News Page
10/8/2003
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
(This is the other Women’s World Cup competition being held this week. It is in the newest Olympic sport, women’s freestyle wrestling, and like that other Women's World Cup, should be very competitive and exciting)
Most of the world’s best women’s wrestling teams will collide this weekend at the third Women’s World Cup of freestyle wrestling, held in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 11-12. This is a dual meet tournament, where every one of the seven teams entered competes against the other teams.
The field features the two top wrestling teams from the World Championships, Japan and the United States. These two countries are developing a healthy rivalry, especially after both dominated the rest of the field at the recent World Championships in New York City in September.
Wrestling fans from both nations can not overlook the rest of the field, which will try to knock off the top two teams in order bring more parity to women’s wrestling worldwide.
Russia was third at the 2003 World meet, China was fourth at the World Championships and Canada was sixth in the Worlds. All three nations have high quality athletes and a strong lineup from top to bottom, and will be very competitive in Japan this weekend.
The field also includes Greece and Germany, nations that were in the top 10 in New York and also have some talented individuals.
With Japan hosting the event, after five of its team members won World gold medals in New York, the question is whether any nation has a chance to beat Japan on its home mats. Japan is entering its entire 2003 World team, plus a few talented backups, meaning the team has every intention of winning big.
Japan has not by shy about its place as the dominant nation in the sport. In fact, team officials are being quoted on the official web page about setting a goal of winning every single bout during the weekend.
“We would like to win every competition completely,” said team manager Hikaru Suzuki. “I am discussing with coaches how we should make a line-up of the wrestlers. I will make a line-up of best wrestlers when we compete against USA, Russia and China, but we also have to make a team of strong wrestlers when we compete against Canada and Germany.
“Each team has six competitions in two days. It is a tough schedule. Team manager, coaches and wrestlers are united to win the victory and to win every match,” said Suzuki.
It’s not just the coaches that have this kind of confidence going in. Consider this quote attributed to World Champion Chiharu Icho at 51 kg. It sounds like a backhanded compliment to the wrestlers from the rest of the world, in comparison to the Japanese team.
“Overseas wrestlers have surprisingly improved their skills and strength and I don't think we, Japanese wrestlers will win gold medals with ease unless we also try much harder to improve our wrestling techniques and power,” said Icho.
The Japanese team will be under tremendous scrutiny and pressure to dominate in Tokyo like they did in New York last month. Women’s wrestling is important in that nation, and their most recognized athlete, heavyweight Kyoko Hamaguchi, is a media darling over there. “I had a good rest after the World Championship,” said Hamaguchi. “During my rest, I had press coverage almost everyday and I had good refreshment by talking with people.”
Hamaguchi is not shy about her goals for the World Cup, either. “In the World Cup, I would like to win every match by a fall. I would like to concentrate only on the World Cup rather than the Athens Olympic Games now. All the wrestlers at 72kg are my rivals. I am practicing so hard to become an unrivalledly strong wrestler just like Hulk,” she said.
Certainly, Team USA would like to have some success against Japan this weekend, perhaps to help bring the Japanese team back to earth. Coach Terry Steiner is bringing his entire World team to Tokyo, aiming for the kind of strong performance that each athlete provided in New York City.
Individually, U.S. women’s wrestlers posted a 1-3 record against Japanese women’s wrestlers at the World Championships, with the lone win coming from World Champion Kristie Marano, who pinned Norie Sato in 2:13 at 67 kg.
The other matches were all in the gold-medal finals and they were rather close. Saori Yoshida beat Tina George, 5-2 at 55 kg. Kaori Icho needed overtime to beat Sara McMann, 4-3 at 63 kg. Hamaguchi was challenged by Toccara Montgomery in her 4-1 finals win. We could see rematches of each of these bouts, and it’s not just the U.S. wrestlers who are looking forward to it.
“One of my strongest competitors is Sara McMann from USA,” said Kaori Icho. “I beat her by a fall in the World Championship two years ago, but she defeated me in an international championship in Sweden and then I beat her again this year. Two wins and one lose against her. In World Cup, I want to be much careful at a match against her to beat her again without losing any points.”
Against the other five World Cup competing nations, U.S. women’s wrestlers posted a 10-2 record during the World Championships. This makes them favored to emerge unbeaten from their bouts heading into the final match of the tournament. Japanese organizers made the Japan vs. USA match the last dual meet of the event, hoping that it will be a battle of undefeated powerhouses.
