Armen Nazarian won the 1996 Olympic title competing for Armenia at 52 kg, then moved up in weight to 58 kg and claimed the 2000 Olympics for his new nation, Bulgaria. In between, he won three World bronze medals. He is one of the most exciting and explosive wrestlers in the world, a tremendous talent who has a reputation for lifting and throwing his opponents for the fall.    Nazarian beat two-time World Champion Kim In-Sub of Korea in the finals in Sydney. Zetian Sheng of China claimed his third straight Olympic bronze medal (1992, 1996, 2000). Neither Kim nor Sheng are listed on their team's rosters for the World Championships in New York. Korea will be represented by Kang Kyung-Il and China did not list an entry at this weight.    Two-time World champion Rifat Yildiz of Germany placed fourth in the Sydney Games, but he is not among the German entry possibilities. Alfred Ter-Mrkrtchyan, a former World Champion who was third at the 1999 World Championships, has moved up from 54 kg and is among three athletes listed by Germany at this weight class.     Ali Ashkani of Iran, who was fifth in the Sydney Olympics, is on the Iranian list for the New York tournament. Askani was the 2000 Asian champion at this weight class. The other possible entry for Iran is Behnam Tayebi, who was the 2000 Asian champion in freestyle and has many other major achievements in freestyle.    2000 Olympian Jim Gruenwald of the United States, who was sixth in the Sydney Games, is one of the top medal hopefuls.  Gruenwald has beaten 1995 World Champion and 1996 Olympic silver medalist Dennis Hall for the U.S. team the last two years. He had a strong performance in Sydney, and aims to take the next big step into the medal rounds this year. Gruenwald has done well at tough international meets in recent years.     Makota Sasamoto of Japan, who placed eighth at the Sydney Olympics, will be competing in New York. He may be among Japan's top medal hopefuls among their men's wrestlers. (Japan has the strongest women's team in the world). Nepes Gukulov of Turkmenistan, who was 10th in the Sydney Games, is also among the top contenders.    The 2001 European champion was the Czech Republic's Petre Svehla. The European silver medal went to Irakli Tchotchua of Georgia. Both are listed on their team's roster, although Georgia also lists Koba Guliashvili, a 2000 Olympian.    Cuba will be represented by 2001 Pan American Championships gold medalist Roberto Monzon, who beat Gruenwald in this year's Pan Am finals. In 2000, Monzon was defeated by American Dennis Hall in the Pan American qualifying event and did not qualify to compete in the Sydney Games. The 2001 World Championships provides Monzon a chance to make amends for not having an opportunity for Olympic glory.    Russia lists three possible entries, Stanislav Lomatchinski, Oleg Nemtchenko or Alexei Ogorodnikov. Lomatchinski was eighth in the 2001 European Championships. Netchenko is probably the most experienced of this group. As with 54 kg, although the Russian athletes are not yet international stars, they are expected to be medal contenders.    Seref Tufenk, who was fifth in the 2001 European Championships, is among three possible entries from Turkey. Other veteran wrestlers who could be factors in the weight divisions are Karen Mnatsakanyan of Armenia, Marko Isokoski of Finland, Djamel Ainaoui of France, Istvan Majoros of Hungary and Dilshod Aripov of Uzbekistan.    This weight class is loaded with talent, but one talent stands head and shoulders above the rest. Bulgaria's Nazarian was the 2000 FILA Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year, and if he continues the dominant style that he displayed last season, he will be very hard to beat.    GRECO-ROMAN 58 kg/127.75 lbs. (35 athletes as of 9/13)  Aremnia- Karen Mnatsakanyan  Australia - Plamen Tchoukanov  Azerbaijan - Nuraddin Raybov  Belarus  - Yury Khrabrou  Brazil - Yuri Estevao  Bulgaria - Armen Nazaryan  Canada - Saeed Azarbayjani  Cuba - Roberto Monzon  Czech Republic - Petre Svehla  Denmark - Hakan Nyblom  Egypt - Ashraf Mohamed Meligy Elgharably  Finland - Marko Isokoski, Jarko Ala-Huikku or Pasi Huhtala  France  - Djamel Ainaoui  Georgia - Irakli Tchotchua or Koba Guliashvili  Germany - Alfred Ter-mkrtchyan, Michael Boh or Marko Greifelt  Greece  - Efstathios Theodossiadis  Hungary - Istvan Majoros  India - Rabinder Singh  Iran - Ali Ashkani Aghbolagh or Bahman Tayebi Kermani  Japan - Makoto Sasamoto  Korea - Kang Kyung-Il  Netherlands - Aras Rayhanisal  Norway - Robert Sollie  Romania - Eusebiu Diaconu  Russia - Stanislav Lomatchinski, Oleg Nemtchenko or Alexei Ogorodnikov  Spain - Joaquin Martinez  Switzerland - Alois Fassler  Tajikistan - Bakhodur Khasanov  Turkey - Seref Tufenk, Eshat Yenar or Yusuf Yaneci  Turkmenistan - Nepes Gukulov  Ukraine - Ruslan Khakymov or Okeksandr Hvoshch  United States - James Gruenwald  Uzbekistan - Dilshod Aripov  Yugoslavia - Norbert Futo    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!!!