Daton Fix won a gold medal at the Pan American Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The United States freestyle team is loaded with superstars.
And this year is no exception.
The U.S. won the team title at the 2017 World Championships before finishing second to Russia last year.
The United States is expected to put another very strong, hungry and experienced team on the mat for the freestyle portion of the World Championships this month in Kazakhstan.
With the number of weight classes growing from 8 to 10 last year, the U.S. brought even more firepower to the 2018 World Championships.
The U.S. lineup is loaded once again and expect the American squad to make a run at the team title once again.
This World Championships takes on added significance as it is the main qualifier for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The top six finishers in each of the six Olympic weight classes qualify their countries for the Olympic Games.
Here is a breakdown of the medal chances of each of the 10 USA wrestlers who will compete at the 2019 World Championships.
57 kilograms: Daton Fix
Gold: 20 percent
Medal: 40 percent
Fix has been a fixture on age-group world teams for a number of years now.
He's been a Junior world champion and a Cadet world medalist and is coming off a gold-medal showing at the Pan American Games.
Fix is competing at his first Senior World Championships, but his experience on the world stage at the age-group levels will help him immensely this year.
Fix certainly is good enough to win a medal in Kazakhstan. He knocked off Thomas Gilman, a 2017 world silver medalist, to make the American team.
Fix is a tough wrestler who has performed well on the biggest stages in freestyle. He definitely has the capability to land a spot on the medal podium.
61 kilograms: Tyler Graff
Gold: 15 percent
Medal: 40 percent
I'm giving Graff a decent chance to win a medal at his first Senior World Championships.
The reason I am doing that is simple.
He beat returning world bronze medalist Joe Colon to make the American team. Colon defeated returning world champion Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez of Cuba earlier this year.
Rodriguez is ranked No. 1 in the world and Colon No. 2.
Graff is coming off a bronze-medal finish at the Medved International where he lost to Russia's Artyom Gebekov before storming back to win a pair of bouts.
Graff is a veteran who has waited a long time for this moment. He made two Junior world teams and a University world team. He's won nine international events in his career.
Graff is an offensive-minded wrestler who can put points on the board. The key for him will be finishing on his attacks. He's also improved defensively.
His progress was evident when he knocked off Colon. Now can he carry that momentum over onto the world stage?
Zain Retherford will compete at the World Championships for the second time (Photo/Sandy Slater)65 kilograms: Zain Retherford
Gold: 25 percent
Medal: 45 percent
This is a weight class the U.S. hasn't fared well in on the Senior level for more than a decade.
Zain Retherford could definitely change that.
The past Cadet world champion and 2017 Senior world team member has had a heck of a season. He had to overcome some adversity before knocking off an excellent wrestler in two-time Cadet world champion Yianni Diakomihalis to make the U.S. team this year.
Retherford is coming off a match he trained hard for and that bodes well for him heading into the World Championships. He's in peak condition and passed a tough test heading into the event.
Retherford has wrestled well against foreign opponents and he definitely has the firepower to win a medal this year. He's as tough and hard-nosed as anyone he will face.
70 kilograms: James Green
Gold: 35 percent
Medal: 60 percent
Green is a proven performer here, winning world bronze in 2015 and world silver in 2017.
Green has had mixed results over the past couple of years, but he's definitely someone who has the capability to still put points on the board and beat the best wrestlers on the planet.
Green's chances may increase even more since this is a non-Olympic weight class as countries put more emphasis on the Olympic divisions with this being a qualifier for Tokyo.
Green also has become a strong defensive wrestler. He's tough to score on. He just needs to keep an aggressive mentality when he does have the lead.
He is a guy caught in between Olympic classes, so this could be his best shot at winning a gold medal. If he gets on a roll, like he did in 2015 and 2017, there is no doubt he can land a spot on the medal podium this year.
74 kilograms: Jordan Burroughs
Gold: 60 percent
Medal: 80 percent
The four world titles that Burroughs has won have come in the odd-numbered years of 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017.
It's 2019 so this could be the year Burroughs wins his fifth world title and ties John Smith's record of six World and Olympic titles.
Burroughs is 31 now, but he's still wrestling at a high level. He lost to eventual champion Zaurbek Sidakov of Russia at the 2018 World Championships before coming back to beat two-time world champion Frank Chamizo of Italy in the bronze-medal match.
Burroughs has shown a penchant for bouncing back strong after losses and expect him to be ready to turn in a strong performance at the World Championships.
And it is an odd-numbered year, so I like his chances.
Kyle Dake celebrates after winning his first world title (Photo/Sandy Slater)79 kilograms: Kyle Dake
Gold: 65 percent
Medal: 85 percent
Dake is a returning world champion and he's a guy you know is going to be in every match. He's an excellent wrestler, and he's also a very smart competitor who rarely makes a mistake.
Dake did an amazing job in striking gold at his first World Championships in 2018. He missed significant time with an injury this season, but he came back strong to beat a very good wrestler in Alex Dieringer to make the U.S. Team.
Dake has won his share of close matches during his career. His defense is excellent, and he also can score off his own attacks. The key for him will be to avoid those tight, low-scoring bouts that can go either way.
Dake has always been a winner and he's proven himself now as a world champion. Even with the time he missed, Dake looks like he will be ready to turn in another memorable performance at the 2019 World Championships.
86 kilograms: Pat Downey
Gold: 15 percent
Medal: 35 percent
Downey will compete here after returning world champion David Taylor suffered a season-ending injury.
That obviously was a costly blow to the American team, especially with this being a qualifier for the Olympic Games.
There is no doubt that Downey, a past Junior world silver medalist, is a talented and capable wrestler. The key for him will be how consistently he can perform over a number of matches.
The U.S. has a long history of wrestlers doing well in their first trip to the worlds. Downey is hoping he can continue that tradition.
92 kilograms: J'den Cox
Gold: 60 percent
Medal: 80 percent
Cox has shown he can deliver on the big stage, capturing Olympic bronze, world bronze and world gold over the past three years.
He's a guy who doesn't receive the respect he deserves sometimes when overshadowed by other stars on the loaded American team.
This weight class looks like the perfect fit for Cox and he showed that by winning worlds last year in Budapest.
Cox is a clutch performer whose style isn't overly flashy. He's a tough, hard-nosed competitor who stays composed in big matches. I wouldn't bet against him.
97 kilograms: Kyle Snyder
Gold: 50 percent
Medal: 85 percent
Snyder lost by a stunning first-period fall in the 2018 world finals against Russian star Abdulrashid Sadulaev a year after Snyder beat him in the 2017 world finals.
Snyder has come back strong this season and he continues to show the maturity and composure of someone much older than his age.
Snyder is still only 23, but he already has won an Olympic gold medal, two world titles and a world silver medal. He has an incredible resume for someone his age.
Like Burroughs, Snyder is a tremendous competitor who has always come back after tough losses. And expect Snyder to do exactly that as he pursues his third world title.
Nick Gwiazdowski chats with Bill Zadick at the Pan American Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)125 kilograms: Nick Gwiazdowski
Gold: 35 percent
Medal: 65 percent
Gwiazdowski earned back-to-back world bronze medals in 2017 and 2018. Now he's ready to land a spot in the world finals.
Gwiazdowski continues to be a tough matchup at heavyweight. He moves well for his size and his athleticism creates problems for his opponents.
He is another guy who consistently knows how to perform when the stakes are highest.
Gwiazdowski has had another strong season and he looks primed to have another good performance at his third World Championships.
Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.
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