HENSON, DOUGLAS QUALIFY FOR SEMIFINALS AT FREESTYLE WORLD WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN TEHRAN, IRAN, SEPT. 8 
  
 Two U.S. wrestlers have qualified for the semifinals in their weight classes at the 1998 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Sept. 8. 
  
 The two U.S. semifinalists are Sam Henson (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 119 pounds and 1993 World Champion Melvin Douglas (Mesa, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) at 213.75 pounds.  
  
 Competing in his first World Championships, Henson won his first three matches. He stopped Vasili Zeiher of Germany, 6-4 then beat Amiran Kartanov of Greece, 5-4. In the quarterfinals, Henson beat Mavlen Mamyrov of Kazakhstan, 3-1, in overtime. 
  
 In the semifinals on Wednesday, Henson will face Tchechenool Mongush of Russia, who was fourth in the 1996 Olympic Games. 
  
 Henson, 27, was the 1998 U.S. Nationals champion, and won two NCAA titles for Clemson Univ. He placed second in the 1998 World Cup and the 1998 Goodwill Games. He is originally from St. Peters, Mo. 
  
 Douglas also opened with three victories. In the first round, he defeated 1992 Olympic silver medalist Heiko Balz of Germany, 3-0. He followed up with a 7-1 win over Rolf Sherrer of Switzerland, then a 2-1 overtime referees decision over Krassimir Kotchev of Bulgaria. 
  
 In the semifinals, Douglas will battle 1996 Olympic silver medalist Abbas Jadidi of Iran. The wrestlers have competed twice this year, with Jadidi winning an overtime bout at the Takhti Cup in Iran in February, and Douglas winning at the Goodwill Games in New York City in July. 
  
 Douglas has won four career World medals and was seventh in the 1996 Olympic Games. He was a silver medalist at the 1998 Goodwill Games. Douglas, 34, won two NCAA titles for the Univ. of Oklahoma and is originally from Topeka, Kan.  
  
 A pair of U.S. wrestlers lost one bout and remain alive in the consolation rounds: 1997 World silver medalist Cary Kolat (Lock Haven, Pa./Dave Schultz WC) at 138.75 pounds and Steve Marianetti (Urbana, Ill./New York AC) at 167.5 pounds. Both are still eligible to wrestle back for a bronze medal. 
  
 Kolat opened with a 5-0 win over Zsolt Bankuti of Hungary. In the second round, he had a victory overturned by protest. Kolat defeated Serafim Barzakov of Bulgaria, 3-1 in overtime, but Bulgaria protested the match, and FILA overturned the decision, giving Barzakov a 3-1 win. In his first consolation match, Kolat beat Jurgen Scheibe of Germany, 5-0. Kolat will face Bevik Dengelboiev of Kazakhstan on Wednesday. 
  
 Kolat won gold medals at the 1998 Goodwill Games and the 1998 World Cup. Kolat, 25, was a two-time NCAA champion for Lock Haven Univ and is originally from Rices Landing, Pa. 
  
 Marianetti also opened with a victory, beating Jolutort of South Africa, 6-0. In the second match, he ran out of injury time, and lost by injury default to Arpad Ritter of Hungary. In his first consolation bout, he beat Nuri Zengin of Turkey, 2-0 in overtime. He will face Ali Reza Sabouri of Iran in his first match on Wednesday. 
  
 Marianetti, 26, a 1998 U.S. Nationals champion, was also an NCAA champion for the Univ. of Illinois. He is originally from Glenbrook, Ill. 
  
 The second group of U.S. wrestlers weighed in and will start their competition on Wednesday. 
  
 1997 World Champion Les Gutches (Corvallis, Ore./Sunkist Kids) will begin competition at 187.25 pounds against Gabriel Szerda of Australia. 
  
 Gutches claimed a gold medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games. He was seventh at the 1996 Olympic Games. He has won the U.S. Nationals three straight years, and was third in the 1998 World Cup. Gutches, 25, was a two-time NCAA champion for Oregon State Univ., and hails from Medford, Ore. 
  
