The brightly colored international mat in a practice gym upstairs from the Olympic Training Center wrestling room was still available for individual workouts.  Downstairs the wrestling room was crowded; upstairs only two world team members with their practice partners were being put through a relentless series of drills by National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson.      Chris Bono, with workout partner Doug Schwab, dove into each drill with intensity.  Go-behinds, re-shots, the clinch it was all there.  Only Coach Jackson's voice broke the constant activity of the wrestlers, reinforcing the training the wrestlers were battling through.  "Again, now let's defend that position," Jackson would say, "Yeah that's it we'll win this position, and we'll win the match.  Come on now thirty seconds more."    After two minutes of stance and motion the wrestlers were finished.  And, Bono sat down in a coach's chair, pulling the athletic tape from his fingers, his Sunkist Kids sweatshirt drenched with the sweat of two hours of hard drilling.  With a short time remaining before the freestyle team wrestles in Bulgaria, Bono like the other seven athletes on the team is ready to battle for the World Title    Bono's rise to the top of the 152 pound class was a steady climb based out of a consistent desire to reach the top and the perseverance to feel the reward.  Bono now at age 27, is years removed from the beginning of his wrestling career at the age of five where he followed his older brother, Ernie into the sport of wrestling.  Wrestling was not a family tradition in the Bono family.  Once the family moved from Pennsylania to Ponte Verda Beach in Florida, a state not known for wrestling, the Bono family sought out a freestyle club to continue on in the sport that seemed most suited for Chris Bono's body.        Bono will not tower over his opponent's.  But his compacted length packs a powerful punch that even served him well on the football field for Bolles High School.  While playing nose guard for Bolles, Bono earned All-State honors twice on a state championship team.  In one season, eight of Bono's football teammates signed with Division I programs.  With the memory of football, Bono describes being the undersized nose guard at the center of the defense, "On film in the huddle you couldn't even see me."      However, on the wrestling mat, Bono is still remembered for his high school achievements coached by Matt Morris an active USA Wrestling coach.  As a five time state medallist, Bono won the state title three times.  He still holds the record for most wins during a high school career nearly ten years after setting the mark.      With the Sunshine state having no college programs to turn to, Chris Bono headed out of state to Iowa State University.  Under the tutelage of Head Coach Bobby Douglas he amassed an impressive record as a Cyclone becoming a three time All-American and a National Champion in 1996.      Bono's 1996 title is often remembered as Lincoln McIlravy's redshirt year.  The next season when McIlravy returned to the mat the two wrestlers met in the finals of the NCAA Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  McIlravy edged Bono with a slick overtime arm drag.      McIlravy and Bono had met in countless battles dating back to the finals of the Cadet National Championships in Battle Creek, Michigan in the late eighties.  McIlravy won the best two out of three showdown and every match since that tournament.  Even with the frustrations of many losses to McIlravy, Bono credits him for his ability to come out with the win each time.  "Lincoln is a competitor.  I give him a lot of credit in winning our matches.  Every time I made an adjustment he was ready for it.  He seemed to be one step ahead of me."      With McIlravy's victory as late as the 2000 Olympic Trials, Bono's respect for his opponent carried over to hoping Lincoln would win the Olympics or a World Title.  McIlravy has not captured the gold at a World Championship.  At this year's U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas McIlravy briefly spoke to Bono.  Essentially he told him to keep working hard and his time would come.      Going into the tournament in Vegas, Bono had trained his focus on McIlravy.  Once the weigh-ins were closed it was clear McIlravy would sit out the national tournament.  Most spectators expected Bono to win his first U.S Nationals gold.  However, Ramico Blackmon, of Team Excel, pulled the upset of the finals by unseating Bono.  In reflection, Bono sees the defeat as critical to his success at the World Trials.  "I didn't believe I could lose going into that match, but it was a loss I'm glad I got," said Bono.      The loss forced Bono to train smarter.  With years of lifting, running, and drilling the same way Bono felt his improvement had reached a plateau.  After his April loss in Vegas Bono embarked on a varied workout with a strength and conditioning coach.  Agility work was a high priority to improve foot speed.  Bono found the training more enjoyable, and felt breaking away from his familiar patterns helped him refocus for his matches in Cincinnati at the World Trials.      Bono's coach, Bobby Douglas, has steadily helped Bono breakdown his opponent's through detailed film study.  "Coach Douglas has an incredible mind for detail."  Douglas, a Gold Certified Coach in USA Wrestling's National Coaches Education Program, can see tendencies in an opponent's movements.  An avid chess player, Douglas' detail study of Bono's opposition has helped Bono develop the tactical plans for matches.  According to Bono, "Coach Douglas is really there for the wrestlers in the Cyclone wrestling room that want to move on to success at the international level."    The time from April to June prepared Bono for the World Team Trials and his eventual rematch with Ramico Blackmon.  After battling through the challenge tournament Bono faced Blackmon in the best of three series.  By staying away from Blackmon's ability to hit three point takedowns, Bono won the first match 3-0 and the second 4-3.       Bono's succession to the #1 spot at 69 kilos, opened the door to a long summer of intense training for the World Championships.  With the events of September 11th and the subsequent moving of the Worlds to Bulgaria, Bono has had additional time to train and prepare for his first World tournament.  "I've definitely used this time to my advantage," said Bono, "the months of additional training has helped me."      In wanting to test his new skills before Bulgaria, Bono entered into the early November Sunkist tournament.  The reward in reaching the finals was getting to face last year's Olympic Champion Daniel Igali from Canada.  Bono trailed Igali at the end of regulation 2-1 when the clinch came into play.  From there, the match ended quickly as Bono gained good position circling to Igali's hips.  However, Igali hit a stunning headlock to take Bono to his back and score the win.      Looking back at the match Bono is glad he went to the Sunkist tournament.  The match gives him in confidence.  In fact Bono feels he made one mistake in the match, "I respected him too much before the match.  It led to me not shooting.  I only shot once and that was the one takedown I got."  Coach Jackson agreed with Bono's assessment, "he needed to be more physical and get on the attack more.  The match was a good benchmark for Chris and should give him a lot of confidence going into the Worlds."      Bono who makes his home in Ames Iowa with his wife Niki and eleven month old daughter Josie is patiently waiting for the start of the biggest tournament of his life.  With the long struggle to reach the top in the U.S., many would feel added pressure to succeed.  Bono, though, is relaxed about the tournament.  "There is no stress about it.  This is what I've trained for.  This is what all the hard work is for."      Away from the mat, Bono stays relaxed by spending more time with his family.  He has a small worry in heading to Bulgaria.  His daughter is nearing taking her first steps and he hopes he doesn't miss it.  While his father Ernie sr. will travel to Sophia, others in his family wait back in the U.S. looking for