TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (September 3) – Two of the all-time greats in Greco-Roman will be gunning for their seventh world-level titles when the curtain goes up on wrestling in the classic style at the Senior World Wrestling Championship in Tashkent.

When they step onto the mats at the Gymnastics Sports Palace in Tashkent, Hamid SORYAN (IRI) at 59kg and Mijain LOPEZ NUNEZ (CUB) at 130kg will also be making their first world championship appearances since winning gold medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Soryan is targeting a sixth world title to go with the 55kg gold medal he won in London while Lopez Nunez will attempt to become the eighth Greco-Roman wrestler to win five world titles.  He also owns two Olympic Games gold medals he grabbed in Beijing and London.

A sixth crown at the world championships for Soryan would also place him second only to the legendary Alexander KARELIN (RUS) on the list of most Greco-Roman world championship titles. Karelin won nine world titles and three Olympic Games gold medals between 1988 and 1999.

Winning their seventh world-level titles, which also includes Olympic gold medals, would pull Soryan and Lopez even with Valery REZANTSEV (URS) in second place among Greco-Roman wrestlers behind Karelin’s 12.

Lopez wrestles on the second day of Greco-Roman events, Saturday, September 13, and would wrap up the day’s events in the 130kg final.  Depending on the draw, he could very well meet top-ranked Riza KAYAALP (TUR), who defeated Lopez in the 2011 world championship final.

Soryan, meanwhile, will wrestle on the final day of competition, Sunday, September 14. At 59kg, Soryan could possibly face 2013 world champion at 60kg Ivo ANGELOV (BUL), London 2012 bronze medalist Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) or local favorite Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB).

The first day of Greco-Roman at the Gymnastic Sports Palace in Tashkent features competition in only two weight categories along with the final event in female wrestling.

In the Greco-Roman events, world and Olympic champion at 74kg Roman VLASOV (RUS) will attempt to reclaim the world crown he lost to KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) in a battle between London 2012 gold medalists last year in Budapest.

Although Kim is not on the Korean list of entries for the world championships, five other gold medalists from the London 2012 Olympic Games are slated to compete – Soryan, Lopez Nunez and Vlasov as well as Omid NOROOZI (IRI) at 66kg and Ghasem REZAEI (IRI) at 98kg.

Greco-Roman

59kg (Sunday, September 14)

London 2012 gold medalist Hamid SORYAN (IRI), with five world titles at 55kg, tops the list of favorites followed closely by Ivo ANGELOV (BUL), who won the 60kg world title in Budapest.

Olympic Games bronze medalist Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) took the Vehbi Emre tourney in February and had Soryan in trouble at the World Cup, until surrendering a late gut wrench in a 6-5 loss. World bronze medalist at 60kg Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) will have the hometown crowd behind him.

Rovshan BAYRAMOV (AZE), a two-time Olympic silver medalist, is back apparently planning a run at Rio while 2013 junior world champion Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) has edged out world bronze medalist Roman AMOYAN (ARM) for the trip to Tashkent.

66kg (Saturday, September 13)

London 2012 silver medalist Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) has spent this year rolling up the titles, including the European crown and the GGP Final, at the non-Olympic weight of 71kg. Lorincz, however, is entered at 66kg, looking to win his first medal on his seventh trip to the world championships.

Adam KURAK (RUS), who defeated 2013 world silver medalist Islambek ALBIEV (RUS) in January, took over the No.1 ranking with a win over Hasan ALIYEV (AZE) at the European championships in April. GGP Final winner Aliev, the 2010 world champ at 60kg, is seeking his first world title at 66kg.

Kurak defeated Olympic gold medalist Omid NOROOZI (IRI), 8-6, in the World Cup final in May and Aliyev edged 2013 world champ RYU Han-Soo (KOR), 2-0, in a preliminary World Cup dual.

71kg (Sunday, September 14)

With top-ranked Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) entered at 66kg, Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) dons the favorite’s mantle as silver medalist at the European championships and GGP Final. Chunayev also notched four wins at the World Cup, including one over Athens 2004 gold medalist JUNG Ji-Hyun (KOR).

Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) won the prestigious Ivan Poddubny tourney in January but finished fifth in the European championships behind bronze medalists Yunus OZEL (TUR) and Aleksander DZEMYANOVICH (BLR).

Afshin BYABANGARD (IRI), eighth at 66kg in Budapest, is stepping in for 2011 world champion Saeid Morad ABDVALI (IRI) as a number of Asia’s top wrestlers, like Jung and Abdvali, are instead looking forward to wrestling at the Asian Games two weeks after the world championships.

75kg (Friday, September 12)

Roman VLASOV (RUS), virtually unbeatable 2011-2013, gave up a late takedown to fellow Olympic gold medalist KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) in the 74kg final in Budapest for his first loss since the semifinals of the 2011 European championships.

Vlasov, who also lost to eventual European champion Aleksander CHEKHIRKIN (RUS) at the Poddubny tourney in January, won three bouts by technical fall at the World Cup in May for his only international experience of 2014 prior to arriving in Tashkent.

Challengers to Vlasov will line up behind European silver medalist Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) as well as bronze medalists Mark MADSEN (DEN) and Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE). Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) could surprise after finishing second at the GGP Final on a late penalty point.

80kg (Saturday, September 12)

Peter BACSI (HUN) has topped the rankings at this new non-Olympic weight since January when he won the Yadegar Imam Cup in Tehran. He then reasserted his position with a 1-0 victory at the European championships over two-time former world champion Cebi SELCUK (TUR) in the 80kg final.

