The best super heavyweight wrestler in the world the last two years, Rulon Gardner of the United States, will not be in the World Championships field in Moscow. Gardner was trapped overnight in the Wyoming mountains this winter and suffered from frostbite, losing one toe. Gardner was unable to wrestle this past year, and could not try out for the U.S. team. The good news is that Gardner is back in training, looking for another obstacle to overcome. What this means for the World Championships this year is that there will be a brand new World Champion crowned at 120 kg.    This weight class was dominated by the greatest Olympic athlete of all time, Alexandre Kareline of Russia. Kareline won every World and Olympic gold medal from 1988-1999, a full 12 years without a loss. Gardner's win over Kareline at the Sydney Games made world sports history. Neither Gardner nor Kareline will be wrestling in Moscow, so the title is truly back up for grabs.    Last year's World Championship silver medalist is veteran Mihaly Deak-Bardos of Hungary, who Gardner beat by a 2-0 margin in the finals. Deak-Bardos has won a pair of World silver medals, and was the 2001 European Champion. Many think that his time has finally come.    Russia's new big star is Youri Patrikeev, the 2002 European champion, who beat Deak-Bardos in the European finals. Patrikeev lost to Deak-Bardos in the Hungary Grand Prix during the winter season. Patrikeev was beating Gardner in the 2001 World Championships quarterfinals, when Gardner threw and pinned him, dropping him to eighth place.     Russia has another top big man, European Junior champion Hassan Baroev, who also claimed the gold medal at the Pytlasinki Tournament in Poland, the major summer tune-up for the World meet. Another Russian option is Alexei Kolesnikov, who was fifth at the 2001 European Championships. Most expect that Patrikeev, who has been called "the new Kareline" will get the nod for the World Championships.     Xenofon Koutsoubas of Greece claimed the World bronze medal in 2001, and placed seventh in the 2002 European Championships. The 2000 Olympic bronze medalist was Demitri Debelka of Belarus, who was just 11th in this year's European meet.    Perhaps the most successful of the big man in the field this year is Sergei Mourieko of Bulgaria, who was fourth at last year's World meet. Mourieko boasts four career World-level medals, including an Olympic bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games. He also occassionally places out of the money, including his 19th place finish at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and his 12th place at this year's European Championships.    The entry for the United States is veteran Dremiel Byers, who placed sixth at the 1999 World Championships and has been battling Gardner and former star Matt Ghaffari on the U.S. circuit for many years. Strong and quick, Byers has the tools to be a World medalist. Byers placed second behind Mourieko in a international meet in Bulgaria this winter. Mourieko was second and Byers was third at the Pytlasinski Tournament in Poland this summer, a good indication that both should be ready for Moscow.    Pan American rival Cuba should also be well represented. Mijian Lopez of Cuba was sixth in the 2001 World Championships. He defeated Byers, 3-2, in the finals of the 2002 Pan American Championships. It seems that the arrival of Lopez may finally mark the retirement of Cuba's popular World and Olympic champion Hector Milian, who last competed on the World level by taking fifth at the 2000 Olympics.    A potential medalist is big and strong Juri Yevseychyc of Israel, who placed fourth at the 2000 Olympic Games. Yevseychek lost to Gardner in the 2000 Olympic semifinals in overtime, and was also eliminated from the 2001 World Championships by Gardner. Yevseychek placed fourth at the 2002 European Championships, which means he remains ready to challenge again.    Among the athletes to place in the top 10 at the 2001 World meet were George Tsurtsumia of Georgia, Eddy Bengtsson of Sweden, Alireza Gharibi of Iran and David Vala of the Czech Republic. Gharibi was the 2001 Asian champion and captured the gold medal at the 2002 World University Championships. Bengtsson, who has been on the circuit for many years, was fourth at the Pytlasinki Tournament this summer in Poland.    Veteran Juha Ahokas of Finland was third at the 2002 European Championships. Others placing in the top 10 at the Europeans were Yetka Yilmaz of Turkey, Konstantin Strijak of Ukraine and Nico Schmidt of Germany.     Turkey's M. Fatih Bakir won the 2001 European silver medal, and was eighth at the Sydney Olympics. Georhiy Soldadze of Ukraine has a number of high place finishes on the world level, including a sixth place at the Sydney Games. Others to watch are Estonia's Hallik Helger, Italy's Giuseppi Giunta, China's  Song Jidong  or Ren Li and Uzbekistan's Shermakhammad Quziev.     Trivia Question: Who was the last World or Olympic champion in Greco-Roman super heavyweight who was not named Kareline or Gardner? Answer: Igor Rostoroski of the Soviet Union, way back in 1987. Dozens of top world super heavyweights who have fallen short of the big prize will battle for the chance to be the answer of a new trivia question. Trivia Question 2: Who will take advantage of the retirement of Kareline and the injury of Gardner?     2001 World Championships results   130 kg/286 lbs. - Gold  - Rulon Gardner (United States) won by ref. dec. over Mihaly Deak-Bardos (Hungary), 2-0, ot; Bronze - Xenofon Koutsoubas (Greece) dec. Sergei Mourieko (Bulgaria), 8-0; 5th - George Tsurtsumia (Georgia); 6th - Mijain Lopez (Cuba); 7th - Eddy Bengtsson (Sweden); 8th - Yuri Patrikeev (Russia); 9th - Alireza Gharibi (Iran); 10th - David Vala (Czech Republic)    2000 Olympic Games results   130 kg/286 lbs. - Gold - Rulon Gardner (USA) won by ref. dec. over Alexandre Kareline (Russia), 1-0, ot, 9:00; Bronze - Demitri Debelka (Belarus) won by ref. dec. over Juri Yevseychyc (Israel), 1-0, ot, 9:0; 5th - Hector Milian (Cuba); 6th - Georgiy Saldadze (Ukraine); 7th - Giuseppe Giunta (Italy); 8th - Fatih Bakir (Turkey); 9th - David Vala (Czech Republic); 10th -Eddy Bengtsson (Sweden); 11th - Mihaly Deak-Bardos (Sweden); 12th - Rafael Barreno (Venezuela); 13th - Haykaz Galstyan (Armenia); 14th - Hailin Zhao (China); 15th - Omrane Ayari (Tunisia); 16th - Helger Hallik (Estonia); 17th - Marek Sitnik (Poland); 18th - Laszlo Kovacs (Australia); 19th - Sergey Moreyko (Bulgaria); 20th - Miriani Giorgadze (Georgia)     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. 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