Team USA will have to wrestle well for this to come true. Coach Steiner did not bring any backups, so the team must stay free of injury in the early rounds. In addition, both Russia and China will have strong athletes at each division, with the potential to force close bouts with the Americans in their dual meets. The U.S. team has been having some intense training in Colorado Springs leading up to the World Cup, but all of the athletes from every team will not be peaking like they were at the World meet in Madison Square Garden.
In the first session of the tournament, Team USA faces Greece and Canada, matches they will be favored to win. Canada will be itching for another shot at the Americans, after the USA swept all four gold-medal matches over Canada at the Pan American Games this summer. In addition, the Yanks beat the Canadians all four times they wrestled at the World Championships.
In the second session of the meet, the United States will get an ultimate challenge, facing Russia and China in back-to-back bouts. If the U.S. survives that battle, it gives them confidence going into the final day.
The third session will be held in the morning of the second day. The United States only has to wrestle Germany during this session, while Japan wrestles twice, first against tough Russia then against Greece. If all goes well, the USA and Japan will have unbeaten marks for the final bout of the tournament, held on one showcased mat. It could be a spectacular match, especially if Team USA gets an early win over a talented Japanese star. But, then again, as we have seen in the men’s Freestyle World Cup, sometimes things do not go according to the plan as set by the organizers, especially with a team format.
TheMat.com takes a look at each of the teams in the field, and gives a little perspective of their chances in the meet. Never has the Women’s World Cup attracted this strong a field, and with another big showcase in Tokyo, the sport should continue to gain more and more attention.
JAPAN
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Makiko Sakamoto and Miyu Yamamoto
51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Chiharu Icho and Nikako Hattori
55 kg/121 lbs. – Saori Yoshida
59 kg/130 lbs. – Seiko Yamomoto and Rena Iwama
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Kaori Icho and Ayoka Shoda
67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Norie Saito and Eri Sakamoto
72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Kyoko Hamaguchi
Japan is entering its entire World team, including all five World Champions: Chiharu Icho (51 kg), Saori Yoshida (55 kg), Seiko Yamamoto (59 kg), Kaori Icho (63 kg) and Kyoko Hamaguchi (72 kg). Hamaguchi has five World titles, Yamamoto four World titles and Kaori Icho two World titles. Japan has five backups, all of who are accomplished wrestlers. Expect Japan to rest some of its stars in early bouts, to have them all fresh in time for the match with the USA.
It could be interesting to see if Japan changes athletes against the Americans at the two weights they did not win in New York At 48 kg, Miyu Yamamoto is a three-time World champion, but did not make the World team. She lost a close bout to Patricia Miranda at the Schultz Tournament last winter in her comeback from retirement. At 67 kg, it is possible that because Marano pinned Saito in New York, we may see past Junior World Champion Eri Sakamoto for a change of pace.
Remember, Japan’s goal is to win every match of every dual meet. They have the kind of lineup that makes that a realistic goal. Every opponent will be pumped up to beat their Japanese rivals in front of the Japanese fans and media. It’s tough being the dominant team in a sport, and Japan is clearly the target for all of the other athletes.
UNITED STATES
48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Patricia Miranda, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC)
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Jenny Wong, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
55 kg/121 lbs. - Tina George, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
59 kg/130 lbs. - Sally Roberts, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Sara McMann, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
67 kg/147.5 lbs. - Kristie Marano, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
72 kg/158.5 lbs. - Toccara Montgomery, Cleveland, Ohio (Cumberland College)
Coaches: Terry Steiner, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Chris Horpel, Stanford, Calif.
This is the same team that looked so strong and confident wrestling in front of the large crowds in New York City. It will be interesting to see if the athletes still have that amazing edge that they had when they went two full days at the World Championships without a loss.
Coach Steiner knows how tough some of the other nations can be, and he will do everything he can to keep the U.S. team focused on their opponents, one dual meet at a time. Certainly, however, the U.S. wrestlers who lost to Japan at the World meet are quite excited to have another shot at their rivals. Tina George, Sara McMann and Toccara Montgomery will get a chance to avenge their close defeats in Madison Square Garden. Hopefully, they will not take too many lumps in the matches on the way to the final showdown and will be at their best when the big Japan/USA match occurs.
