They returned home from the 2021 Championships with 24 gold medals, while no other nation won more than one, while last year in Acapulco, although not quite so dominant, they still won 17 golds, three times as many as anyone else.

There are plenty of Olympic and world champions among the 280 wrestlers from 19 nations.

Competition begins with Greco-Roman where Cuba's Olympic 60 kilograms gold medallist Luis Orta Sanchez, moves up to 67kg for the Pan-Ams.

The venue will at least be familiar, as he won Pan-Am gold in 2019 when the competition was last held in Buenos Aires.

He will be confronted by Colombia’s Julian Horta who won this division a year ago, when the competition was in Acapulco.

Three-times Pan-American champion Patrick Smith of the United States looks to be the man to beat at 72kg.

In the 77kg bracket, three medallists from 2022 are back on competition including Yosvanys Pena Flores who has won three Pan-American gold medals at the weight.

The man he beat in the 2022 final, David Choc of Guatemala is also back along with bronze medallist Joilson de Brito of Brazil.

The 87kg weight class also looks enticing, with three former champions.

Daniel Gregorich of Cuba looks to defend his title, with competition from Mexico's Daniel Vicente who returns to the division after winning gold at 82kg last year.

Alan Vera, who won at 80kg in the colours of Cuba seven years ago is now registered to compete for the United States in this division.

At 97kg, Kevin Mejia of Honduras dominated in 2022 and is bidding for three titles in a row. 

He has not given up a single point at the Championships in the past two years.

His closest challenger is expected to be the experienced Carlos Adames Palmer who won bronze last year.

The heavyweight 130kg category is the only one to feature all four returning medallists from 2022.

The reigning champion is Cuba’s Oscar Pino, ranked 14th in the world and bidding for a fifth Pan-American title. 

Women’s wrestling features the return of American star Helen Maroulis who last competed in these Championships in 2012.

In the intervening years she won Olympic gold at Rio and bronze in Tokyo and world titles at 53, 55 and 57kg.

She is one of 11 wrestlers set to be present who have won 24 world and Olympic medals between them.

Her US team mate and fellow Tokyo bronze medallist Sarah Hildebrandt is targeting a seventh Pan-American gold and is set to wrestle at 62kg.

Canada’s 2018 world champion Justina Di Stasio has twice won Pan-American titles, though she took bronze a year ago. 

Later in the year she won 76kg gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last summer.

Lying in wait in the division are three world age group champions.

Cuba’s Milayhis Marin Potrille is set to return to the city where she won Youth Olympic Games gold in 2018.

Tatiana Renteria of Colombia comes into the competition after winning world under-23 gold last year and American Kennedy Blades was under-21 world champion in 2021.

Men's freestyle comes later in the week but more American dominance is expected as they look forward to Paris 2024.

Four-times World Championship gold medallist Kyle Dake will be targeting a hat-trick of Pan-American golds after victories in 2021 and 2022. 

He fights in the 74kg category.

Jordan Burroughs won Olympic gold eleven years ago but moved up to 79kg in 2021 after almost unbroken success at 74kg at both world and continental level and victory this week would represent a fifth Pan-American Championships gold.

"It's gold or bust for me, literally every single year," Burroughs said, adding: "2023 is an exciting time because it leads up to 2024, you want to get that ball rolling and start to gain momentum."

In the 86kg category, David Taylor is the reigning Olympic champion and won World Championship gold at the weight for the second time in Belgrade last year.

He has won Pan-American gold three times, including in 2019, the last time these Championships were in Buenos Aires.

America’s Kyle Snyder won Olympic gold in 2016 and claimed his third world title last year. 

He has won five Pan-American Championships in the 97kg class.