World Wrestling Championships 2015: Dates, Event Schedule, Nations and More
With the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro just one year away, the 2015 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas are crucial in terms of qualifying for the biggest stage in all of sports.
The best male and female wrestlers in the world will be in action in both the Greco-Roman and freestyle events across six glorious days in Sin City. The World Wrestling Championships have not been held in the United States since 2003, but the nation is ready to host what promises to be one of the biggest such competitions of all time.
With 99 countries registered and 24 weight classes across three different disciplines set to be decided, here is everything you need to know in order to prepare yourself for the 2015 World Wrestling Championships.
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Where: Orleans Arena in Las Vegas
When: Monday, Sept. 7, through Saturday, Sept. 12
Events: Greco-Roman, Men's Freestyle, Women's Freestyle
Event Schedule
| Monday, Sept. 7 | 1 p.m. - 8 p.m. | Men's Greco-Roman 66kg, 75kg, 98kg | Preliminaries and Repechage |
| Monday, Sept. 7 | 9:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. | Opening Ceremonies | --- |
| Monday, Sept. 7 | 10:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. | Men's Greco-Roman 66kg, 75kg, 98kg | Bronze and Gold Medal Matches |
| Tuesday, Sept. 8 | 1 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | Men's Greco-Roman 59kg, 71kg, 80kg, 130kg | Preliminaries and Repechage |
| Tuesday, Sept. 8 | 9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. | Men's Greco-Roman 59kg, 71kg, 80kg, 130kg | Bronze and Gold Medal Matches |
| Wednesday, Sept. 9 | 1 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Men's Greco-Roman 85kg and Women's Freestyle 48kg, 53kg, 69kg | Preliminaries and Repechage |
| Wednesday, Sept. 9 | 9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. | Men's Greco-Roman 85kg and Women's Freestyle 48kg, 53kg, 69kg | Bronze and Gold Medal Matches |
| Thursday, Sept. 10 | 1 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Women's Freestyle 55kg, 58kg, 63kg and Men's Freestyle 65kg | Preliminaries and Repechage |
| Thursday, Sept. 10 | 9:30 p.m. - 1 a.m. | Women's Freestyle 55kg, 58kg, 63kg and Men's Freestyle 65kg | Bronze and Gold Medal Matches |
| Friday, Sept. 11 | 1 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Women's Freestyle 60kg and Men's Freestyle 61kg, 86kg, 97kg | Preliminaries and Repechage |
| Friday, Sept. 11 | 9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. | Women's Freestyle 60kg and Men's Freestyle 61kg, 86kg, 97kg | Bronze and Gold Medal Matches |
| Saturday, Sept. 12 | 1 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | Men's Freestyle 57kg, 70kg, 74kg, 125kg | Preliminaries and Repechage |
| Saturday, Sept. 12 | 9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. | Men's Freestyle 57kg, 70kg, 74kg, 125kg | Bronze and Gold Medal Matches |
Participating Nations
| 1 | Afghanistan |
| 2 | Albania |
| 3 | Algeria |
| 4 | American Samoa |
| 5 | Argentina |
| 6 | Armenia |
| 7 | Australia |
| 8 | Austria |
| 9 | Azerbaijan |
| 10 | Belarus |
| 11 | Bolivia |
| 12 | Brazil |
| 13 | Bulgaria |
| 14 | Cameroon |
| 15 | Canada |
| 16 | Chad |
| 17 | Chile |
| 18 | China |
| 19 | Colombia |
| 20 | Costa Rica |
| 21 | Croatia |
| 22 | Cuba |
| 23 | Czech Republic |
| 24 | Denmark |
| 25 | Ecuador |
| 26 | El Salvador |
| 27 | Estonia |
| 28 | Egypt |
| 29 | Finland |
| 30 | France |
| 31 | Georgia |
| 32 | Germany |
| 33 | Great Britain |
| 34 | Greece |
| 35 | Guam |
| 36 | Guatemala |
| 37 | Haiti |
| 38 | Honduras |
| 39 | Hungary |
| 40 | India |
| 41 | Iran |
| 42 | Iraq |
| 43 | Ireland |
| 44 | Israel |
| 45 | Italy |
| 46 | Japan |
| 47 | Kazakhstan |
| 48 | Kosovo |
| 49 | Kyrgyz Republic |
| 50 | Latvia |
| 51 | Lithuania |
| 52 | Macedonia |
| 53 | Madagascar |
| 54 | Marshall Islands |
| 55 | Mexico |
| 56 | Moldova |
| 57 | Monaco |
| 58 | Mongolia |
| 59 | Morocco |
| 60 | Nambia |
| 61 | Nauru |
| 62 | Netherlands |
| 63 | New Zealand |
| 64 | Nicaragua |
| 65 | Nigeria |
| 66 | Norway |
| 67 | Pakistan |
| 68 | Palestine |
| 69 | Palau |
| 70 | Panama |
| 71 | Paraguay |
| 72 | People's Republic of Korea |
| 73 | Peru |
| 74 | Poland |
| 75 | Portugal |
| 76 | Puerto Rico |
| 77 | Romania |
| 78 | Russia |
| 79 | Senegal |
| 80 | Serbia |
| 81 | Sierra Leone |
| 82 | Slovakia |
| 83 | Slovenia |
| 84 | South Africa |
| 85 | South Korea |
| 86 | Spain |
| 87 | Sri Lanka |
| 88 | Sweden |
| 89 | Switzerland |
