2008 Olympic Games preview at 55 kg/121 lbs. in women’s freestyle wrestling
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by Gary Abbott
The top star in women's wrestling, 2004 Olympic champion Saori Yoshida of Japan, enters as a strong favorite to defend her Olympic title. Yoshida has won five World titles and won the Asian Championships again in 2008.
Entering this year, Yoshida had never lost an international match on the Senior level, going back to when she started dominating the sport seven years ago. However, her goal of finishing her career without a loss on the Senior level was ended at the 2008 World Cup, when she dropped a match to Marcie Van Dusen of the United States. Van Dusen, who was 10th at the 2007 World Championships and is a former University World champion, qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team.
2004 Olympic silver medalist Tonya Verbeek of Canada will be seeking another medal, after qualifying by winning the 2008 Pan American Championships by defeating Van Dusen in the finals. Verbeek also won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships.
One of the most consistent wrestlers in recent seasons has been Ida-Theres Karlsson of Sweden, who won a World silver medal in 2007 and a World bronze medal in 2006. Another top challenger is Russia's Natalia Golts, who won the 2008 European Championships. Golts has won four World bronze medals in her career, and seeks to reach the finals at the World level for the first time this year.
Other recent World medalists who have qualified for the Olympic Games are 2007 bronze medalist Olga Smirnova of Kazakhstan, 2006 silver medalist Mariyia Yaharova of Belarus and 2005 silver medalist Su Lihui of China. Smirnova placed ninth at the 2004 Olympic Games, competing for Russia.
Xu Li competed for China at the 2007 World Championships and the 2008 Asian Championships, and could be the Chinese entry at this division.
Qualifying their nation to compete at the Olympics with a top-eight placement at the 2007 World Championships were Alena Filipova of Belarus, Tatyana Lazareva of Ukraine, Jacqueline Renteria of Colombia and Yulia Ratkevich of Azerbaijan. Renteria won the 2007 Pan American Games, defeating Van Dusen in the championship match.
Qualified nations at 55 kg/121 lbs. - Azerbaijan, Belarus, Canada, China, Colombia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Tunisia, Ukraine, United States, Venezuela
Qualified nations at 55 kg/121 lbs. - Azerbaijan, Belarus, Canada, China, Colombia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Tunisia, Ukraine, United States, Venezuela
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2007 World Championships results
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver - Ida-Theres Karlsson (Sweden); Bronze - Olga Smirnova (Kazakhstan); Bronze - Natalya Golts (Russia); 5th - Alena Filipova (Belarus); 5th - Tatyana Lazareva (Ukraine); 7th - Jacqueline Renteria (Colombia); 8th - Yulia Ratkevich (Azerbaijan); 9th - Tonya Verbeek (Canada); 10th - Marcie Van Dusen (United States)
2006 World Championships results
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver - Mariyia Yaharova (Belarus); Bronze - Minerva Montero (Spain); Bronze - Ida-Theres Karlsson (Sweden); 5th - Jessica Bechtel (Germany); 5th - Natalia Golts (Russia); 7th - Greeta (India); 8th - Anna Gomis (France); 9th - Naidan Otgonjargal (Mongolia); 10th - Li Song Ni (China)
2005 World Championships results
55 kg/121 lbs. -Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver - Su Lihui (China); Bronze - Natalia Golts (Russia); Bronze - Tonya Verbeek (Canada); 5th - Minerva Montero (Spain); 5th - Ludmila Cristea (Moldova); 7th - Ana Maria Paval (Romania); 8th - Jessica Bechtel (Germany); 9th - Sylvia Bilenska (Poland); 10th - Anna Gomis (France)
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)
Entering this year, Yoshida had never lost an international match on the Senior level, going back to when she started dominating the sport seven years ago. However, her goal of finishing her career without a loss on the Senior level was ended at the 2008 World Cup, when she dropped a match to Marcie Van Dusen of the United States. Van Dusen, who was 10th at the 2007 World Championships and is a former University World champion, qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team.
2004 Olympic silver medalist Tonya Verbeek of Canada will be seeking another medal, after qualifying by winning the 2008 Pan American Championships by defeating Van Dusen in the finals. Verbeek also won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships.
One of the most consistent wrestlers in recent seasons has been Ida-Theres Karlsson of Sweden, who won a World silver medal in 2007 and a World bronze medal in 2006. Another top challenger is Russia's Natalia Golts, who won the 2008 European Championships. Golts has won four World bronze medals in her career, and seeks to reach the finals at the World level for the first time this year.
Other recent World medalists who have qualified for the Olympic Games are 2007 bronze medalist Olga Smirnova of Kazakhstan, 2006 silver medalist Mariyia Yaharova of Belarus and 2005 silver medalist Su Lihui of China. Smirnova placed ninth at the 2004 Olympic Games, competing for Russia.
Xu Li competed for China at the 2007 World Championships and the 2008 Asian Championships, and could be the Chinese entry at this division.
Qualifying their nation to compete at the Olympics with a top-eight placement at the 2007 World Championships were Alena Filipova of Belarus, Tatyana Lazareva of Ukraine, Jacqueline Renteria of Colombia and Yulia Ratkevich of Azerbaijan. Renteria won the 2007 Pan American Games, defeating Van Dusen in the championship match.
Qualified nations at 55 kg/121 lbs. - Azerbaijan, Belarus, Canada, China, Colombia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Tunisia, Ukraine, United States, Venezuela
Qualified nations at 55 kg/121 lbs. - Azerbaijan, Belarus, Canada, China, Colombia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Tunisia, Ukraine, United States, Venezuela
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2007 World Championships results
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver - Ida-Theres Karlsson (Sweden); Bronze - Olga Smirnova (Kazakhstan); Bronze - Natalya Golts (Russia); 5th - Alena Filipova (Belarus); 5th - Tatyana Lazareva (Ukraine); 7th - Jacqueline Renteria (Colombia); 8th - Yulia Ratkevich (Azerbaijan); 9th - Tonya Verbeek (Canada); 10th - Marcie Van Dusen (United States)
2006 World Championships results
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver - Mariyia Yaharova (Belarus); Bronze - Minerva Montero (Spain); Bronze - Ida-Theres Karlsson (Sweden); 5th - Jessica Bechtel (Germany); 5th - Natalia Golts (Russia); 7th - Greeta (India); 8th - Anna Gomis (France); 9th - Naidan Otgonjargal (Mongolia); 10th - Li Song Ni (China)
2005 World Championships results
55 kg/121 lbs. -Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver - Su Lihui (China); Bronze - Natalia Golts (Russia); Bronze - Tonya Verbeek (Canada); 5th - Minerva Montero (Spain); 5th - Ludmila Cristea (Moldova); 7th - Ana Maria Paval (Romania); 8th - Jessica Bechtel (Germany); 9th - Sylvia Bilenska (Poland); 10th - Anna Gomis (France)
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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