Olympic gold medallists Kyle Snyder, Jordan Burroughs, and Hassan Yazdani have all been selected as freestyle top seeds for the 2022 Wrestling World Championships.
But it won’t be plain sailing for the golden trio, who will have to beat some star-studded fields in Belgrade, Serbia, from 10-18 September.
Also keep an eye out for three-time world champions Kyle Dake and Geno Petriashvilli, both eying redemption after sealing bronze and silver respectively at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021, while reigning Olympic champ David Taylor will be keen to reassert his dominance.
The women's event will see Indian legend Vinesh Phogat chase a first world title, while Olympic champs Helen Maroulis and Tamyra Mensah-Stock put their best foot forward for Team USA.
Turkish heavyweight Riza Kayaalp will be going for a history-making fifth Greco-Roman title, while in-form Meysam Dalkhani is expected to take out the 63kg title.
Check out our one-stop guide to the event below, which includes a schedule, athletes to look out for and how to watch the competition live on Olympic Channel.
In the freestyle 57kg division, world champion Thomas Gilman is the man to beat.
The USA grappler has consistently secured podiums since winning bronze at Tokyo 2020, but he will have to be at his best to beat Indian Olympic silver medallist Ravi Kumar, who was recently crowned Asian champion.
After failing to qualify for the USA’s Olympic team in 2021, Jordan Burroughs rebounded by moving up to 79kg and winning the 2021 World Championships title less than a month after tearing his calf muscle.
The evergreen London 2012 Olympic champion is odds on to defend his title in Belgrade and extend his legacy as one of USA’s most successful freestyle wrestlers ever with a sixth world title overall.
His main threat comes in the shape of 21-year-old Iranian Mohammad Nokhodi, who will be keen to avenge his 2021 final loss to the American.
Burroughs’ compatriot Kyle Dake is the heavy favourite to defend his 74kg crown.
There could be a banana skin for the three-time world champion in the semi-finals, where he will likely lock horns with Italian two-time world champ Frank Chamizo.
ALSO READ: Jordan Burroughs is golden again at 2021 Worlds
The latest instalment of Hassan Yazdani and David Taylor’s epic rivalry at 86kg is arguably the event’s most eagerly anticipated clash.
Iranian reigning world champion Yazdani is the No.1 seed, having seen more success on the mat since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics which were won by USA No. 2 seed Taylor.
It would take a seismic upset to not see the pair clash in the final.
With Abdulrashid Sadulaev absent in Serbia due to a ban on Russian athletes, USA’s Kyle Snyder is back as the No. 1 seed at 97kg.
The Rio 2016 Olympic champ won silver at Tokyo 2020, and his main competition will come from Iran’s Asian champion Mohammad Mohammadian, who won the pair’s only previous meeting in 2020.
The men’s 125kg, as ever, will not be for the faint-hearted.
Three-time world champion Geno Petriashvili will benefit from a slightly easier run to the final as the No.1 seed, but the Georgian will likely face a battle-hardened opponent in the gold-medal match with world champion Amir Zare and 2016 Olympic champion Taha Akgul set to meet in their semi-final.
ALSO READ: Hassan Yazdani beats David Taylor in battle of the Olympic champions
Japan's team at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships will be spearheaded by women’s 53 kg freestyle star Fujinami Akari.
The 18-year-old is the reigning world champion, and riding a 103-match win streak.
Hoping to provide some competition is India's Vinesh Phogat, who won the Asian championship in 2021, a third-consecutive Commonwealth title in August 2022, and will be hoping to land her first world title in Belgrade.
USA’s Jacarra Winchester will hope to regain the 55kg crown following her 2019 world triumph, and looks to have regained her golden form after winning the prestigious Yasar Dogu Tournament in February. Standing in her way is No. 1 seed Nina Hemmer of Germany.
At 57kg, rejuvenated reigning world champion Helen Maroulis of the USA is the strong favourite.
The Rio 2016 Olympic champ had planned to retire after Tokyo 2020 following a tough period including concussion and mental health issues, but enjoyed her bronze-medal run in Japan so much that she decided to continue.
India’s other reigning Commonwealth Games champion Sakshi Malik is one of the favourites at 62kg, which could see her clash with Japanese youngster Ozaki Nonoka, who is a world bronze medallist and the reigning Asian champion.
Olympic champion at 68kg Tamyra Mensah-Stock punched her ticket to Belgrade with victory in June’s Final X event in Oklahoma.
The 2019 world champion is the strong favourite in her chosen weight category, but will have one eye on Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu, who will be keen on avenging her Tokyo 2020 final loss to the American.
In Greco-Roman, reigning world champion Meysam Dalkhani is the favourite to land another 63kg title.
The Iranian laid down a serious statement of intent in February, with victory at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov International in Bulgaria.
His compatriot, and Olympic champion, Mohammadreza Geraei is currently the World No.1 at 67kg after winning a world and Olympic title in 2021, but has not wrestled extensively since and could be caught cold.
Armenia’s Malkhas Amoyan will be confident of defending his 72kg crown.
The 23-year-old proved his form with victories over Turkey’s Yunus Emre Basar and Azerbaijan’s Sanan Suleymanov en route to victory in the European Championships in March.
The USA’s top hope will come from Final X runner-up Braxton Amos, who replaces G’Angelo Hanco*ck after he announced his surprise retirement after winning the event.
Finally in the 130kg division, Riza Kayaalp will be going for his fifth world title.
The three-time Olympic medallist is currently level with Turkish legend Huseyin Akbas with four titles, and will likely need to beat Georgia’s Olympic silver medallist Iakob Kajaia in Serbia to surpass that record.
2022 Wrestling World Championships schedule
10 September
Qualification rounds GR - 55-72-77-87kg
Semi finals GR - 55-72-77-87kg
11 September
Qualification rounds GR - 63-67-82-97kg
Repechage GR - 55-72-77-87kg
Semi Finals GR - 63-67-82-97kg
Finals GR - 55-72-77-87kg
12 September
Qualification rounds GR - 60-130kg / WW – 55-62kg
Repechage GR - 63-67-82-97kg
Semi Finals GR - 60-130kg / WW – 55-62kg
Finals GR - 63-67-82-97kg
13 September
Qualification rounds WW – 50-53-65-76kg
Repechage GR - 60-130kg / WW – 55-62kg
Semi Finals WW – 50-53-65-76kg
Finals GR - 60-130kg / WW – 55-62kg
14 September
Qualification rounds WW – 57-59-68-72kg
Repechage WW – 50-53-65-76kg
Semi Finals WW – 57-59-68-72kg
Finals WW – 50-53-65-76kg
15 September
Qualification rounds FS – 70-79-86-125kg
Repechage WW – 57-59-68-72kg
Semi Finals FS – 70-79-86-125kg
Finals WW – 57-59-68-72kg
16 September
Qualification rounds FS – 57-74-92kg
Repechage FS – 70-79-86-125kg
Semi Finals FS – 57-74-92kg
Finals FS – 70-79-86-125kg
17 September
Qualification rounds FS – 61-65-97kg
Repechage FS – 57-74-92kg
Semi Finals FS – 61-65-97kg
Finals FS – 57-74-92kg
18 September
Repechage FS – 61-65-97kg
Finals FS – 61-65-97kg
Click here to see the full schedule, including exact timings.
Where to watch the 2022 Wrestling World Championships
The Wrestling's 2022 Senior World Championships take place 10-18 September, 2022.
The event will be streamed live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com for most of the world and you can watch the action here.
There is also coverage on the United World Wrestling website here. (Regional restrictions may apply)
