The first World Championships at the new 55 kg weight class should feature the stars that competed at the old 54 kg class during recent seasons. The reigning World Champion is Hassan Rangraz of Iran, who became Iran's first Greco-Roman titlist in decades. Rangraz has remained active, winning the gold medal at the World University Championships in Canada this summer. He is young and aggressive and should be a force here for many years.    Winning the 2001 World silver medal was American Brandon Paulson, who has taken advantage of every opportunity to compete at the World level. His only other World-level event for the USA was the 1996 Olympics, where Paulson also won a silver. He was an age-group World medalist and the youngest member of Greco-Roman Team USA in history. Paulson returns to the World meet this year with a goal of claiming the gold medal, and he has a serious chance to win it.    North America boasts another fantastic wrestler at this weight, Lazaro Rivas of Cuba. Rivas was a 1999 World Champion, 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 2001 World bronze medalist. In 1999, FILA named him the International Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year. He was the 2002 Pan American champion at this new weight division. Rivas is powerful, explosive and talented and always a gold-medal threat.    The 2002 European Champion was Renat Bikkinin of Russia. No Russian has placed in the top 10 at the last two World-level meets at the lightest weight, so Russia has high hopes that Bikkinin can stop that unpleasant streak. As usual, Russia has many choices at each weight, including Giejdar Mamiedaliev who won the 2002 Pytlasinki Tournament in Poland, the final tune-up event for the World Championships. Bikkinin placed third at the Pytlasinki Tournament.    Placing second in the 2002 European Championships was Tanjo Tenev of Bulgaria, who was also eighth at the 2001 World Championships. Placing third at the European Championships this year was veteran Dariusz Jablonski of Poland,     The rest of the field here is also very strong. The 2000 Olympic Champion was Sim Kwon-Ho of South Korea, who also won a 1996 Olympic gold medal. Sim did not compete in the 2001 World meet. The Korean on the tour this year has been Im Dae-Won, who won international medals in Italy and Greece. Korea has a third choice, Ha Tae-Yeon, a 1998 World Champion and 1999 World silver medalist. It is safe to assume that Korea's entry will be talented.    The 2000 Olympic bronze medalist was Kang Yong Gyun of the North Korea, who was also the 2001 Asian Champion. If North Korea chooses to attend the World meet this year, which it does not do every time, Kang would be their top medal hopeful.    There are a number of other top hopefuls from Asian nations. Uran Kalilov of Kyrgyzstan was fourth in the 2001 World Championships and eighth at the 2000 Olympics.  Wang Hui of China was sixth in the 2000 Olympics, and won a silver medal at the 2002 University World Championships. Rayymzhan Assembekov of Kazakhstan was ninth in the Sydney Games and seventh in the 2001 World Championships.    Barys Radkevich of Belarus, the 2001 European Champion, placed sixth in the 2001 World Championships. Radkevich was also fourth at this year's European Championships. Among the other place winners from the 2001 World Championships were Khatri Mukesh of India and Tomoya Murata of Japan.    This weight is loaded with veterans that don't seem to go away. Germany has a pair of these aging stars, past World Champions Oleg Koucherenko and Alfred Ter-Mkrtchyan. Koucherenko, a 1992 Olympic Champion, placed 10th at last year's World meet. Ter-Mrkrtchyan competed the year before, placing fifth at the 2000 Olympics. Both are products of the system of the former Soviet Union, and both moved to Germany to complete their storied careers.    1997 World Champion Ercan Yildiz of Turkey is also a contender. Although Yildiz placed just 11th in the Sydney Games, he was second in the 2001 European Championships.  Turkey could also enter Ercan Dundar, who was eighth at the European Championships and won an international medal in Bulgaria this winter.    Mohamed Abou Elela of Egypt, who was 10th in the Sydney Olympics, was the 2002 African champion. Irakli Tchochua of Georgia, who was a European silver medalist at 58 kg last year, has dropped to this division. Others to watch include Artiom Kiouregkian of Greece, Hakan Nyblom of Denmark, Florin Gavrila of Romania and Artashez Minosyan of Armenia.    All three of the 2001 World medalists are expected to challenge again this year, Rangraz of Iran, Paulson of the United States and Rivas of Cuba. American fans are hoping that this will be the year that Paulson takes it all. However, this weight division has been loaded with talent for many years, and with athletes from strong teams such as Russia, Korea, Bulgaria, Germany and North Korea in the field, it could be a wide-open race.     2001 World Championships results    54 kg/119 lbs. - Gold - Hassan Rangraz (Iran) dec. Brandon Paulson (USA), 8-4; Bronze - Lazaro Rivas (Cuba) dec. Uran Kalilov (Kyrgyzstan), 3-1; 5th - Khatri Mukesh (India); 6th - Barys Radkevich (Belarus); 7th - Rakymzhan Assembekov (Kazakhstan); 8th - Tenyo Tenev (Bulgaria); 9th - Tomoya Murata (Japan); 10th - Oleg Koucherenko (Germany)    2000 Olympic Games results   54 kg/119 lbs. - Gold - Sim Kwon-Ho (Korea) dec. Lazaro Rivas (Cuba), 8-0; Bronze - Kang Yong Gyun (People's Rep. Of Korea) dec. Andriy Kalashnikov (Ukraine), 7-0; 5th - Alfred Ter-Mrkrtchyan (Germany); 6th - Wang Hui (China); 7th - Natig Eyvazov (Azerbaijan); 8th - Uran Kalilov (Kyrgyzstan); 9th - Rayymzhan Assembekov (Kazakhstan); 10th - Mohamed Abou Elela (Egypt); 11th - Ercan Yildiz (Turkey); 12th - Alexei Chevtsov (Russia); 13th - Marian Sandu (Romania); 14th - Hassan Rangraz (Iran); 15th - Alexander Tsertsvadze (Georgia); 16th - Petr Svehla (Czech Republic); 17th - Steven Mays (United States); 18th - Tero Katajisto (Finland); 19th - Dariusz Jablonski (Poland); 20th - Jothem Pellew (New Zealand)    Each day this week, TheMat.com will preview a weight class at the 2002 World Greco-Roman Championships, set for Moscow, Russia, Sept. 19-21. Please visit TheMat.com each day for a new preview of the championships. To discuss the World Championships with other fans, please visit the International Board on TheMat.com Message Boards.