For the less experienced athletes, like Jenny Wong and Sally Roberts, this event will be a great opportunity to learn to compete under severe pressure in a hostile environment. For all of them, this will make the USA better when the Olympic Games roll around.
RUSSIA
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Larisa Oorjak, Inga Karamchakova, Lilya Kaskarakova
51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Natalia Karamchakova, Natalia Ilina
55 kg/121 lbs. – Natalia Golts, Natalia Ivachko
59 kg/130 lbs. – Maria Smolyakova, Svetlana Gratcheva
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Liubov Volosova, Anna Polenveva, Alena Kartachena
67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Svetlana Martynenko, Julia Bortnovskaya, Anastasia Dezhneva
72 kg/158.5 lbs. –Guzel Manyurova, Anna Shamova
Russia has a loaded lineup which is nothing new. Also, this event continues the Russian tradition of never telling anybody who is actually competing at major events. Looking at the Russian list, which has two or three athletes in every weight, gives you a good idea what the team will look like. And whatever combination is chosen, the team that shows up in Japan will be strong and capable of knocking off anybody.
The roster has some of their stars which we have seen in action at the World Championships, including very talented Natalia Golts at 55 kg, who was third at the World meet this year. The Karamchakova girls, Inga at 48 kg and Natalia at 51 kg, are also on the list. Inga has won a number of World medals but was eighth this year in New York. Natalia won a World silver medal this year. Also in the mix is Svetlana Martynenko at 67 kg, a bronze medalist in New York. The team lists two heavyweights, Guzel Manyurova, who was ninth at the World Championships, and Anna Shamova, a former World silver medalist.
All of the other possible entries were either very successful at the Junior World Championships, or have competed for Russia at the European Championships and other major meets. The Russians will be tough at every class, and a threat to win the team title. Half the fun is finding out who will wrestle when it comes to the Russian team.
CHINA
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Yang Zuying
51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Ren Xueceng
55 kg/121 lbs. – Gao Yanzhi
59 kg/130 lbs. – Zhou Zhenyan
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Si Huihua
67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Wang Cailei
72 kg/158.5 lbs. –Ma Bailing
China brings a completely different team than competed at the World Championships in New York and took a strong fourth place. That does not mean the team will be easier to beat. China has made a commitment to women’s wrestling, pointing towards a great performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the program has developed some solid depth.
Among the veterans is Ma Bailing, a 2001 World silver medalist at 72 kg. Also, Gao Yanzhi won a World bronze medal at 55 kg in 2001, and will compete at 55 kg. The 63 kg athlete, Su Huihua, was second in the 2002 World University Championships. Yang Zuying at 48 kg was a 2002 World Cup silver medalist.
Expect China to have a strong performance. Their matchup against Japan should be interesting, as there is always nationalistic pride when these Asian nations battle at major events. This is a team that is a bit unknown, which makes them very dangerous.
CANADA
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Carol Huhyn
51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Lyndsay Belisle
55 kg/121 lbs. – Tonya Verbeek, Jen Ryz
59 kg/130 lbs. – Breanne Graham
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Tara Hedican, Viola Yanik
67 kg/147.5 lbs. - Martine Dugrenier
72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Christine Nordhagen
This is a different set of athletes than competed in New York City at the World meet, but has the potential to be as good or better than that group, which was a solid sixth in the World. Leading the team is six-time World champion Christine Nordhagen, one of the greatest women wrestlers ever. She missed making the Canadian World team, but will have a chance to show that her comeback is strong leading into the Olympic year.
Carol Huyhn, a two-time World medalist, is on the team at 48 kg, and is capable of beating the World’s best. She lost in the Canadian Trials this year to Lyndsay Belisle, who will compete at the World Cup up one weight class at 51 kg. Belisle has twice been fourth in the World at 51 kg, so she is also a World class competitor. Viola Yanik, who was a World bronze medallist this year, and Tara Hedican, a 2001 Junior World champion, will share the spot at 63 kg. Two other talented veterans, Jen Ryz and Tonya Verbeek, will cover the 55 kg spot. Untested at this level are Breanne Graham at 59 kg and Martine Dugrenier at 67 kg, but both have shown great promise in competitions in North America. Canada is a World power, and this team has the experience and motivation to do very well at the World Cup.
