This new 66 kg weight class will be one of the hardest to handicap, as athletes from two former weight divisions may meet in the middle here. Most of the athletes will be moving up from the previous 63 kg weight division, but some may be coming down from the 69 kg class. It should be an interesting mix of athletes, some who may not have wrestled in the past.    The reigning 63 kg World Champion in Vaginak Galustyan of Armenia, who made a big jump to the top after placing just 12th in the 2000 Olympic Games. Galustyan had some difficulty at this weight class at the 2002 European Championships, placing just 13th. He should be ready when the Worlds come around, though.    The silver medalist at 63 kg last year was among the best Greco-Roman wrestlers in recent years, Kim In Sub of Korea. Kim has moved up in weight from when he was the 2000 Olympic silver medalist at 58 kg, and also a two-time World Champion. Kim showed he could handle the extra three kilograms by winning the gold at the Trophe Milone in Italy this winter.    Michael Beilin of Israel was the 63 kg World bronze medalist last season, beating World star Juan Maren of Cuba in the bronze medal match in overtime. Beilin was also third at this year's European Championships, making him a serious threat at the World meet once again.    Maren won Olympic silver medals in 1996 and 2000, and has been a top World-class star for many years. He won the Pan American Championships title once again this year, something he seems to do every year in preparation for World success.    A European Champion for two straight years has been Seref Eroglu of Turkey, another proven World-class star. Eroglu was a 1997 World Champion but finished just 10th in the 2000 Olympics and was not in the top 10 at the 2001 World meet.     The 2001 European runner-up was Manukhari Kirkvelia of Georgia. To prove that he is a serious threat, Kirkvelia won the gold medal at the respected Pytlasinki Tournament in Poland, the final major tune-up event for the World Championships. Georgia has another strong entry possibility, Akaki Chachua, who was the 2000 Olympic bronze medalist at 63 kg and placed 10th at the 2001 World Championships.    Belarus should also be very well represented this year. Eduard Apelvich placed a strong fifth at last year's World Championships at 63 kg. Vitali Zhuk was fourth at the 2002 European Championships at 66 kg, and competed in the 2000 Olympics at 63 kg. Whoever Belarus sends will be a strong medal threat.    As in most weights, Russia has many options in this division. Maxim Semenov was fifth in the 2002 European Championships at this new weight class. Sergei Kuntarev won a gold medal at this weight at the Hungary Grand Prix this winter. Russia did not place in the top 10 at the 2001 World Championships at 63 kg, but if you go back one more year, Russian Vartares Samourgachev was the 2000 Olympic champion. Samourgachev moved up to 76 kg and medalled at this year's European Championships. The Russian entry could be somebody else, but whoever is chosen should be quite talented.    American Kevin Bracken has been one of the world's most consistent performers. Bracken was sixth at the 2000 Olympic Games and seventh at the 2001 World Championships. It seems that just one close match has tripped Bracken up from being a medalist. His confidence is very high, as Bracken, a past World Cup champion, has beaten many medalists in past years.    Another top challenger is Beat Motzer of Switzerland, who was fourth at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and ninth at the 2001 World Championships. Other place winners from the 2001 World meet at 63 kg were Peng Ciu of China and Levente Furedy of Hungary. Furedy was eighth in this year's European Championships, as well.    Others who placed in the top 10 at the 2002 European Championships were Grigori Komushenko of Ukraine, Alexander Sandev of Bulgaria, Juha Lappalainen of Finland and Elbrus Mamedov of Azerbaijan. All are tested veterans and would be a very tough draw in the preliminary pool pairings.    Iran's Mahdi Nassiri was the 2001 Asian Champion and won a silver medal at the 2002 World University Championships. The World University Champion this year was Emik Buenyamin of Turkey, who most probably won compete at the Worlds with Eroglu as his nation's top star.     Bakhodir Kurbanov of Uzbekistan was fifth in the Sydney Games and Grihoriy Kamyshenko of Ukraine placed eighth in the Sydney Olympics, both who could be challengers at the new division. Kamyshenko was fourth at the Pytlasinski Tournament this summer in Poland. Mkkhitar Manukyan of Kazakhstan, a past World Champion who placed seventh in Sydney, showed he was a threat again by taking second at the Hungary Grand Prix. The 2002 African Champion is Mahmoud Magdy of Egypt.    The unknown element will be if any stars from the former 69 kg division make the cut to 66 kg this year For preview purposes, we will assume most of the 69 kg athletes will be moving up, or have been "sized" out of the sport. However, it will not be a surprise if a few prominent 69 kg athletes from the past take the plunge into the lower weight this year.    If there is ever a weight that is wide open this year, is should be this division. Champions such as Galustyan of Armenia, Kim of Korea, Maren of Cuba, Eroglu of Turkey and Manukyan of Kazakstan bring tremendous experience to the big show. Athletes who have been close, like Bracken of the United States, Motzer of Switzerland and Beilin of Israel truly believe they can win. This one should be fun, right from the opening round.      2001 World Championships results  63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold - Vagninak Galustyan (Armenia) dec. Kim In Sub (Korea), 8-3; Bronze - Michael Beilin (Israel) dec. Juan Maren (Cuba), 3-0, ot, 6:07; 5th - Eduard Aplevich (Belarus); 6th - Peng Ciu (China); 7th - Kevin Bracken (United States); 8th - Levente Furedy (Hungary); 9th - Beat Motzer (Switzerland); 10th - Akaki Chachua (Georgia)    2000 Olympic Games results  63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold - Vartares Samourgachev (Russia) dec. Juan Maren (Cuba), 3-0, 6:43; Bronze - Akaki Chachua (Georgia) pin Beat Motzer (Switzerland), 1:57; 5th - Bakhodir Kurbanov (Uzbekistan); 6th - Kevin Bracken (United States); 7th - Mkkhitar Manukyan (Kazakhstan); 8th - Grygoriy Komyshenko (Ukraine); 9th - Yasutoshi Motoki (Japan); 10th - Seref Eroglu (Turkey); 11th - Choi Sang-Sun (Korea); 12th - Vaghinak Galustyan (Armenia); 13th - Gurbinder Singh (India); 14th - Riccardo Magni (Italy); 15th - Michael Beilin (Israel); 16th - Yi Shanjun (China); 17th - Vitali Zhuk (Belarus); 18th - Yassine Djarkrir (Algeria); 19th - Wlodzimierz Zawadzki (Poland); 20th - Rasoul Amani (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.