This is a weight class that is clearly wide open, with a ton of potential champion contenders. Clearly nobody has made a strong case as a favorite, as this division features athletes who used to compete at the old 63 kg and 69 kg weight divisions. There could be some sorting out going on in this division for quite some time.    The reigning World champion is Jimmy Samuelsson of Sweden, who has been tough but was never a World medalist until last year. Samuelsson was fourth in the 2001 World Championships at 69 kg, and had his best performance dropping down to 66 kg.    The World silver medalist last year was Farid Mansurov of Azerbaijan and the bronze medalist was Manuchar Kvirkvelia of Georgia. Both of these are talented wrestlers from respected nations, but neither had been a major name in the sport until last season. Kvirkvelia was second in the 2001 European Championships, which showed that he had the potential to be a strong challenger. Mansurov was second at the 2003 Pytlasinski Tournament in Poland in August, a top event prior to the World Championships.    The 2001 World champion at 63 kg was Vagninak Galustyan of Armenia, who placed ninth in the 2002 World Championships at the new weight class. He has missed out of the top 10 at the European Championships for two straight years, which shows the kind of challenge that this weight class offers.    Perhaps the most veteran star in the division is Juan Maren of Cuba, who won Olympic silver medals in 1996 and 2000. Maren has not won a medal since the Sydney Games, placing fourth at 63 kg in 2001 and eighth at 66 kg in 2002. Maren won the Pan American Games gold medal this year, a strong tuneup for him and all of his Cuban teammates which swept all seven titles.    Russia is always a threat in Greco-Roman, and its entry last year was Maksim Semenov, who placed fourth in the World Championships. Another option for Russia is Sergey Kuntarev, who won the bronze medal at the 2003 European Championships. Semenov wrestled for Russia at the Pytlasinski Tournament in August, winning a bronze medal there.    The 2003 European champion was veteran Seref Eroglu of Turkey. Eroglu was a 1997 World Champion but finished just 10th in the 2000 Olympics and has not placed at the World meet the last two years. Eroglu was the champion at the Pytlasinski Tournament in Poland, which means he comes into the World meet with momentum and confidence. Turkey also boasts the 2002 World Cup champion at this division, Selcuk Cebi, as well as the 2003 Junior World Champion at this weight class, Seref Tuefenk. It is safe to assume that Turkey will have a strong contender from this field of candidates.    Bakhadyr Kurbanov of Uzbekistan was fifth in the World Championships last year and placed fifth in the 2000 Olympic Games. However, Kurbanov was only fourth at the 2003 Asian Championships at this division.     The 2003 Asian champion was Parviz Zaidvand of Iran, who did not represent his nation at the World meet here last year. Mehdi Hodaei was sixth in the world last season for Iran, and could be the choice again this year.    The United States will again enter veteran Kevin Bracken, who seeks his first World-level medal. Bracken was sixth at the 2000 Olympic Games and seventh at the 2001 World Championships. He is coming off a downer at the Pan American Games, where he placed fourth, the only American not to take a medal at the tournament. Bracken has been known to get on a run, and could reach his goals this year if he can win the close bouts against tough competitors.    Eduard Apelvich of Belarus placed a strong fifth at the 2001 World Championships, and was fourth at this year's European Championships. Ukraine has a tough contender in Armen Vardanyan, who won the silver medal at the 2003 European Championships. Michael Beilin of Israel is also a strong challenger, winning a World bronze medal in 2001.    Other place winners in major events in recent seasons have included Nikolay Gergov of Bulgaria, Jerzy Szeibinger of Poland, Juha Laippalanien of Finland, Gurbinder Singh of India, Kanatbek Begaliev of Kyrgyzstan, Angelo Mota of the Dominican Republic and many others.     As we have said all along, this weight class has great variety and no strong favorites, which leads to expected volatility at the World level. Samuelsson of Sweden could have a tough road to defending his World title. We might see a brand new star emerge this year, setting up a strong run for the Olympic gold next year. Or the medalists this season could feature some of the veterans in the field, just waiting for a chance to take their place at the top.  Good luck on your predictions as this division….    RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS    2002 World Championships results  66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Gold - Jimmy Samuelsson (Sweden) dec. Farid Mansurov (Azerbaijan), 3-0; Bronze - Manuchar Kvirkvelia (Georgia) dec. Maksim Semenov (Russia), 4-2; 5th - Bakhadyr Kurbanov (Uzbekistan); 6th - Mehdi Hodaei (Iran); 7th - Nikolay Gergov (Bulgaria); 8th - Juan Maren (Cuba); 9th - Vaghinak Galustyan (Armenia); 10th - Jerzy Szeibinger (Poland)    2001 World Championships   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)    Starting September 22, TheMat.com will preview one weight class each day for the 2003 World Championships of Greco-Roman Wrestling, in Cretiel, France, Oct. 2-5. 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.