GHAFFARI QUALIFIES FOR SEMIFINALS AT GRECO-ROMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, AUG. 28; LINDLAND BEATEN IN SEMIFINALS 
   
 1996 silver medalist Matt Ghaffari (Avon Lake, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) won three matches and qualified for the semifinals at 286 pounds at the 1998 Greco-Roman World Championships, Aug. 28 in Gavle, Sweden. 
  
 Ghaffari returned to the mats for the first time since his Olympic medal performance this spring, and is competing in his first international tournament in over two years. 
  
 Ghaffari opened with an 8-0 decision over Vassil Hristov of Spain. In the second round, he won a 1-0 overtime referee¹s decision over Raymond Edfelder of Germany. In the quarterfinals, Ghaffari won a 0-0 overtime referee¹s decision over 1997 World silver medalist Bardos Mihaly Deak of Hungary. 
  
 Ghaffari will battle two-time World silver medalist Sergei Murieko of Bulgaria in the semifinals on Saturday. If Ghaffari wins in the semifinals, it is a good possibility that he will face rival Alexander Karelin of Russia in the finals. Karelin, a three-time Olympic champion who has never lost an international match, is in the other semifinal bout. 
  
 Ghaffari is originally from Paramus, N.J. and competed for Cleveland State. 
  
 U.S. wrestler Matt Lindland (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) was defeated in the semifinals at 167.5 pounds by 1996 Olympic champion Filiberto Azcuy of Cuba, 4-0. He will compete in the consolation rounds on Saturday, with the possibilty of wrestling back for a bronze medal.  
  
 Lindland, a two-time U.S. nationals champion who is competing in his second World Championship, can place no lower than sixth. Lindland is originally from Gladstone, Ore., and competed for Clackamas CC and the Univ. of Nebraska. 
  
 Quincey Clark (New Brighton, Minn./Minn. Storm) had a 1-1 record at 187.25 pounds on Friday, and remains alive in the consolation rounds.  
  
 He was beaten in his first match by Alexander Sidorenko of Belarus, 4-2 but rebounded with a 4-0 win over Emzar Makharadze of Georgia. Clark grew up in San Diego, Calif., and competed for San Diego State and the Univ. of Oklahoma. 
  
 A pair of U.S. athletes competing in their second day of wrestling were defeated on Saturday and eliminated from medal contention: two-time Olympian Shawn Sheldon (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 119 pounds and Kevin Bracken (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 138.75 pounds. 
  
 Sheldon lost by referee¹s decision to Zigmunds Jansons of Latvia, 0-0 in overtime. Bracken lost by technical fall to Akaki Chachua of Georgia, 10-0, in 3:52. 
  
 Two other U.S. wrestlers who started competition on Friday were defeated twice and eliminated: 1996 Olympic silver medalists Dennis Hall (Plover, Wis./Sunkist Kids) at 127.75 pounds and Chris Saba (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC) at 152 pounds. Both finished with 1-2 records. 
  
 Hall, who has competed for the U.S. in the World Championships or Olympics eight times, will not earn a place in the top 10 for the first time since 1990. 
  
 The 1998 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team Coaches are Joe DeMeo of Niskayuna, N.Y., Dan Mello of Colorado Springs, Colo. and National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo.  
  
 GRECO-ROMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS at Gavle, Sweden, Aug. 28 
  
 U.S. results 
  
 54 kg/119 lbs.  - Shawn Sheldon, Colo. Spgs, Colo. - lost by ref. dec. to Zigmunds Jansons (Latvia), 0-0, ot, 8:00 
  
 63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Kevin Bracken, Colo. Spgs, Colo.  lost by tech. fall to Akaki Chachua (Georgia), 10-0, 3:52 
  
 76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Matt Lindland, Lincoln, Neb.  - lost dec. to Filiberto Azcuy (Cuba), 4-0 
  
 U.S. Group 2 athletes (first round pairings for Aug. 28) 
  
 58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Dennis Hall, Plover, Wis.  - dec Victor Hugo Capacho (Colombia), 5-0; lost dec. to Asliddin Hudoberdiev (Uzbekistan), 9-1; lost dec. to Constantin Borascu (Romania), 6-2 
  
 69 kg/152 lbs. -  Chris Saba, Colorado Springs, Colo.  - lost dec. to Theodoris Voltsidis (Greece), 3-2; dec. Rade Bacic (Slovenia), 7-4; lost dec. to Peter Puls (Sweden), 2-0, ot, 8:00 
  
 85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Quincey Clark, New Brighton, Minn.  - lost dec. to Alexander Sidorenko (Belarus), 4-2; dec. Emzar Makharadze (Georgia), 4-0 
  
 130 kg/286 lbs. - Matt Ghaffari, Avon Lake, Ohio  - dec. Vassil Hristov (Spain), 8-0; won by ref. dec. over Raymond Edfelder (Germany), 1-0, ot, 8:00; won by ref. dec. over Bardos Mihaly Deak (Hungary), 0-0, ot, 8:00 
  
 Follow the Greco-Roman World Championships on line at 1998 World Championships web page at http://www.wrestling1998.com and USA Wrestling web page at http://www.usawrestling.org