Medal Picks

120 kg (264 lbs.)
• Mijain Lopez, Cuba
• Khasan Baroev, Russia
• Dremiel Byers, U.S.
• Mihály Deák-Bárdos, Hungary
Byers spent years in shadow of Olympic champ Rulon Gardner.

Women's Freestyle

48 kg (105.5 lbs.)
• Chiharu Icho, Japan
• Irini Merleni, Ukraine
• Carol Huynh, Canada
• Ren Xueceng, China
In '04 Merleni was first woman to win wrestling gold.

55 kg (121 lbs.)
• Saori Yoshida, Japan
• Marcie Van Dusen, U.S.
• Natalia Golts, Russia
• Tonya Verbeek, Canada
Yoshida shut out Verbeek 6--0 for gold in Athens.

63 kg (138.5 lbs.)
• Kaori Icho, Japan
• Xu Hai Yan, China
• Alena Kartashova, Russia
• Yelena Shalygina, Kazakhstan
Icho won '04 final in overtime.

72 kg (158.5 lbs.)
• Stanka Zlateva, Bulgaria
• Kyoko Hamaguchi, Japan
• Wang Xu, China
• Olga Zhanibekova, Kazakhstan
Hamaguchi's dad was a pro wrestler known as the Animal.

BYE, BYE, BEISBOL

YULIESKI GOURRIEL
Cuba, baseball

Onto the Olympic Scrap Heap
Three-time gold medalist Cuba will suffer the most from baseball's exile from the Games after Beijing. Power-hitting third baseman Gourriel, 24, will lead his team's final title defense; after that Cuba's marquee event will be the more daunting, major-leaguer-rich World Baseball Classic (up again in 2009). Baseball (like softball) will join a list of 12 other ex--Olympic sports—and hope the IOC reinstates it for 2016.

Projected Medal Count
The U.S. retains the overall medal crown, but China finishes first in golds—as it likely will for many Summer Games to come.