One of the top stars from Sydney was Adam Saitiev of Russia, who won his weight class in dominant fashion. Saitiev suddenly pinned 1999 World Champion Yoel Romero of Cuba in the finals, a battle of two extremely talented athletes with different styles. Adam Saitiev was a World Champion in 1999 at 76 kg, and had no difficulty at the new weight division.    Saitiev is the younger brother of Bouvaisa, a 1996 Olympic champion. The Saitiev brothers have a unique style with a flair for the unexpected. Adam started his international career as a 69 kg wrestler in 1997, and has been able to handle the increase in size due to tremendous balance and technique.    Saitiev is one of a number of athletes on the Russian roster at this weight. If he does not come, 1996 Olympic champion Khajimurad Magomedov or talented young Khajimurad Gatsalov may be the entry. Magomedov and Gatsalov had a tremendous showdown in the finals of the 2001 Dave Schultz Memorial, with veteran Magomedov winning.    Romero is a super talent, with a more powerful style than Saitiev. He had a long rivalry with American Les Gutches that was both intense and personal. It takes a tremendous effort and outstanding strategy to defeat Romero, but both Gutches and Saitiev showed that it can be done.    The Olympic bronze medal in 2000 went to Mogomed Ibragimov of Macedonia, who defeated former World champion and respected vetern Amir Reza Khadem of Iran in the third-place match. Macedonia's roster lists Ibragimov at this weight class, while Uzbekistan has him listed at 97 kg. What team and what weight class he will be at in New York may not be known until weigh-in day.    Other top placewinners from Sydney include Nicolae Ghita of Romania, Beibulat Musaev of Belarus and Magomed Kurugliyev of Kazakhstan. These three athletes have the potential to challenge for medals. Musaev was third in the 2001 European Championships.     The U.S. entry is college superstar Cael Sanderson, who was a World University champion last year and is competing in his first Senior World meet. The American wrestling community is tremendously excited about Sanderson, who has three NCAA titles and has never lost a college match. He is a takedown machine, who should be able to score on almost anybody. How much he has improved in the par terre position could be the determining factor as to whether he can dominate this level of wrestling as well.     Davyd Bichinashvili of Ukraine won a silver medal at the 2001 European Championships, losing to Russian Sajid Sajidov in the finals. Veteran Ali Ozen of Turkey was fourth at the European tournament, but Turkey lists two other possible entries, Nuri Zengin and Osman Ozgun.    Uzbekistan will be tough at this weight, with either 2001 Asian silver medalist Aslan Sanakoev or former World silver medalist Rasul Katinovosov. Mongolia's Narantsetseg Burenbaatar won a bronze medal at the 2001 Asian Championships and should be a top challenger.    Athletes with experience at this weight class include  Mamed Agaev of Armenia, Andreas Backhaus of Germany, Tatsuo Kawai of Japan, Marcin Jurecki of Poland, Justin Abdou of Canada and Igors Samusonoks of Latvia. Iran's entry, either Majid Khodaei or R. Alianinejad, is also expected to be competitive.    This weight class should offer drama and surprises from the opening pool matchups. Many U.S. fans are anxiously hoping to see a Sanderson vs. Saitiev showdown in New York. Another Saitiev vs. Romero match would also be spectacular. However, with the number of talented athletes in the draw, there should be many other tremendous matches that could also make this an exciting division.     FREESTYLE 85 kg/187.25 lbs. (34 athletes as of 9/7/01)  Armenia - Mamed Agaev  Azerbaijan- Elmar Huseynov  Bangladesh - M.A. Kawser  Belarus - Beibulat Musaev or Siarhei Borchanka  Brazil - Marcelo Santos  Bulgaria - Arkadie Tzopa  Canada - Justin Abdou  China - Fang Ziaosheng  Cuba - Yoel Romero  Georgia- Malkhaz Djorbenadze or Mikheil Tkabladze  Germany - Andreas Backhaus or Marc Buschle  Great Britain - Luigi Bianco  Greece - Lazaros Loizidis  Hungary - Tamas Kiss  India - Amandeep  Iran - Majid Khodaei or R. Alianinejad  Ireland  - Robert Bligh  Japan - Tatsuo Kawai  Kazakhstan - Magomed Kurguliyev  Korea - Song Se-Min  Latvia - Igors Samusonoks  Lithuania - Egidijus Vielavicius  Macedonia- Mogomed Ibragimov  Mongolia - Narantsetseg Burenbaatar  Niger - Amadou Amadou  Nigeria - Friday Agumeneowei  Poland - Marcin Jurecki  Romania- Nicolae Ghita or Viorel Cimpan  Russia- Adam Saitiev, Khajimurad Magomedov, Khajimurad Gatsalov  Switzerland - Thomas Bucheli  Turkey - Nuri Zengin, Osman Ozgun or Ali Ozen  Ukraine - Davyd Bichinashvili  United States - Cael Sanderson  Uzbekistan - Aslan Sanakoev or Rasul Katinovosov  Virgin Islands - Shawn Scott    Starting on September 4th, TheMat.com will publish a preview each day for an individual weight class that will be contested at the 2001 World Championships of Wrestling. All 22 weight classes that will be contested in New York City will be featured, concluding on Tuesday, September 25, the day of weigh-ins for the tournament. Visit TheMat.com daily for detailed coverage leading up to wrestling's most important event this year!!!