Olympic Wrestling 2012: A Look at the Heavyweight Greco-Roman Monsters

As a sport where athletes compete by weight class, wrestling provides a certain type of equal opportunity not possible in, say, football or basketball. A five-foot nothing, 121-pound competitor can earn the status of giant on the mat. 

But at the top end of the roster, the athletes are giants for real, great hulks of humanity who diet and sweat themselves down to a lean, mean, 263 pounds. Understand, any world-class wrestler is a physical beast, exquisitely conditioned and strong far beyond his weight. 

Beyond that, they have a skill set and understanding of basic physics that means they can toss other grown men around like rag dolls. Even the smallest wrestlers can throw regular men twice their size around like they were toys.

So when you are talking about heavyweights, guys who are legitimately huge to begin with, well, you are talking about some pretty tough dudes. 

In this year's Games, the Greco-Roman 263-pound division is particularly formidable, containing five different former world champions and a number of other legitimate contenders. Gary Abbot of USA Wrestling has a fully-detailed preview you can read by clicking this link. 

A brief look at the five men who have won gold at the world championships follows. 

Khassan Baroev, Russia

As the dominant Russian heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler of the last decade, Baroev is the heir to the legacy of Alexander Karelin. That is something like being the guy who will take over shortstop for the Yankees after Derek Jeter retires. If Jeter were a terrifying man-beast. 

But Baroev has made his own name for himself. He won the 2004 Olympic games and added a world championship in 2006. 

Heiki Nabi, Estonia

Heiki Nabi was the 2006 world champion at 212 pounds, the first Estonian to win a world title while wrestling for Estonia, as opposed to under the old USSR.

He has not really come close to reclaiming that form since, and wrestling up at a higher weight this year, he has to be viewed as a long shot to medal. Still, a competitor who has won a world championship has demonstrated an ability to perform at the highest level.

And in wrestling, speed can be as important as strength, so he can't necessarily be counted out against men who are mostly larger.  

Dremiel Byers, USA

Dremiel Byers is the most decorated American Greco-Roman wrestler ever. After playing football for two years at North Carolina A&T on a scholarship, he enlisted in the Army in order to join the Army's World Class Athlete program. He currently holds the rank of Sergeant First Class.

At 37, Byers has been winning medals in international competition since before the turn of the century. He won the world championship in 2002 and has won a silver and a bronze at worlds, as well.

After placing seventh in Beijing in 2008, he enters this year knowing it will very likely be his last chance to add Olympic hardware to his trophy case. 

Maybe it's only because I'm a former soldier myself, but I'm picking him to have a great tournament in London and complete the mission. 

Riza Kayaalp, Turkey

The 22-year-old Turkish heavyweight Riza Kayaalp is a force of nature gathering momentum. He is a two-time bronze medalist at the world games, the first one coming in 2008 while he was still a teenager. 

Last year, he took a great leap forward, winning the world championship in front of his home crowd in Turkey, knocking off the legendary Mijain Lopez of Cuba. 

This will be his first time in the Olympics (in 2008, he won the World Juniors gold medal), but he already has a proven track record competing against the greatest the world can offer. He is a mountain of a man, even among other heavyweights, and a lot of people are picking him to take gold this week in London. 

Mijain Lopez, Cuba

Mijain Lopez is one of the greatest wrestlers of the past decade. He is a five-time world champion with two additional silvers. In 2008, he took gold in Beijing. 

In 2010, rumors surfaced that he had defected to Miami and was training for MMA. This turned out not to be the case, but trust me, if it happens (and he is only now turning 30 later this month), it will have a huge impact on the sport. He becomes a legitimate threat to the UFC heavyweight title the day he declares himself a pro.  

Meanwhile, he is out for one more gold and revenge for his loss to Kayaalp last year. I'll be pulling hard for Byers all tournament long, but if we end up with Kayaalp and Lopez in the finals, I will still be one very happy wrestling fan.