Note: TheMat.com has resumed its series of previews for the 2001 World Championships. Although it has not yet been determined when and where the event will be hosted, the tournament is expected to be held this year. Those athletes listed as entries for the event originally scheduled for New York City will be used in these previews.    76 kg Greco-Roman World Championships Preview    The 2000 Olympic Champion was Russia's Mourat Kardanov, who defeated Matt Lindland of the United States in the  gold-medal finals. Both wrestlers could be competing in this year's World Championships, but neither may be at this weight class. Lindland has moved up a weight division to 85 kg, defeating former Olympians Dan Henderson and Quincey Clark at the World Team Trials and U.S. Nationals respectively. Kardanov is listed as one of three athletes for Russia at 85 kg. A rematch could occur at the World Championships, just up one weight class.    1997 World Champion Marko Yli-Hannuksela of Finland won the bronze medal in Sydney, beating surprising David Manukyan of Ukraine in the third-place match. Yli-Hannuksela has the experience and talent to win another World Championship title. Manukyan was a bit of a surprise in Sydney, and may not even enter, as Ukraine also entered Sergiy Solodkyy as a possible entry at this weight class.    Others with strong tournaments in Sydney were Kim Jin-Soo of Korea, Ara Abrahamian of Sweden and Tarieli Melelashvili of Georgia. These athletes are aiming to move up into the medal rounds at the World event this year. Abrahamian won a silver medal at the 2001 European Championships, and could be the best bet.    This weight class is loaded with former World Champions who are looking to return to glory. 1999 World Champion Nazmi Avluca of Turkey, 1998 World Champion Bachtiar Baiseitov of Kazakhstan and 1995 World Champion Yvon Reimer of France are serious challengers.  All three had disappointing performances at the Sydney Games, and all three will be entered at the Worlds, looking to make a point. Avluca beat Reimer in the finals of the 1999 World meet, and it would not be surprising to see them again in the medal rounds. Avluca was also third in the 2001 European Championships.    The 2001 European Champion was Alexei Mishine of Russia. Also listed on the Russian roster are Andrei Tcherepakhine and Alexei Shirokikh. Whoever enters is expected to be a medal hopeful. For Russia to move its Olympic Champion up a weight class, it must be very confident in the athletes that will replace him.    The U.S. athlete is Keith Sieracki, who will have his first shot at the World Championships field. Sieracki has many years of international experience, but has yet to be tested as this level. He is motivated to show the world that he would have been an Olympic medalist if the battle for the 2000 Olympic Team spot had gone his way. Sieracki is fearless, and could get on a roll if he is wrestling well.    George Djinchivelashvili of Georgia, Alberto Recuero of Spain and Adam Juretzko of Germany placed in the top six at the European Championships, a good indicator of success at the World Championships. Dmitris Avramis of Greece was a bronze medalist at the 1999 World Championships. Biser Georgiev of Bulgaria, a former star at 69 kg, has moved up to this weight and looks to crack into medal contention.    The top wrestlers from Asia are a bit untested, but will be trying to make their mark this time. Japan's Taichi Suga was the 2001 Asian Champion, followed by silver medalist S.H. Marashian of Iran and bronze medalist Wang Gang of China. Uzbekistan's Yuriy Vitt, who was fourth at the Asian Championships, is also a proven World-class competitor.    Others who have experience on the World level in this weight class are Armenia's Levon Geghanyan, Belarus' Aliaksandr Shyshko, Hungary's Tamas Berzicza, Poland's Artur Michalkiewicz and Estonia's Tonis Naarits. Simply, this weight class has been up for grabs in recent years, and with the top two medalists from the Sydney Olympics not expected in the field, it is anybody's ballgame. The pool pairings will play a big factor in who gets a shot at the medals, especially if some of the favorites fall in the same groupings. Nobody is the favorite, and everybody is a contender, an environment that could lead to some spectacular wrestling.    GRECO-ROMAN 76 kg/167.5 lbs. (36 entries as of 9/14)  Albania - Engelian Mehmeti  Armenia - Levon Geghanyan  Azerbaijan - Rashad Mansurov  Belarus  - Aliaksandr Shyshko or Aliaksei Panysh  Brazil - Victor Ribeiro  Bulgaria - Biser Georgiev or Tano Proshenski  Canada - Scott Seeley  China -Wang Gang  Chinese Taipei - Chang Hsein-Sheng  Croatia - Robert Ribaric  Cuba- Odelis Herrero  Estonia - Tonis Naarits  Finland - Marko Yli-Hannuksela, Tuomo Mantyla or Tuomas Ojala  France - Yvon Reimer  Georgia - George Djinchivelashvili, Tariel Melelashvili or Badri Khasaia  Germany - Adam Juretzko  Greece  - Dmitris Avramis  Hungary - Tamas Berzicza  India - Ranbir Singh  Iran - Ali Zabohiei, Majid Ramazani or S.H. Marashian  Japan - Taichi Suga  Kazakhstan - Bakhtiyar Baiseitov  Korea -Kim Jin-Soo  Mexico - Wilder Utrerea Salians or Alejandro Baes  Netherlands - Fred De Vos  Poland - Artur Michalkiewicz or Michal Jaworski  Puerto Rico - Julio Cruz  Romania - Cristian Rusu  Russia - Alexei Mishine, Andrei Tcherepakhine or Alexei Shirokikh  Spain - Alberto Recuero  Sweden - Ara Abrahamian  Tajikistan - Abdulkhakhim Azizov  Turkey - Nazmi Avluca, Taner Akbulut or Yusuf Duzer  Ukraine - Sergiy Solodkyy or David Manykyan  United States - Keith Sieracki  Uzbekistan - Yuriy Vitt