Japan's Kaori Icho has won this weight class at the World Championships for two straight years, making her one of the world's best wrestlers at this time. She is the sister of Chiharu Icho, a 2003 World champion who dropped from 51 kg and will wrestle in the Olympics at 48 kg. The Icho sisters will be one of the big stories for women's wrestling in Athens, especially back in their native Japan.     Icho won a gold at the Asian Championships this year, as Japan dominated the competition. In the 2003 World finals, Icho defeated U.S. star Sara McMann on a takedown late in overtime.     McMann looks to be one of the athletes capable of beating Icho, and has a victory over her within the last two seasons. In fact, McMann has beaten most of the top talents at this weight class. However, her silver in New York City was her first World medal, after falling short in three previous tries. McMann comes off an impressive win at the Olympic Testing event in Athens this winter, although Icho did not enter in the meet. McMann was beaten in the U.S. Nationals by two-time World Champion Kristie Marano, an athlete McMann had beaten for two seasons, but when Marano missed weight at the U.S. Trials, McMann won her spot on the U.S. team in dominant fashion.    The 2001 World champion was Lili Meng of China, but their entry may be Haivan Xu, who was fourth in the 2002 World meet. Xu competed in the 2003 World Championships but did not place. Meng was the Chinese entry at the first of the first Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where she won a gold medal against a strong field. Xu was second behind Icho at the 2004 Asian Championships.     Alena Kartacheva of Russia was a 2002 World champion at 59 kg, and placed fifth in the world in 2003 at this division, qualifying for the Athens Games. She has looked strong this season, winning the gold medal at the European Championships and placing second behind McMann at the Olympic Testing event in Athens. Russia has a number of other top wrestlers at this division, but Kartacheva seems to be emerging as a champion contender.    Canada's Viola Yanik won the 2003 World bronze medal, making her a top contender. She has had difficulty with McMann in recent meetings, including losing by fall at the 2004 Titan Games. Yanik beat a strong field to make the Canadian team. She has shown success against top international athletes, and should help give Canada a chance at a meda again.    Placing second in the 2002 World meet was Sara Eriksson of Sweden, who has won two World titles (1996, 1995). Eriksson was unable to place at the 2003 World Championships in New York, so she earned her spot in the Olympics by taking second behind Meng at the first Olympic qualifier. She won a bronze medal at the 2004 European Championships, which shows that she remains a medal contender at this division.    Germany's Stephanie Gross placed ninth at the 2003 World Championships which did not qualify for the Olympics. She earned her spot in the field by taking second at the final Olympic Qualification Tournament. Gross was a strong second at the 2004 European Championships, and boasts a fourth place finish at the 2001 World meet,     Lyudmila Golovchenko of Ukraine was fourth at last year's World Championships, as well as fourth at the 2004 European Championships. She was also seventh at the 2001 World Championships.    Lise Golliot-Legrand of France won a gold medal at the second Olympic Qualification Tournament. A veteran, Golliot-Legrand won World titles way back in 1995 and 1997. She was second at the 2002 World Championships at 67 kg, and has dropped weight to compete at the Olympic level.     Other athletes who qualified their nations for the field through the Olympic Qualification Tournaments were Natalia Ivanova of Tajikistan and Olga Khilko of Belarus. Greece gets an automatic entry in the tournament, expected to be either Stavroula Zigouri or Agoro Papavasileiou. Zigouri was seventh at the 2004 European Championships.    There could be some changes in the lineup from some of the nations, as athletes from 59 kg or 67 kg might move to this weight in their nation's qualifying activities. It will be interesting to see if any athletes changing weight are able to beat out the wrestler who qualified their nation for the tournament. That is one of the dilemmas of only having four Olympic divisions, when normally there are seven weight classes.    Nations qualified (alphabetically): Belarus, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Russia, Sweden, Tajikistan, Ukraine, United States    Past gold medalists expected in field: Kaori Icho of Japan (2003, 2002), Alena Kartacheva of Russia (2002), Lili Meng of China (2001), Lise Golliot-Legrand of France (1997, 1995), Sara Eriksson of Sweden (1996, 1995)    Top World-level placement for Sara McMann: 2nd (2003)    63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Women  1st at 2003 World Championships - Japan (Kaori Icho)  2nd at 2003 World Championships - United States (Sara McMann)  3rd at 2003 World Championships - Canada (Viola Yanik)  4th at 2003 World Championships - Ukraine (Lyudmila Golvchenko)  5th at 2003 World Championships - Russia (Alena Karacheva or Lubov Volosova)  Host Nation entry - Greece (Stavroula Zigouri or Agoro Papavasileiou)  1st at Olympic Qualifier #1 - China (Lili Meng or Xu Haiyan)  2nd at Olympic Qualifier #1-Sweden (Sara Eriksson)  3rd at Olympic Qualifier #1 -Tajikistan (Natalia Ivanova)  1st at Olympic Qualifier #2 - France (Lise Golliot-Legrand)  2nd at Olympic Qualifier #2 -Germany (Stephanie Gross)  3rd at Olympic Qualifier #2 -Belarus (Olga Khilko)    RECENT WORLD RESULTS    2003 World Championships results  63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Gold - Kaori Icho (Japan) dec. Sara McMann (United States), 4-3, ot, 8:20; Bronze - Viola Yanik (Canada) pin Lyudmila Golovchenko (Ukraine), 2:44; 5th - Alena Kartacheva (Russia); 6th - Lene Aanes (Norway); 7th - Sabrina Esposito (Italy); 8th - Volha Khilko (Belarus); 9th - Stephanie Gross (Germany); 10th - Geetika Jakhar (India)    2002 World Championships results   63 kg/138.75 lbs. - 1st - Kaori Icho (Japan) pin Sara Eriksson (Sweden), 4:38; 3rd  - Lene Aanes (Norway) pin Haivan Xu (China), 2:35; 5th - Malgorzata Bassa (Poland); 6th - Nikola Hartmann-Dunser (Austria); 7th - Stephanie Gross (Germany); 8th - Geetika Jakhar (India); 9th - Tara Hedican (Canada); 10th - Myagmarsuren (Mongolia)    2001 World Championships results   62 kg/136.5 lbs. - Gold - Lili Meng (China) dec. Diletta Giampiccola (Italy), 4-0; Bronze  - Lene Aanes (Norway) dec. Stephanie Gross (Germany), 3-0; 5th - Volha Khilko (Belarus); 6th - Bassa Malgorzata (Poland); 7th - Lyudmila Golovchenko (Ukraine); 8th - Patricia Leibel (Canada); 9th - Lotta Andersson (Sweden); 10th - Michala Krizkova (Czech. Republic)    2000 World Championships results   62 kg/136.5 lbs. - Gold - Nikola Hartmann (Austria); Silver - Rika Iwama (Japan); Bronze - Stephanie Gross (Germany); 4th - Malgorzata Bassa (Poland); 5th - Diletta Giampiccolo (Italy); 6th - Lotta Andersson (Sweden); 7th -  Natalia Ivanova (Russia); 8th - Lene Aanes (Norway); 9th - Sara McMann (USA); 10th - Iliana Selnicka (Bulgaria)