Former Asia champion at 84kg Habibollah AKHLAGHI (IRI) forced Bacsi into a disqualification in the Hungarian Grand Prix, contributed four wins in Iran’s title run at the World Cup and must be considered a co-favorite here.

Challenges to the top three could come from European bronze medalists Giorgi TSIREKIDZE (GEO) and Aleksander SHYSHMAN (UKR). Viktor SASUNOVSKI (BLR) won the Vehbi Emre tourney and London bronze 2012 medalist Aleksandr KAZAKEVICH (LTU) was the German Grand Prix winner.

85kg (Friday, September 12)

European champion Zhan BELENYUK (UKR) heads up a crowded weight category with no clear favorite.  But, as the gritty 23-year-old from Kiev has shown in his rebound for third place at the German Grand Prix, he is more than up to the challenge.

All three of the returning world medalists in Tashkent, surprisingly, finished 14th, 15th and 16th at the European championships.  They have, however, also bounced back -- Saman TAHMASEBI (AZE) with a silver at the GGP Final, Javid HAMZATOV (BLR) with bronze medals in Germany and Poland, and Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) with a 5-0 mark in the World Cup.

Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) will rally the locals as 2013 Asia champion and GGP Final bronze medalist.  Asian bronze medalist Mojtaba KARIMFAR (IRI) replaces world champion Taleb NEMATPOUR (IRI), who was suspended after a failed doping control test at the World Cup.

98kg (Sunday, September 14)

Three-time European champion Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) owns a bronze medal from the London 2012 Olympic Games and a silver from the 2013 world championships in Budapest.  He comes to Tashkent with four tournament wins this year and the hope of completing his set of world-level medals with the gold.

European silver medalist Cenk ILDEM (TUR) and world bronze medalist Balasz KISS (HUN) pose the biggest obstacles for Aleksanyan to overcome. The return of London 2012 gold medalist Ghasem REZAEI (IRI) to international competition can only add to the drama.

Meanwhile, last year’s world champion Nikita MELNIKOV (RUS) and bronze medal winner Shalva GADABADZE (AZE) have given way on their national teams to 2013 junior world champion Musa EVLOEV (RUS) and Orkhan NURIEV (AZE), who claimed the junior world crown in August.

130kg (Saturday, September 14)

Mijain LOPEZ NUNEZ (CUB) returns to the world championships seeking his first world title since 2010 and fifth world crown overall. European champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR), 2013 world silver medalist, enters the world championships top-ranked for the second year in a row.

World bronze medalist Nurmakhan TINALIEV (KAZ) won the German Grand Prix in June but was one-and-done at the GGP Final after a loss to 2013 world champ Heiki NABI (EST). Johan EUREN (SWE) has won bronze medals at the European championships and the GGP Final.

GGP Final winner Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) and Kiril GRYSHCHANKO (BLR), the runner-up in Germany, could surprise. The biggest surprise, however, could be Alexis RODRIGUEZ VALERA (AZE) as Azerbaijan’s Greco-Roman entry in Tashkent. Rodriguez Valera was the 2005 world silver medalist in freestyle for Cuba.

Schedule

Sunday, September 7
18:30-19:00  Weigh-in Freestyle 57, 70, 86, 125kg

Monday, September 8
09:00-14:00  Qualification Rounds & Repechage Freestyle 57, 70, 86, 125kg
17:30-18:00  Weigh-in Freestyle 61, 65, 74, 97kg
18:00-18:30  Opening Ceremony
19:00-21:00  Finals & Award Ceremonies Freestyle 57, 70, 86, 125kg

Tuesday, September 9
09:00-14:00  Qualification Rounds & Repechage Freestyle 61, 65, 74, 97kg
17:15-17:45  Weigh-in Female Wrestling 48, 55, 60, 69kg
18:00-20:00  Finals & Award Ceremonies Freestyle 61, 65, 74, 97kg

Wednesday, September 10
09:00-14:00  Qualification Rounds & Repechage Female Wrestling 48, 55, 60, 69kg
17:15-17:45  Weigh-in Female Wrestling 53, 58, 75kg
18:00-20:00  Finals & Award Ceremonies Female Wrestling 48, 55, 60, 69kg

Thursday, September 11
10:00-14:00  Qualification Rounds & Repechage Female Wrestling 53, 58, 75kg
17:15-17:45  Weigh-in Female Wrestling 63kg, Greco-Roman 75, 85kg
18:00-20:00  Finals & Award Ceremonies Female Wrestling 53, 58, 75kg

Friday, September 12
10:00-14:00  Qualification Rounds & Repechage Female Wrestling 63kg, Greco-Roman 75, 85kg
17:15-17:45  Weigh-in Greco-Roman 66, 80, 130kg
18:00-20:00  Finals & Award Ceremonies Female Wrestling 63kg, Greco-Roman 75, 85kg

Saturday, September 13
10:00-14:00  Qualification Rounds & Repechage Greco-Roman 66, 80, 130kg
17:15-17:45  Weigh-in Greco-Roman 59, 71, 98kg
18:00-20:00  Finals & Award Ceremonies Greco-Roman 66, 80, 130kg

Sunday, September 14
10:00-14:00  Qualification Rounds & Repechage Greco-Roman 59, 71, 98kg
18:00-20:00  Finals & Award Ceremonies Greco-Roman 59, 71, 98kg