Tim Hands of Five Point Move breaks down every Greco-Roman weight class in Nur-Sultan.

The 2019 World Championships begins tomorrow (or late tonight if you’re in the U.S.) and Greco-Roman is igniting the festivities with four weight classes right off the bat. 

But the plot thickens from there, since Days 2 and 3 in Nur-Sultan feature the six Olympic weight classes -- which, in the calendar year 2019, is very important. This is the first step towards Olympic qualification with the top six spots in each weight category punching their nations’ tickets to Tokyo. And since next year’s Olympiad will only avail 16 competitors per bracket, getting the job done this weekend would be in everyone’s best interest. 

On that front, the U.S. is sauntering onto the padded battlefield with six athletes who all offer significant experience. There are no first-timers in the Olympic weights (it’s the exact opposite for the non-Olympic representatives), and each guy has his own reasons for you to consider their candidacy. 

Olympic Weight Classes

60 kg: Ildar Hafizov (Army/WCAP)

The most hardened athlete in the entire program, 31-year-old Hafizov is also its best technician. An Olympian in ‘08 as well as multi-time World teamer for Uzbekistan before ever coming to America, Hafizov knows this landscape better than anyone. The road ahead is very steep, however. A whopping 10 prior World medalists occupy space in this bracket, including Russia’s reigning champ Sergey Emelin. Hafizov is all about momentum. One good win, one good feeling exiting a match, and his confidence soars. He’ll need that come Monday. If he gets what he wants, which is a winnable first match without a lot of stress -- or a huge victory over one of this weight’s major players -- it could usher in the biggest performance of his career. 

Other names to watch:

Kenichiro Fumita (JPN) 2017 World champion, ‘18 U23 World champion

Victor Ciobanu (MDA) 2018 World silver

Lenur Temirov (UKR) 2018 World bronze

Ivo Angelov (BUL) 2013 World champion, ‘11 World bronze

67 kg: Ellis Coleman (Army/WCAP) 

Hafizov is the man technically, but it is Coleman who is right now the most complete competitor in the U.S. A two-time Junior World bronze, an Olympian in 2012, and now on his third-straight World team and fourth overall, the only thing left for the popular Illinois product is to make the medal stand. He will be swimming in a sea of sharks when the action begins for him on Sunday. There’s no way around that. Three-time World champion Frank Staebler (GER) is back in the mix, so are returning champ Artem Surkov (RUS), ‘15 titleist/Rio bronze Rasul Chunayev (AZE), ‘15 winner/’16 Rio gold Ismael Borrero Molina (CUB), and about a dozen others who could find themselves in contention. But, this is very good. Coleman is at his zenith when backed into a corner. That’s what we have here. And with an improved lift, steady movement, and a punishing pummel game, believing in a potential Coleman run is a smart thing to do.  

Other names to watch:

Ryu Han-Soo (KOR) Two-time World champion, ’15 World silver

Meiirzhan Shermakhanbet (KAZ) 2018 World bronze

Atakan Yuksel (TUR) 2017 World bronze

77 kg: Patrick Smith (Minnesota Storm)

It’s the darndest thing. Smith, who was an average-sized athlete at 71/72 kilos, moved up this season to 77, catching some off-guard. Wouldn’t you know it, but it's in this weight class where has done the best wrestling of his career. The gas tank, which was already enormous, now seems limitless. He’s more apt to create scoring chances on the feet, and the breakneck pace that is his calling card is more problematic for opponents than at any other time previously. Of course, there are some monsters here, like multi-time World/Olympic champ Roman Vlasov (RUS), the great World/Olympic champ Kim Hyeon-Woo (KOR), multi-time medalist Tamas Lorincz (HUN), ‘17 World champ Viktor Nemes (SRB), and the list goes on. As excellent as those names all are -- and they ARE -- none of them can play Smith’s game. Coming off of his glimmering win at the Pan Am Games, this should be a very confident athlete rocking the stars and stripes. When Smith sticks to his guns (and defends), he’s among the top tier. USA fans are hoping that is the case Monday morning.  

Other names to watch:

Elvin Mursaliev (AZE) Two-time World bronze

Mohammadali Abdolhamid Gerei (IRI) 2017 World bronze

Daniel Cataraga (MDA) 2016 World silver

Fatih Cengiz (TUR) 2017 World bronze

87 kg: Joe Rau (TMWC/Chicago RTC)

A consistent diet of tournaments and training camps have played a large role in Rau’s presence on this team, if only because they’ve helped steer him back towards the kind of self-belief that is necessary to accomplish his goals. That’s how this guy ticks. It’s not enough for an athlete like Rau to know he’s capable, there have to be tangible reasons to believe it. That’s what big matches are for, which Rau has won plenty of throughout his career, but maybe not like he has this season. His victory at the U.S. Open saw tight individual wins over Ben Provisor and Patrick Martinez (in order), and then he defeated Provisor again in the most clutch fashion possible at Final X. Throw in the overseas appearances, and Rau should have the baseline he needs to get after it in Kazakhstan. Will the sledding be tough? Oh, you better believe it. Between Metehan Basar (TUR), last year’s champ and a two-timer to ‘15 champ/’16 Olympic silver Zhan Belenyuk (UKR), ‘17 World runner-up Denis Kudla (GER), and two-time World bronze Viktor Lorincz (HUN), Rau’s path to qualification is littered with obstacles. But in a turn-or-get-turned sport and in a weight class where gusto often matters more than anything else, the U.S. has a guy suiting up who fits the role perfectly. 

