Olympic Games preview in women's wrestling at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.

Elena Pirozhkova, shown at the 2016 Olympic Trials, boasts four World medals and is competing in her second Olympic Games. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
Date of competition: Thursday, August 18
For a decade, this weight was ruled by multiple Olympic and World champion Kaori Icho of Japan, but when the number of Olympic weight classes were moved from four to six for women, Icho chose to drop down to 58 kg. Icho won all three previous Olympic golds at 63 kg, so there will be a new Olympic champion at this weight class.
There are four past World champions who will be in the field: 2015 World champion Battsetseg Soronzobold of Mongolia, 2014 World champion Yulia Tkach of Ukraine, 2012 World champion Elena Pirozkhova of the United States, plus Marianna Sastin of Hungary, who won a 2013 World title down at 59 kg.
Soronzobold has won two World titles, also adding a 2010 World gold medal at 59 kg. She also was an Olympic bronze medalist at this weight class in 2012. Tkach added a 2015 World bronze medal to her 2014 title, and competed in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Pirozhkova has four World medals, with silvers in 2010 and 2014 and a bronze in 2013. She also competed in the 2012 Olympic Games. She boasts a pair of University World titles to boot. Sastin competed in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and boasts four World medals, a gold, two silvers and a bronze.
Bulgaria’s Taybe Yusein has won World medals the last four years, with silvers in 2012 and 2013 and bronzes in 2014 and 2015. Yusein was also a 2011 Junior World champion. Poland’s Monika Michalak won World bronze medals way back in 2006 and 2007 and will be competing in her third Olympic Games. Michalak won the European Olympic Qualifier.
Japan’s Risako Kawai was a 2015 World silver medalist and was a 2013 and 2014 Junior World champion. Veteran Latvian star Ansastasija Grigorjeva, a 2014 World bronze medalist and a 2012 Olympian, boasts four European titles.
Yekaterina Larionova of Kazakhstan won a 2013 World bronze medal and 2010 World bronze medalist Henna Johansson of Sweden are also Senior World medalists. Larionova claimed a Junior World silver medal in 2014. Johansson was a 2009 Junior World champion and competed in the 2012 Olympics.
Russia has choices at this weight class. Inna Trazhukova won the 2016 Russian Nationals and was third in the 2016 European Championships. Anastasia Bratchikova was a 2008 Junior World champion. Valeria Lazinskaya was a 2014 World bronze medalist but placed third at Russian Nationals.
Canada brings 2010 Junior World champion and 2014 World University champion Danielle Lappage to Rio with high hopes. 2016 European champion Maria Mamashuk of Belarus also won the European Olympic Qualifier and has wrestled in three Senior World meets.
China’s Xiaoqian Wang won the Asian Olympic Qualifier, while Hela Riabi of Tunisia won the Africa/Oceania Olympic Qualifier. Hafize Sahin of Turkey won the 1st World Olympic Qualifier in Mongolia. Also in the field are Lais Nunes de Oliveira of host Brazil, who was second in the Pan American Olympic Qualifier, and Blessing Oburududu of Nigeria, who was second in the African/Oceania Olympic Qualifier.
In the final allotment of wrestlers by UWW in July, one more was added here, Adela Hanzlickova of the Czech Republic. She was ninth in the 2015 Worlds, second in the 2016 European U23s and competed in all of the Olympic Qualifiers.
PROJECTED OLYMPIC GAMES FIELD
Belarus - Maria Mamashuk (World No. 5)
Brazil - Lais Nunes de Oliveira (World No. 14)
Bulgaria - Taybe Yusein (World No. 9)
Canada – Danielle Lappage (World No. 6)
China - Xiaoqian Wang (World No. 13)
Czech Republic – Adela Hanzlickova
Hungary - Marianna Sastin (World No. 8)
Japan - Risako Kawai (World No. 3)
Kazakhstan - Yekaterina Larionova (World No. 11)
Latvia - Anastasija Grigorijeva (World No. 4)
Mongolia - Battsetseg Soronzonbold (World No. 2)
Nigeria - Blessing Oborududu
Poland - Monika Michalak (World No. 16)
Russia - Inna Trazhukova (World No. 10) or Anastasia Bratchikova (World No. 19)
Sweden - Henna Johansson (World No. 20)
Tunisia - Hela Riabi
Turkey - Hafize Sahin (World No. 12)
Ukraine - Yulia Tkach (World No. 1)
United States – Elena Pirozhkova (World No. 12 at 69 kg)
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS


