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2005 World Championships preview at 55 kg/121 lbs. in women’s freestyle

9/9/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

This weight class has a dominant star, 2004 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Saori Yoshida of Japan. Yoshida remains on the mats, winning the 2005 World Cup, the Asian Championships and the World University Games. Many believe she is the top athlete in women’s wrestling today, based on her consistency and her skill level. Until somebody shows an ability to beat her, Yoshida will be the favorite in every tournament she enters.

The finals of the World University Games was a rematch of the Olympic Games finals, where Yoshida stopped Canada’s Tonya Verbeek, an athlete who has really stepped it up in the last few seasons. Verbeek had to win a deep weight class just to get on her Olympic team, then put together a great tournament in Athens.

The Olympic bronze medalist was a veteran star, Ana Gomis of France, who won four World gold medals in her career going back many years. Her age seems like a question mark for Gomis, but she continues to compete at a very high level, winning a silver medal this year at the European Championships.

The best wrestler who did not compete in Athens but has a true chance to win a World title is Tina George of the United States, a two-time World silver medalist. George lost to Tela O’Donnell in the Olympic Trials, and O’Donnell placed sixth in Athens. George came back strong this year, while O’Donnell went up a weight class. George won numerous international tournaments this year under the new rules, which compliments her wrestling style of strength and speed. She has had some close matches with Yoshida, and has a nice rivalry going with Verbeek.

Another star who was not in Athens was two-time World bronze medalist Natalia Golts of Russia, the 2005 European champion. Golts was replaced by Olga Smirnova in Athens, but Smirnova lost to O’Donnell in an early match and did not place. Golts may be Russia’s best best for a gold medal in Budapest. Golts was second behind Yoshida at the World Cup this year, and would like another chance to test herself against the superstar in the weight class.

2002 World bronze medalist Ida Theres Karlsson of Sweden is a top contender, along with Italy’s Diletta Giampicollo, if she drops to this division. Both wrestled up at 59 kg at the European Championships, with Karlsson winning the gold medal and Giampiccolo taking a bronze medal. Don’t be surprised if they both stay up and test themselves at that division instead.

China’s Sun Dongmei has proven the ability to place high at major events. Among her other achievements was fifth at the 2004 Olympics and seventh at the 2001 World Championships. China has developed great depth in women’s wrestling, including Su Lihui, who was second behind Yoshida at the Asian Championships this year. Whoever China enters will be a tough draw and a medal contender.

The Junior World champion is Johanna Mattson of Sweden, who might also wrestle at the Senior level, especially if Karlsson remains up a weight class. Sylwia Bilenska of Poland and Mariya Egorova of Belarus have made a name for themselves by winning bronze medals at the European Championships this season. Lee Na-Lae of Korea placed a solid seventh at the Olympic Games, fourth in the 2001 World Championships, and was a bronze medalist at the Asian Championships this year. Maria Andrade of Venezuela was the 2005 Pan American champion.

Ukraine should be well represented, with Tetyana Lazerava, who was eighth at the Olympic Games, or Olha Levkovska, who was a bronze medalist at the 2005 World University Games. Sofia Poumbouridou of Greece was a 2002 World champion at 51 kg, and competed at this division in both the 2004 Olympics and 2005 European Championships. Hungary will have a strong local athlete, Kitti Godo, who was sixth at the 2002 World Championships andfifth at the 2005 European Championships.

Also still competing is Gudrun Hoie of Norway, a four-time World Champion who won her last World title way back in 1998. Hoie is still capable of winning matches on this level, placing fifth at the European Championships this year. An athlete to watch from an unexpected nation is Thi Hang Nguyen of Vietnam, who was a bronze medalist at the Asian Championships this year.

This weight class has a ton of talent and experience, but one athlete stands ahead of the pack, Japan’s Saori Yoshida. There will be a struggle between veteran stars like Tina George, Tonya Verbeek, Natalia Golts and Anna Gomis and others to get into position to be the athlete who stops Yoshida’s winning streak. Can Yoshida be beaten? We will find out in Budapest.

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2004 Olympic Games results
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold – Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver – Tonya Verbeek (Canada); Bronze – Anna Gomis (France); 4th – Ida-Theres Karlsson (Sweden); 5th – Sun Dongmei (China); 6th – Tela O’Donnell (USA); 7th – Lee Na Lae (Korea); 8th – Tetyana Lazareva (Ukraine); 9th – Olga Smirnova (Russia); 10th – Diletta Giampiccolo (Italy)

2003 World Championships results
55 kg/121 lbs.– Gold – Saori Yoshida (Japan) dec. Tina George (United States), 5-2; Bronze – Natalia Golts (Russia) dec. Sun Dongmei (China), 4-0; 5th – Mabel Fonseca (Puerto Rico); 6th – Jennifer Ryz (Canada); 7th – Anna Gomis (France); 8th – Marzi Andrade (Venezuela); 9th – Monika Michalik (Poland); 10th – Tatyana Lazareya (Ukraine)

2002 World Championships results
55 kg/121 lbs. - 1st - Saori Yoshida (Japan) dec. Tina George (USA), 10-4; 3rd - Ida Theres Karlsson (Sweden) dec. Konstantina Tsibanakou (Greece), 7-1; 5th - Jen Ryz (Canada); 6th - Kitti Godo (Hungary); 7th - Monika Michalik (Poland); 8th - Viktoria Zagainova (Russia); 9th - Nadine Tokar (Switzerland); 10th - Isabelle Sambou (Senegal)