GREECE
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Fani Psatha
51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Zio Ahtanassiadou, Eugenia Stamatakou
55 kg/121 lbs. – Konstantina Tsibanakou
59 kg/130 lbs. – Agapi Christodoulaki
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Stavroula Zigouri
67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Irini Dadouti
72 kg/158.5 lbs. –Alexia Kourtelessi
The Greek team differs considerably from the squad that competed at the World Championships and had another solid performance. The two athletes at the World Cup who competed in New York were Fani Psatha at 48 kg and Konstantina Tsibanakou at 55 kg. Psatha was fourth at her weight division at the World Championships, losing to athletes from the USA and China in the medal rounds. Tsibanakou wrestled up a weight class in New York, giving up her spot to 2002 World champion Sofia Poumbouridou at the Worlds. Poumbouridou is not at the World Cup, and Tsibanakou has dropped back to 55 kg. She has a solid past, taking fourth at the 2002 World Championships.
Ther rest of the team is a questionmark, a mix of upcoming young talents and others working their way into international prominence. It will be hard for this team from Greece to keep up across the entire lineup with some of the other nations that brought very deep squads. Greece takes an interest in its women’s program and has high goals for their team on the home mats in Athens next summer, so they can not be overlooked.
GERMANY
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Sigrun Dobner
51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Jessica Bechtel
55 kg/121 lbs. – Christina Oertli, Sabrina Lotz
59 kg/130 lbs. – Stefanie Stuber, Julia Weiss
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Stephanie Gross, Maria Muller
67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Nina Englich
72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Anita Schaetzle
Germany has a good mix of top talents and some young newcomers, which could have a fun dual meet performance at the World Cup. The team is strong in the upper weights. Stephanie Gross is their starter at 63 kg, and placed fourth in the 2001 World Championships. Nina Englich, who has recently wrestled at heavyweight, has dropped down to 67 kg for this event. She was a past World bronze medalist. Competing at 72 kg is veteran Anita Schaetzle, a past World silver medalist who also took fifth at the World Championships this year in New York.
Germany’s best female wrestler is 2002 World champion Brigitte Wagner, who was hurt and missed both the World meet and this event. Her replacement is a Junior World silver medallist, Sigrun Dobner. Another Junior World runner-up Jessica Bechtel will be the entry at 51 kg. Other veterans on the lineup list include Christina Oertli at 55 kg and Stefanie Stuber at 59 kg. Needless to say, Germany also has a competitive group of athletes, and if the team gets a good start from the young stars in the lower weights, it has the horsepower in the upper weights to win dual meets.
ROUND BY ROUND MATCHUPS
Oct. 11
Session 1
GER-RUS, GRE-USA
CAN-JPN, CHN-GER
RUS-GRE, USA-CAN
Opening Ceremony
Session 2
JPN-CHN, GER-GRE
JPN-GER, RUS-USA
USA-CHN, CAN-RUS
Oct. 12
Session 3
JPN-RUS, CAN-GER
CHN-GRE, USA-GER
GRE-JPN, CAN-CHN
Session 4
RUS-CHN, GRE-CAN
Final Match
USA-JPN
Closing Ceremony
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U. of Minnesota-Morris Drops Men's and Women's Wrestling;
The Chronicle of Higher Education
09-05-2003
U. of Minnesota-Morris Drops Men's and Women's Wrestling
So who needs a women's wrestling team anyway?
Not the University of Minnesota at Morris, apparently. The first
college in the country to sponsor women's wrestling as a varsity sport is dropping
the squad, along with the men's wrestling team, after this academic year. A
women's swimming team will be added in 2004-5.
Samuel Schuman, the chancellor, said the wrestling teams graduated only
about 30 to 40 percent of their athletes, about half the proportion of
other Morris students and athletes. What's more, the teams spent more than
$103,000 of the college's $800,000 athletics budget but had only about
a dozen athletes apiece, so the college wasn't getting enough pins for
the buck, he said.
Doug Reese, the Cougars' coach, disputes those numbers and says the
cuts are retaliation for disparaging remarks he made a couple of years ago, when
the college elected two men as homecoming king and queen.
Morris has been a leader in developing women's wrestling; three of the
seven women competing this month at the world championships are Cougar
alumnae. The team wrestles clubs across North America and teams from other
countries.
The sport is only going to grow, Mr. Reese says, pointing out that the
first Olympic competitions in women's freestyle wrestling will be in Athens
next summer.