| 90 | Taiwan |
| 91 | Trinidad |
| 92 | Tunisia |
| 93 | Turkey |
| 94 | United Arab Emirates |
| 95 | Ukraine |
| 96 | United States |
| 97 | Uzbekistan |
| 98 | Venezuela |
| 99 | Vietnam |
Breaking Down Top Storylines
Jordan Burroughs Continues Drive for Second Olympic Gold
The United States has a strong stable of wrestlers on both the men's and women's sides, but there is no question that freestyle star Jordan Burroughs stands out above the rest.
The 27-year-old native of Camden, New Jersey, took gold at the 2012 London Olympics at 163 pounds, and he is the odds-on favorite to do the same in Las Vegas. As a two-time world champion and the reigning Pan-American gold medalist, Burroughs is seemingly head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
In addition to that, Burroughs feels as though competing on his home turf adds a little extra motivation to come out on top:
Burroughs was just 24 years old at the last Olympics, but there were still plenty of expectations hanging above him. Despite the immense pressure, Burroughs lived up to those expectations and established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the world.
According to Julia Fincher of NBC Olympic Talk, Burroughs believes he is even better now and far more prepared to make a statement at the 2016 Summer Games:
"I'm a little bit older but I feel great, I feel like I've improved as a wrestler, and I really feel like my chances of winning an Olympic gold medal this time around are better than they were in London.
With age comes experience in the sport of wrestling. I've gotten more time on the mat, I've gotten better at certain positions, I'm more confident in my abilities, I've been under more stressful situations which has prepared me for the intense moments of being an Olympian. I'm more well-rounded as an athlete and as a young man.
"
Burroughs certainly seems to be the total package as both an athlete and a person, and that has served him well in big competitions over the years.
The World Wrestling Championships are among the biggest, and Burroughs undoubtedly has himself ready to get the job done in Vegas.
UFC's Bilyal Makhov to Compete for Russia
Russia's Bilyal Makhov will soon embark on what could be an extremely lucrative MMA career, but before he does that, he will compete in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships.
Makhov was a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics and is a three-time world champion. The 27-year-old star has such an impressive track record that UFC signed him to a contract in April.
He is hoping to go to the 2016 Olympics and perhaps win his first career Olympic gold, but after he accomplishes that, every indication is that he will focus on becoming a force in UFC's heavyweight division.
Makhov is a supremely confident athlete, and he firmly believes that he will be a star in UFC once he commits his full attention to it, according to John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com:
"I want to say, if you have not heard anything about Bilyal Makhov, you will," he said. "And when you hear about Bilyal Makhov, you will never forget him and you will be talking about him for a long time."
Makhov still needs to put the finishing touches on what has already been an incredible wrestling career, and winning another gold medal at the world championships would be a big part of that.
If Makhov does win gold in Las Vegas as many expect, then he may very well establish himself as the favorite to do the same next year in Brazil.
Mijain Lopez Goes for Sixth World Championship
With two Olympic gold medals, four Pan-American Games gold medals and five world championships to his credit, Cuba's Mijain Lopez is one of the most decorated wrestlers of all time. Despite that, the 33-year-old veteran is far from done.
Lopez will attempt to defend his 2014 world championship gold in Las Vegas and position himself for a third consecutive Olympic gold in the process.
Although Lopez's place in the history of Greco-Roman wrestling is very much cemented, there has been no reason for him to step away from the sport since he is still among its most dominant forces.
It is entirely possible that the 2016 Olympics will be Lopez's last considering his age, and he'll certainly want to enter Rio with as much momentum as he can possibly pick up.
Provided he wins world championship gold for the sixth time in his illustrious career, Lopez will be very much on track to reign supreme at the 2016 Summer Games as well.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
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