2015 World Championships
63 kg/138 lbs. - Gold – Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia); Silver – Risako Kawai (Japan); Bronze – Yulia Tkach (Ukraine); Bronze – Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria); 5th – Braxton Stone (Canada); 5th – Anastasija Grigorjeva (Latvia); 7th – Sandra Roa Velandia (Columbia); 8th – Buse Tosun (Turkey); 9th – Adela Hanzlickova (Czech Republic); 10th – Maryia Mamashuk (Belarus)


2014 World Championships
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold – Yuliya Tkach (Ukraine); Silver – Elena Pirozhkova (USA); Bronze – Anastasija Grigorjeva (Latvia); Bronze – Valeriia Lazinskaya (Russia); 5th – Monika Michalik (Poland); 5th – Henna Johansson (Sweden); 7th – Maria Mamashuk (Belarus); 8th – Danielle Lappage (Canada); 9th – Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia); 10th – Wang Xiaoqian (China)
2013 World Championships
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold – Kaori Icho (Japan); Silver – Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia); Bronze – Elena Pirozhkova (USA); Bronze – Yekaterina Larionova (Kazakhstan); 5th – Anastasia Bratchikova (Russia); 5th – Jackeline Renteria (Colombia); 7th – Monika Ewa Michalik (Poland); 8th – Maria Diana (Italy); 9th – Maria Mamashuk (Belarus); 10th – Ganna Vasylenko (Ukraine)
2012 Olympic Games
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold – Kaori Icho (Japan); Silver – Rui Xue Jing (China); Bronze – Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia); Bronze – Lyubov Volossova (Russia); 5th – Martine Dugrenier (Canada); 5th – Monika Michalik (Poland); 7th – Yulia Ostapchuk (Ukraine); 8th – Katherine Vidiaux Lopez (Cuba); 9th – Anastasija Grigorjeva (Latvia); 10th – Hanna Johansson (Sweden)
2012 World Championships
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold – Elena Pirozhkova (USA); Silver – Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria); Bronze – Luozhuoma Xi (China); Bronze – Justine Bouchard (Canada); 5th – Yelena Shalygina (Kazakhstan); 5th – Kayoko Kudo (Japan); 7th – Alla Cherkasova (Ukraine); 8th – Hanna Beliayeva (Azerbaijan); 9th – Aline Focken (Germany); 10th – Monika Michalik (Poland)
2011 World Championships
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold – Kaori Icho (Japan); Silver - Marianna Satsin (Hungary); Bronze - Rui Xue Jing (China); Bronze - Nasanburmaa Ochirbat (Mongola); 5th - Elena Pirozhkova (United States); 5th - Ran-Mi Kim (North Korea); 7th - Yulia Ostapchuk (Ukraine); 8th - Stephanie Maierhofer (Austiria); 9th - Audrey Prieto (France); 10th - Michaela Spoustova (Czech Republic).
2010 World Championships
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold – Kaori Icho (Japan); Silver – Elena Pirozhkova (USA); Bronze – Hanna Johansson (Sweden); Bronze – Lubov Volosova (Russia); 5th – Marianna Sastin (Hungary); 5th – Katerina Lopez (Cuba); 7th – Nasanburmaa Ochirbat (Mongolia); 8th – Sandra Roa (Colombia); 9th - Yvonne Englich (Germany); 10th – Simona Corbani (Italy)
2009 World Championships
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold - Mio Nishimaki (Japan); Silver - Lubov Volosova (Russia); Bronze - Elena Shalygina (Kazakhstan); Bronze - Justine Bouchard (Canada); 5th - Olesja Zamula (Azerbaijan); 5th - Monika Michalik (Poland); 7th - Elena Pirozkhova (USA); 8th - Elina Vaseva (Bulgaria); 9th - Martina Zyklova (Czech Republic); 10th - Yuliya Ostapchuk (Ukraine)