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Three years ago, the wrestling community was forced to contemplate life without the Olympics.Now back on the program, the worlds oldest sport is hoping that the Rio Games can be a showcase for everything thats changed since then.The IOCs surprising decision to leave wrestling out of the Olympics after one final appearance in 2016 turned out to be the proverbial kick in the pants the sport suddenly realize it needed.Wrestling quickly mobilized by restructuring its once-woeful international leadership, implementing new rules to emphasize scoring and embracing gender equity by adding two new womens weight classes.The IOC took notice, returning wrestling to the Olympic roster just eight months after kicking the sport out in 2013.Here are some of the key story lines to follow as wrestling gets ready to celebrate its resurgence in Rio:---MEDAL FAVORITEAmerican Jordan Burroughs might just be the best wrestler in the world.Hes hoping to remove any doubt when competition begins Aug. 14 in Rio.Burroughs burst onto the international scene in 2011, winning a world title just six months after leaving the University of Nebraska. He went on to win gold in Rio and two more world championships, and Burroughs is the clear favorite in the 74 kilogram freestyle division.It isnt just Burroughss talent thats made him a star. His electric wrestling style and his charismatic persona have made him one of the faces of the American team -- at a time when the sport desperately needs a cross-over star.---RETURNING STARSWomens wrestling has only been in the Olympics since 2004.Japans Kaori Icho and Saori Yoshida have dominated the sport as thoroughly as any athletes in the world since then.Icho and Yoshida each won Olympic gold medals in 2004, 2008 and 2012 and should be favored to make it four straight in Rio.Icho, a 10-time world champion, lost her first match in 13 years earlier this season -- though largely because of an injured neck. Shes expected to be healthy for the Olympic meet.Yoshida is the most decorated athlete in the history of freestyle wrestling and was ranked first at 53 kilograms in United World Wrestlings most recent rankings. But American Helen Maroulis, the worlds best at 55 kilograms, could give Yoshida her biggest Olympic challenge yet.---GRAYS DAY?An American woman has never won a gold medal in wrestling.It would be a major surprise if Adeline Gray doesnt break through in Brazil.Gray, 25, has already won three world championships -- including in 2014 and 2015. She also went unbeaten in a startup pro wrestling league in India, won the Olympic test event ahead of the Rio Games and cruised to first at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Gray will enter the Rio meet on a 37-match win streak against a field that doesnt look as imposing as some of the other divisions.----THE FIELDThe biggest challenger to Burroughs in the argument about the worlds top wrestler would likely be 20-year-old Russian sensation Abdulrashid Sadulaev, whos already won two world championships at 86 kilograms freestyle. ...Kyle Snyder became the youngest world champion in U.S. history in 2015 and held off 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner to earn a spot on the team headed to Rio. Hell be among the favorites at 97 kilograms. ...Turkeys Riza Kayaalp will be looking to upend Cubas Mijain Lopez in Greco-Roman heavyweight. Lopez crushed Kayaalp to win gold in London.---RULES CHANGESThe biggest changes newcomers to the sport will likely notice will be aesthetic. The mats have been changed to a darker shade of blue with an orange ring around the circle, so fans can better differentiate scoring moves. Countries have also been given the chance to design their uniforms around their national flags, rather than stick to the classic blue and red singlets that often made it tough to tell which wrestler was which. And, perhaps most importantly, there will be just two three-minute periods, and the scoring will be cumulative in an effort to encourage wrestlers to keep attacking rather than simply sit on a lead. Nike Vapormax Halvalla . JOHNS, N. Vapormax 2020 . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.vapormaxsuomi.com/ . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Vapormax 2019 Suomi . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Vapormax Flyknit 3 Suomi . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. ROME -- After bringing in the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Miralem Pjanic, Dani Alves and Medhi Benatia, the top priority for Juventus is clearly the Champions League.Juventus has finished runner-up four times since it last won the trophy 20 years ago, including to Barcelona in 2015.Everyone says Juve will win everything -- the league, cup and the Champions League. But that hurts us, because we lose perspective, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said. Weve got to play the matches and win them on the pitch.Juventus opens its campaign at home against Sevilla on Wednesday in Group H after impressing in its opening three Serie A matches.Higuain transferred from rival Napoli for 90 million euros ($99 million) after scoring 36 goals last season to break a 66-year-old Serie A record. He scored twice in the opening 10 minutes of a 3-1 win over Sassuolo on Saturday.Juventus will definitely be a protagonist until the end, Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti, a former Juventus coach, told the Gazzetta dello Sport. If you have a player who scores 30 goals per season thats really key -- it gives you fewer uncertainties.Here is a look at Wednesdays other matches:---GROUP ETottenham is back in the Champions League, and Monaco is returning after a one-year absence.Monaco, which reached the Champions League final in 2004, is leading the French league and travels to England unbeaten in four games. The team has been boosted by the return of striker Radamel Falcao, who came back from a five-week injury layoff last weekend.Meanwhile, Harry Kane scored his first goal of the season on Saturday as Tottenham beat Stoke 4-0 in the Premier League.The match will take place at Wembley Stadium because of construction work at White Hart Lane.Also, Bayer Leverkusen warmed up for CSKA Moscows visit with a 3-1 win over Hamburg on Saturday.Mexico striker Javier Chicharito Hernandez will again lead the front line against Moscow, which has lost on all five previous visits to Germany.---GROUP FLooking to become the first team to win back-to-back Champions League titlees, defending champion Real Madrid opens its campaign at home against Sporting Lisbon.ddddddddddddIn the other group match, Borussia Dortmund will take on Legia Warsaw, Polands first Champions League representatives since Widzew Lodz in 1996-97.Legia Warsaws two biggest home losses in Europe came against German opposition. The club has never beaten a German team, losing five of its eight matches.---GROUP GThis is possibly the weakest of all the eight groups at this stage -- despite boasting the presence of the English champions.Leicester is making its debut in the Champions League after its unlikely title triumph in the Premier League last season and is joined in the group by two other inexperienced teams at this level.Club Brugge, Leicesters first opponent on Wednesday, is competing in the group stage for the first time in 11 years while FC Copenhagen has only gotten this far three times before.It leaves Champions League regular FC Porto -- a two-time European champion -- as comfortably the most experienced team in the group.Porto and Copenhagen both had to go through qualifying. Copenhagen won six matches to make it this far, while Porto overcame Italian side Roma in the playoff round with a 4-1 aggregate win.Leicester was the story of European soccer last season but the encore is proving tough. The team has won only one of the first four games and heads to Belgium on the back of a 4-1 loss at Liverpool.---GROUP HComing off a 3-1 loss in the French league that exposed its defensive frailties, Lyon will host Dinamo Zagreb.The seven-time French champions may have to play without striker Alexandre Lacazette because of a left leg injury. The France internationals absence is a problem for Lyon coach Bruno Genesio, who does not have proper cover on the bench.Dinamo has its own worries. The Croatian clubs unbeaten run of 103 league matches at home, dating back to 2010, ended over the weekend against Osijek. ' ' '