 1998 Goodwill Games champion Lincoln McIlravy (Iowa City, Iowa/Gateway) will start his competition at 152 pounds against three-time World Champion Araik Gevorgeyan of Armenia. 
  
 McIlravy, the 1998 World Cup champion, has not lost a match in 1998. McIlravy has also won two straight U.S. Nationals titles. McIlravy, 23, was a three-time NCAA champion for the Univ. of Iowa, and hails from Philip, S.D. 
  
 Tony Purler (Clarion, Pa./Sunkist Kids) will face 1997 World silver medalist Ramil Islamov of Uzbekistan in the first round at 127.75 pounds.  
  
 Purler was the 1998 U.S. Nationals champion, and placed third at the 1998 Goodwill Games. Purler, 28, was an NCAA champion for the Univ. of Nebraska. He placed 10th in the 1997 World Championships. He is originally from Wentzville, Mo. 
  
 Kerry McCoy (State College, Pa./New York AC) opens against 1995 World silver medalist Sven Thiele of Germany at 286 pounds.  
  
 McCoy, 23, was a two-time NCAA champion for Penn State Univ. He was a Junior World Champion in 1992, and has also won a silver medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games. He is originally from Middle Island, N.Y. 
  
 The head coach of the U.S. team is John Smith (Stillwater, Okla.) and the assistant coach is Donnie McPherson (Portland, Ore.). USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Bruce Burnett (Colorado Springs, Colo.) also leads the U.S. team.  
  
 This is the second time that a U.S. wrestling team will have traveled to Iran this year. In February, a USA Wrestling delegation of 10 people, including five athletes, participated in the Takhti Cup in Tehran. It was the first U.S. sports team to compete in Iran in almost 20 years. 
  
 1998 WORLD FREESTYLE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS at Tehran, Iran, Sept. 8 
  
 U.S. athletes, Group 1 results 
  
 54 kg/119 lbs. - Sam Henson, Cedar Falls, Iowa - dec. Vasili Zeiher (Germany), 6-4; dec. Amiran Kartanov (Greece), 5-4; dec. Mavlen Mamyrov (Kazakhstan), 3-1, ot 
  
 63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Cary Kolat, Lock Haven, Pa. (Dave Schultz WC) - dec. Zsolt Bankuti (Hungary), 5-0; lost dec. to Serafim Barzakov (Bulgaria), 3-1; dec. Jurgen Scheibe (Germany), 5-0 
  
 76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Steve Marianetti, Urbana, Ill. (New York AC) - dec. Jolutort (South Africa), 6-0; lost by inj. dft. to Arpad Ritter (Hungary); won by ref. dec. over Nuri Zengin (Turkey), 2-0, ot, 8:00 
  
 97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Melvin Douglas, Mesa, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) - dec. Heiko Balz (Germany), 3-0; dec. Rolf Sherrer (Switzerland), 7-1; won by ref. dec. over Krassimir Kotchev (Bulgaria), 2-1, ot, 8:00 
  
 U.S. athletes, Group 2 (first round pairings for Sept. 9) 
  
 58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Tony Purler, Clarion, Pa. (Sunkist Kids) - vs. Ramil Islamov (Uzbekistan) 
  
 69 kg/152 lbs. - Lincoln McIlravy, Iowa City, Iowa (Gateway) - vs. Araik Gevorgeyan (Armenia) 
  
 85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Les Gutches, Corvallis, Ore. (Sunkist Kids) - vs. Gabriel Szerda (Australia) 
  
 130 kg/286 lbs. - Kerry McCoy, State College, Pa. (New York AC) - vs. Sven Thiele (Germany) 
  
 Follow the action on the USA Wrestling web page at http://www.usawrestling.org, and on the 1998 World Championships web page at http://www.iriwrestling.kanoon.net/