2001 World Championships results
56 kg/123.25 lbs. - Gold - Seiko Yamamoto (Japan) dec. Liubov Volosova (Russia), 4-1; Bronze - Tetiana Lazarova (Ukraine) dec. Lee Na Lae (Korea), 5-2; 5th - Sara Eriksson (Sweden); 6th - Yildirim Zeynep (Turkey); 7th - Sun Dongmei (China); 8th - Gudrun Hoie (Norway); 9th - Anna Gomis (France); 10th - Yoselin Rojas (Venezuela)

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2005 World Championships preview at 59 kg/130 lbs. in women’s freestyle wrestling

9/12/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

This is a non-Olympic weight class, which did not get an international final exam last year. Most of the athletes from this division went either down to 55 kg or up to 63 kg last season, in an attempt to win an Olympic medal or a berth in the Olympic Games. Exactly what the field will look like this year is really a big question mark, as there is no guarantee that the athletes who were among the best in 2003 will even be competing in 2005.

The last World Champion in the division was Japan’s star Seiko Yamamoto in 2003, who won four World titles during her career but has not been wrestling recently. Japan has been represented by a few athletes this season, with Ayoki Shoda winning the World Cup and the World University Games, Kei Yamana winning the Junior World Championships, and Hatsumi Nakanishi placing seventh at the Asian Championships. These newcomers will have to prove themselves, but will be expected to do well as members of the world’s strongest women’s wrestling team.

The silver medal at the 2003 World Championships in New York went to Russia’s Natalya Ivashko, and the bronze was won by American Sally Roberts. It is certain that of these athletes, Roberts will be there, after claiming the U.S. World Team Trials by beating 2004 Olympian Tela O’Donnell in the finals. Roberts has wrestled well under the new rules, and has high hopes for the gold medal this time around.

Victoria Zagainova competed for Russia at the European Championships this year and placed fifth and also was the team member at the Women’s World Cup. The first World champion at this new weight division was 2002 gold medalist Alena Cartashova of Russia, one of the athletes who changed weight last year seeking Olympic glory. Cartashova would be a medal favorite if she wrestles for Russia in Budapest.

Claiming the European title this year was Sweden’s Ida-Theres Karlsson, who moved up from 55 kg where she is a past World medalist. Sweden had a strong entry here in the past, with Lotta Anderson placing second at the 2002 World Championships. Helena Allandi has also competed at major events for Sweden at this division.

Audrey Prieto of France has established herself as a strong contender, winning the silver medal at the European Championships and competing well at the World Cup event. Yulia Ratkevich of Belarus has also become a strong challenger, winning the Junior World silver medal and a bronze medal at the European Championships. The other European bronze medalist this year was veteran Diletta Giampiccolo of Italy, who dropped down to 55 kg last year for the Olympics, but has a strong history of success up at this division in the past.

Canada could be represented by two-time World placewinner Emily Richardson, who has the experience to be a medal hopeful. Canada’s Breanne Graham was one of the bronze medalists at the World University Games.

The Asian champion this year was Hee-Young Kim of Korea. Alka Tomar of India placed second, and the bronze medalists were Xin-Ling Moa of China and Dorj Narmandakh of Mongolia. Jaqueline Renteria of Colombia won the Pan American Championships beating Ana Gonzalez of Venezuela in the finals.

Host Hungary should have a strong entry, especially if Marianna Sastin enters. Sastin was fourth at the 2003 World Championships and seventh at the European Championships this year. Placing fifth at the 2003 World Championships was Oksana Shalikova of Ukraine, who was also second at the 2005 World Cup.

The rest of this field could be a mix of newcomers, and some athletes with previous experience. Wrestlers to watch include Desislava Lyubenova of Bulgaria, Natalia Ivanova of Tajikistan, Justyna Barziak of Poland, Myriam Selloum of France and many others.

If you wanted to pick one weight class, in both the men and women’s tournaments, that might be considered wide open and unpredictable, it would be the 59 kg division in women’s wrestling. All bets are off here, and it would not be surprising if a new young athlete jumped into this field and won the whole thing. The U.S. has high hopes with Sally Roberts, but there are many athletes like Roberts with the ability to win it all this year.

RECENT WORLD RESULTS

2003 World Championships results
59 kg/130 lbs. – Gold – Seiko Yamamoto (Japan) dec. Natalia Ivashko (Russia), 4-0; Bronze – Sally Roberts (United States) pin Marianna Sastin (Hungary), 5:36; 5th – Oksana Shalikova (Ukraine); 6th – Seba Jimenez Valderrama (Spain); 7th – Emily Richardson (Canada); 8th – Natalia Ivanova (Tajikistan); 9th – Stefanie Stueber (Germany); 10th – Helena Allandi (Sweden)

2002 World Championships results
59 kg/130 lbs. - 1st - Alena Cartashova (Russia) dec. Lotta Andersson (Sweden), 4-0, ot, 7:07; 3rd - Mabel Fonseca (Puerto Rico) dec. Sandrine Seve (France), 3-1, ot, 7:21; 5th - Christina Oertli (Germany); 6th - Ramirez Mendoza (Mexico); 7th - Rena Iwama (Japan); 8th - Emily Richardson (Canada); 9th - Agoro Papavassiliou (Greece); 10th - Oxana Shalikova (Ukraine)