sunday, Sept. 26   
 130 kg/286 lbs. - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) vs. D. Endelandze (Georgia) 
  Final placings of three U.S. athletes eliminated on Thursday   
 54 kg/119 lbs. - Steven Mays, Pensacola, Fla. (U.S. Navy) - 24th of 38 athletes   
 63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (No Limit Soldier) - 26th of 38 athletes   
 76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Matt Lindland, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids) - 24th of 37 athletes 
  Medal Matches 
 Saturday, Sept. 25   
 54 kg/119 lbs. - Gold Medal - Lazaro Rivas (Cuba) dec. Tae-Yeon Ha (Korea), 7-0                                     
 Bronze Medal - Alfred Ter-Mkrtchyan (Germany) dec. R. Assembekov (Kazakhstan), 3-0, ot, 7:18   
 63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold Medal - M. Manoukyan (Kazakhstan) dec. Seref Eroglu (Turkey), 4-0                                     
 Bronze Medal - Michal Beilin (Israel) dec. Bachodyr Kurbanov (Uzbekistan), 4-2   
 76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Gold Medal - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey) won by tech. fall over Yvon Riemer (France), 10-0, 2:41                                     
 Bronze Medal - Dimitrios Avramis (Greece) dec. Tariel Melelashvili (Georgia), 5-0   
 97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Gold Medal - Gogi Koguaschvili (Russia) dec. Andrzej Wronski (Poland), 4-0                                      
 Bronze Medal - Mikael Ljungberg (Sweden) dec. Hakki Basar (Turkey), 4-2 
  U.S. quotes   
 58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Dennis Hall, Plover, Wis. (Sunkist Kids) - (after first loss) - "I need to get on track. I wrestled a good match, but I made a mistake. I felt good. I just have to get out of the pool."   
 85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Quincey Clark, New Brighton, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) - (after beating the Olympic champion) "It felt so good. I heard the crowd. It fired me up. When I scored the first two points, I knew I couldn't let him score. I knew he would burn himself out trying to lift me."   
 130 kg/286 lbs.- Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) - (after beating former World silver medalist) - "I figured he'd try to beat on my head when we were on our feet. I was hoping to get him in the par terre position (on the mat), so I could lift him. Normally, the butterflies are gone by now. I keep reminding myself that they don't know me yet. That's in my favor."