2008 Olympics preview at 60 kg/132 lbs. in men's freestyle wrestling
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
07/20/2008

Russia again looks strong at this division, with 2004 Olympic champion
Mavlet Batirov moving up in weight in recent years. Batirov won the 2007 World gold medal and was third in the 2006 World Championships. Fellow Russian Alan Dudaev was the 2005 World champion at this weight class, giving Russia tremendous depth and a challenging choice.
Cubas Yandro Quintana won the Olympic gold medal in 2004 at this weight. Since then, he won only one World medal, taking a silver medal behind Dudaev in 2005. Quintana missed weight at the 2007 World Championships, but qualified for the Olympics through one of the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. Quintana was a 2007 Pan American Games champion.
The 2006 World champion, Seyed Mourad Mohammadi of Iran, did not medal in 2007, and also needed to go through the Qualifying Tournaments to earn his trip to Beijing. Mohammadi was third at the 2008 Asian Championships, which was won by Yogeshwar Dutt of India.
The other medalists from the 2007 World Championships were relative newcomers to success at this level, silver medalist Anatoli Guidea of Bulgaria and bronze medalists Bazar Bazarguruev of Kyrgyzstan and Sahit Prizreni of Albania. Rounding out the top eight wrestlers from the 2007 World Championships were Tevfik Odabasi of Turkey, He Quin of China, Samat Khakupov of Kazakhstan and veteran Murat Ramazanov of Macedonia.
Qualifying Canada for the Olympics was 1996 Olympic silver medalist and 2001 World champion Giuvi Sissaouri of Canada, who the 2008 Pan American Championships. Sissaouri was beaten in the Canadian wrestle-offs by talented Saeed Azerbaijani, who will wrestle in Beijing.
The 2007 and 2008 European champion was Vasil Fedoryshin of Ukraine. Among the other qualifiers was 2007 World bronze medalist Noriyuki Takatsuka of Japan. Expected to represent Kyrgyzstan is 2007 Asian champion Bazar Bazarguruev.
The United States was unable to qualify to compete at this weight class. 2006 World silver medalist
Mike Zadick and 2005 World University Games champion Nate Gallick did not place high enough in qualifying events to earn the USA a spot in this field.
Qualified nations at 60 kg/132 lbs.: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Krygyzstan, FYR Macedonia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS 2007 World Championships
60 kg/132 lbs. - Gold -
Mavlet Batirov (Russia); Silver - Anatoli Guidea (Bulgaria); Bronze - Bazar Bazarguruev (Kyrgyzstan); Bronze - Sahit Prizreni (Albania); 5th - Tevfik Odabasi (Turkey); 5th - He Quin (China); 7th - Samat Khakupov (Kazakhstan); 8th - Murat Ramazanov (Macedonia); 9th - Themis Iakovidis (Greece); 10th - Vasil Fedorishyn (Ukraine)
2006 World Championships
60 kg/132 lbs. Gold Seyed Mourad Mohammadi (Iran); Silver
Mike Zadick (USA); Bronze Noriyuki Takatsuka (Japan); Bronze
Mavlet Batirov (Russia); 5th Vasil Fedoryshin (Ukraine); 5th Dutt Yogeshwar (India); 7th David Pogosian (Georgia); 8th Aliaksandr Karnitski (Belarus); 9th Yandro Quintana (Cuba); 10th Farzad Tarash (Australia)
2005 World Championships
60 kg/ 132 lbs. - Gold - Alan Dudaev (Russia); Silver - Yandro Quintana (Cuba); Bronze - Martin Berberyan (Armenia); Bronze - Mehdi Mohammadi (Iran); 5th - Levan Chabradze (Georgia); 5th - Oyunbileg Purevbaatar (Mongolia); 7th - Jae-Myung Song (Korea); 8th - Giuvi Sissaouri (Canada); 9th - Gergo Woller (Hungary); 10th - Tevfik Odabasi (Turkey)
2004 Olympic Games
60 kg/ 132 lbs. - Gold Yandro Quintana (Cuba); Silver Maoud Jokar (Iran); Bronze Kenji Inoue (Japan); 4th Vasyl Fedoryshin (Ukraine); 5th Giuvi Sissaouri (Canada); 6th David Pogosian (Georgia); 7th Jung Young Ho (Korea); 8th Lubos Cikel (Austria); 9th Damir Zakhartdinov (Uzbekistan); 10th Mourad Oumakhanov (Russia)
2003 World Championships
60 kg/ 132 lbs. Gold Arif Abdullaev (Azerbaijan) dec. Yandro Quintana (Cuba), 4-3; Bronze Song Jae-Myung (Korea) dec. Sushil Kumar (India), 3-1; 5th David Pogozian (Georgia); 6th Tevfik Odabasi (Turkey); 7th Ulu Ulan Dadyrabek (Kyrgyzstan); 8th Damir Zakhartdinov (Uzbekistan); 9th Lubos Cikel (Austria); 10th Eric Guerrero (United States)
2002 World Championships
60 kg/132 lbs. - Gold - Aran Margaryan (Armenia); Silver - Oyunbileg Purebaatar (Mongolia); Bronze - Mohammed Talaee (Iran); 4th - Petru Toarca (Romania); 5th - David Pogosian (Georgia); 6th - Damir Zakhartdinov (Uzbekistan); 7th - Daniel Wild (Germany); 8th Arif Abdullayev (Azerbaijan); 9th Bezik Aslanasvili (Greece); 10th Meiroms Beisebaev (Kazakhstan)