Olympic Preview Series: 75 kg Greco-Roman
While it is expected for every Olympic weight class to be tough, this one might be the toughest of all of them. It is not often you see 6 World champions and 2 Olympic champions at one single weight. Not only is that impressive, it is extremely exciting. I don't know about everyone else out there, but I am chomping at the bit to watch these guys wrestle Sunday.
Favorite:
Roman Vlasov Russia- When you look up the definition of consistency in the dictionary, don't be surprised if you see a picture of Roman Vlasov. He has lost only two times in the last five years and in that time he won an Olympic gold and two World titles. Vlasov has an absolutely nasty lift on top and at the young age of 25 he will be looking to grab another gold to put him on pace to becoming one of the all-time greats.
Contenders:
Mark Madsen Denmark- Leading up to last year's World Championships, it looked as if Madsen's best days were behind him. He hadn't medaled since 2009 and was about to turn 31. In Las Vegas last year though, Madsen wrestled like it was 2009 again. He battled his way through a brutal field to take home the silver medal and raised his World medal total to 5. There will be one question that Madsen will have to answer in Rio: does what happen in Vegas, stay in Vegas?
Hyeon-Woo Kim South Korea- Just like many of the other guys at this weight, the South Korean has quite an impressive resume. He was an Olympic gold medalist in 2012 at 66 kg and a World champion the next year at 74 kg. Kim has also given Vlasov one of his two losses over the last five years and most recently beat Andy Bisek at Beat the Streets. Even though he did not medal in the last two World Championships, he is still in the hunt for gold.
Arsen Julfalakyan Armenia- Just as I said before with Hyeon-Woo Kim, Julfalakyan's career has been nothing short of spetacular. He is the reining Olympic silver medalist and has four other World medals, including a World title to go along with it. In my opinion, Julfalakyan would have medaled last year if he had not drawn Roman Vlasov first round. It is not an easy task to win four matches in a row to medal, especially at this weight. He will have to beat long time nemesis Vlasov if he serious about winning gold in Rio.
Dark Horses:
Selcuk Cebi Turkey- The only reason I have Cebi in the dark horse category is because he is coming down from 80 kg and it is tough to predict how a guy will handle a weight change. With three World titles and 5 total World medals, one could make the argument that Cebi has had a better career then any of the contenders and I wouldn't disagree with you. If he can handle the weight cut well, there is a good chance this old-timer could be on top of the podium In Rio.
Doszhan Kartikov Kazahkistan- Kartikov doesn't quite have the accomplishments that the most of these guys on this list do, but he is one of those guys that looks like he is just hitting his stride in his career. He beat Kim and Julfalakyan at last year's World Championships en route to his first world medal. Kartikov heads into Rio with a lot of confidence and a very dangerous headlock that will give him a chance to find the podium.
Andy Bisek USA- Every time I watch the seasoned veteran from Chaska, Minnesota wrestle, I never find myself saying, "Wow, this guy is amazing", but yet, almost every time I watch Andy Bisek wrestle, he somehow finds a way to win. The reason Andy Bisek wins matches is because he is a tougher then an over-cooked steak and has an unreal low gut wrench. By controlling the center of the mat and hitting the occasional arm drag, Bisek has grinded his way to a bronze medal in the last two World Championship's. Once again, he will be flying under the radar at a weight filled with a ton of talent.
Predictions:
After not giving up a point at last year's World Championships, I think this is Roman Vlasov's weight to win. Even though I see him as a slight favorite, there will be many guys gunning for him on Sunday. The guy next in line will be Arsen Julfalakyan. I have a feeling Julfalakyan will be a man on mission after not bringing home a medal for the first time in six years at last year's World Championships. Following Julfalakyan for bronze will be Cebi and Madsen. At age 34, Cebi has showed no signs that would indicate he would not be coming home with a medal from Rio. The main reason I picked Madsen for the other bronze medal is he has beaten Bisek twice over the last year, including a 9-0 victory in Las Vegas. It would not surprise me one bit if Bisek came home with another medal, but to do so he will need to bring his "A" game.
Gold: Roman Vlasov
Silver: Arsen Julfalakyan
Bronze: Mark Madsen
Bronze: Seleuk Cebi
5th: Andy Bisek
5th: Hyeon-Woo Kim