Other names to watch:

Islam Abbasov (AZE) Two-time U23 World bronze

Artur Shahinyan (ARM) 2018 World bronze

Rustam Assakalov (UZB) 2015 World silver

Alexandr Komarov (RUS) Two-time Cadet/Junior World champion

97 kg: G’Angelo Hancock (Sunkist)

Despite recently turning just 22 years old, Hancock is already the face of Greco in the United States, and for good reason: results. Over the past three years, Hancock has made World teams at every level with the exception of Cadet (he wasn’t even wrestling Greco back then) and has earned a number of victories over elite World-caliber opponents. This season he has really poured it on, winning the Hungarian Grand Prix and medaling everywhere else he has gone. Not only can no other U.S. athlete say the same thing, there aren’t many in his weight class worldwide who can. As such, there is a lot of steam in his direction, plus with all of the overseas training he has participated in recently, it’s a good bet he’ll be plenty sharp on Sunday. Musa Evloev, the ‘18 World gold, is back for more this year and he’s not alone. Armenian superstar and ‘16 Olympic/three-time World champion Artur Aleksanyan will also have a say, along with last year’s runner Kiril Milov (BUL, another young killer), and Rio bronze/two-time World medalist Cenk Ildem (TUR). It’s a full plate. There isn’t a lot of distance to be found in this group. But guess what? Hancock can beat all of them. 

Other names to watch:

Mihail Kajaia (SRB) 2018 World bronze

Balazs Kiss (HUN) 2009 World champion, two-time World bronze

Mélonin Noumonvi (FRA) 2014 World champion, ’09 World silver

Felix Baldauf (NOR) 2019 European Games bronze, three-time Thor Masters gold

130 kg: Adam Coon (NYAC/Cliff Keen)

American Greco’s bright shining light of 2018, Adam Coon is even better this season than he was last. That is actually almost too easy to say. Although a tremendous wrestling athlete with the pedigree to back it up, Coon’s success in Budapest came as a verifiable shock. He struggled and suffered to get through the summer’s training, and the worry was that he was too one-dimensional. Oh, but what a dimension we’re talking about. Coon bodying his way to the World final was storybook stuff, regardless of how it ended. The good news is that this year, he has further developed his gutwrench and has a better sense of how to goad these behemoths into his ties on a more workable and consistent basis. Now, the Pan-Am Games didn’t go so hot. Coon was ousted quickly by ‘17 World bronze Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (CHL) in the quarters. But he had been aces before that, and his improvements should be on full display in this tournament, where three-time Olympic/five-time World champ Mijain Lopez (CUB) and similarly-decorated Turk Riza Kayaalp will be waiting, not to mention returning gold Sergey Semenov (RUS), who is responsible for ending Coon’s run last year. But how much does any of this matter? No, Coon will not be done any favors in the draw, and yes, he will very likely have to get past at least one or two higher-billing studs to accomplish the objective. It’s just, come on. Hasn’t this guy already proven he can figure it out once he gets there?

Other names to watch:

Heiki Nabi (EST) Two-time World champion, 2012 Olympic silver, ’17 World silver, ’14 World bronze

Kim Min-Seok (KOR) 2018 World bronze

Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu (ROU) Two-time Olympian, two-time European Championships bronze

Mantas Knystautas (LTU) 2017 U23 World silver, 2017 World Military gold

Non-Olympic Weights

55 kg: Max Nowry (Army/WCAP)

It’s not melodrama: Nowry has literally been waiting for this shot throughout the entirety of his career. There is a lot of meaning embedded in Nur-Sutan for the 29-year-old. He was forced to adapt when this weight class disappeared half a decade ago, and despite making the national team a couple times since, he has also endured injuries to his shoulder and hips. Nowry is so used to adversity that it has become a lifestyle. But on the mat he is really something. Speed is key. So are two-on-ones to drags, arm throws, and a bruising but high-paced pummel. The “Ninja Squad” rep got to test himself against some tough competition this summer and acquitted himself well, and right out of the gate tomorrow is an opponent he has had success against before. Uber-experienced returning champ Eldaniz Azizli (AZE) is back and has enjoyed a typically strong follow-up season. So is ‘18 bronze Nugzari Tsurtsumia, with whom Nowry had a decent dustup in August. This is a big tournament for Nowry. He’s playing for keeps and his draw, should he advance, presumes the kind of matchups that could bring out the best in him. 

