The South Korean duo are the only reigning world champions confirmed so far to compete in Astana following their World Championship wins in Budapest last year.

Kim will be competing in the men's 75 kilogram class and the London 2012 champion will be favourite to secure a third continental crown and his biggest threat is likely to come from Iran's 2011 world champion Saeid Abdval.

Ryu will be the man to beat at 66kg but will face stiff competition from the likes of World Championship bronze medallist Sandeep Yadav of India, Asian junior champion Khusrav Obloberdiev of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan's Bobirek Zaylobidinov.

Another South Korean will be aiming for gold in the 71kg as Athens 2004 Olympic champion Jung Ji-Hyun takes to the mat, with Iranian Mohammad Karimi also a likely gold medal contender while Iran will also be confident in the 59kg category in the form of Mohsen Hajipour.

Uzbekistan's Rustam Assakalov is expected to be the man to beat at 85kg while compatriot Jahongir Turdiev and China's 2012 Asian Championship runner-up Xiao Di are the men to watch in the 98kg class.

Another 2012 champion, Kim Yong-Min of South Korea will be expected to be in the medal shake-up at 130kg along with Iranian Behnam Mehdizadeh.

Indian Sushil Kumar returns to international action following his silver medal at London 2012 and the 2010 world champion will be expected to be a major threat in the men's freestyle 70kg class alongside Moustafa Hosseinkhani of Iran.

India's London 2012 silver medal winner Sushil Kumar will be competing in the 70kg category in Astana ©Getty Images



Kumar's teammate and namesake Amit Kumar will be up against 2013 Takhti Cup winner, Mehrab Rezazadeh of Iran in the 57kg class while another Indian-Iran battle could decide the gold medals in the 61kg category as World Championship bronze medallists Bjarang Bajrang and Masoud Esmailpour square-up.

Defending champion Umidyon Ismanov of Uzbekistan is the big name in the 86kg class with Olympic bronze medal winner, Indian Yogeshwar Dutt headlining the 60kg category.

In the women's freestyle competition the 60kg class loos like it could provide some mouth-watering contests and includes 2012 world champion Zhang Lan of China and last year's junior world champion Sukhee Tserenchimed of Mongolia.

Fellow junior world champion Risako Kawai of Japan is expected to be the main protagonist in the 58kg category while compatriot and World Junior Games champion Hikari Sugawara is entered at 53kg where she will come up against China's 2012 junior runner-up Zhong Xuechun and 2013 junior world bronze medalist Erkhembayar Davaanchimeg of Mongolia.

Japan will also be heavily fancied in the 63kg and 72kg categories in the form of Yarygin Grand Prix winner Yurika Ito and World Championship bronze medallist Sara Dosho and defending champion Hiroe Suzuki.

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