Other names to watch:

Ilkom Bakhramov (UZB) 2016 Junior World silver, 17 Junior World bronze, ‘19 Asian Championships gold, ‘19 Hungarian GP gold

Khorlan Zhakansha (KAZ) 2018 Hungarian GP silver, ‘19 Asian Championships bronze

Vitali Kabaloev (RUS) 2018 U23 World silver, ‘19 European Championships gold

Kerem Kamal (TUR) Three-time Junior World champion

63 kg: Ryan Mango (Army/WCAP)

It’s incredible really, but Mango should be the poster boy for the U.S. program considering his insane, otherworldly talent. He’s extremely explosive, as are several others. But none of them can combine the all-around wrestling smarts Mango has working in his favor. However, since this is his first Senior Worlds appearance, he has actually flown under the radar in the mainstream. That could change after this weekend. Mango’s side of the bracket invites potential pairings with ‘18 bronze Rahman Billici (TUR), No. 2 seed and ‘19 Asian Championships gold Erbatu Tuo (CHN), and if he keeps going, perhaps ‘16 Rio silver Shinobu Ota (JPN). That is quite the string of opposition for a first-timer. As a U.S. fan, you should like that. Mango needs to be pressed into a corner on occasion and forced to empty the chamber offensively. When he does that, he is awfully difficult to hang with. Those who don’t know that about him might have the chance to discover it first-hand in the cruelest manner available. 

Other names to watch:

Stepan Maryanayan (RUS) Returning champ, ‘17 World bronze

Almat Kebispaev (KAZ) 2011 World silver, two-time World bronze

Slavik Galstyan (ARM) 2019 U23 European Championships runner-up

Aleksandr Hrushyn (UKR) 2017 Junior World silver, ‘18 U23 World bronze

72 kg: Ray Bunker (Marines)

A throwback to the harder-nosed era of American Greco-Roman, Bunker’s rise to the top of the domestic ladder has been made possible by an unflinching commitment to staying on the attack and in opponents’ faces. But there's so much more going on than all the pushing and shoving. Bunker is not always looking to score -- in the same way not every punch a boxer throws is intended to knock you out. The Marine realizes the importance of wearing an opponent down with sheer volume, and it's a skill that when applied correctly, can lead to breathtaking wins no one saw coming. Then again, at this stage, nothing Bunker does is surprising anymore. In this tournament, he resides towards the top of the bracket where a potential first-round win will propel him into a showdown with top-seeded Aik Mnatsakanian (BUL). The hill could steepen from there, depending on who else comes out of the qualification round. Nevertheless, you have to like Bunker’s odds here. He’s going to put forth the same, fire-breathing consistent effort we’ve all grown accustomed to. So long as he can defend on bottom, he is capable of going on a run. 

Other names to watch:

Balint Korpasi (HUN) 2016 World Champion, ’18 World silver, ’17 World bronze

Cengiz Arslan (TUR) 2018 U23 World Champion

Demeu Zhadraev (KAZ) 2017 World silver

Mateusz Bernatek (POL) 2017 World silver

82 kg: John Stefanowicz (Marines)

How well do you know John Stefanowicz? Enough to know that he won the Trials without even a semblance of actual training due to a scorched hamstring? That when he returned to competition less than three years ago he immediately hung in there with every higher-ranked guy in his weight class? Or that his pressure in the trenches is so heated, there have been opponents who have conceded points because they were too beaten down to offer any further resistance? The best part is that to go along with all of the physicality, Stefanowicz has sharpened up technically, and will also engage in scrambles others in this weight class aren’t familiar with. That’s always an advantage for a U.S. athlete. But it’s an advantage Stefanowicz may need against 2015 World bronze Lasha Gobadze (GEO) in his first match. Gobadze -- tough, traditional, and keen on par terre points -- is a suitable opening assignment, to be sure. Should Stefanowicz prevail, he will likely find himself standing across returning silver Emrah Kus (TUR), the top seed. Kus defeated Stefanowicz earlier this year with a pair of reverse lifts. But -- these lessons have been learned. A while ago. And since the Marine already has a win this season over No. 4 seed (and ‘18 U23 runner-up/’19 Euro champ) Rajbek Bisultanov (DEN), you can rest assured he is on everyone’s level here. That much we do know. 

Other names to watch:

Maksim Manukyan (ARM) 2017 World Champion, ’18 World bronze

Viktar Sasunouski (BLR) Two-time World bronze

Saeid Abdevali (IRI) 2011 World Champion, ’16 Olympic bronze, ’17 World bronze

Pascal Eisele (GER) 2017 World bronze