Date of competition: Wednesday, September 14

The field at 51 kg, as well as the other two non-Olympic weight classes, could be affected by many athletes switching to one of the four Olympic weight classes. The 2011 World Championships is the major qualifying event for the 2012 Olympic Games, and many top athletes may switch to an Olympic division in order to earn an Olympic berth for their nation.

The reigning World champion is Oleksandra Kohut of Ukraine, who had her best performance ever last year at the Worlds in Moscow. Kohut was a 2009 World bronze medalist, and a former Junior World champion. She dropped to 48 kg this summer for the FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals, where she placed second. If Kohut changes weight, Ukraine would be well represented by 2011 European champion Yulia Blahinya at this division, who was also third at the Golden Grand Prix Finals at 51 kg.

The returning World silver medalist is Japan’s Yu Horiuchi, who has also been a two-time Junior World champion. Japan’s Hikari Sugawara placed third at the Asian Championships and fifth at the World Cup this year. However, according to the Japanese Wrestling Federation website, 2011 Junior World champion Mareka Shidochi has been named to the World Team. Shidochi was winner of the prestigious Queens Cup event in April.

2009 World champion Sofia Mattsson of Sweden won a World bronze medal at this division in 2010. Mattsson did not compete at the European Championships this year.

The other 2010 World bronze medalist Zamira Rakhmanova of Russia won the gold at the FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals at 51 kg this year. A 2008 Olympian, she is listed on a preliminary roster for Russia at the World Championships. Placing third at the European Championships this year for Russia was Ekaterina Krasova. 

Estera Dobre of Poland was second at the 2011 European Championships and placed seventh at the World Championships last year. It was her fourth time winning a silver at the European Championships, with three of them at 51 kg and one down at 48 kg. 

The 2011 Asian champion was Sasha Zhao of China, who was third in the World Championships at 48 kg last year. Zhao could drop back to 48 kg this year. Li Hui competed for China at last year’s Worlds and did not place. Li was second at the World Cup this year, third in the 2003 World Championships and a 2004 Olympian. 2010 Junior World Champion Yanan Sun was second at the World Cup at this weight.

The United States will have a first-time World Team member, 2008 Junior World champion Whitney Conder. To make the team, she defeated Sara Fulp-Allen, who defeated two-time World team member Jessica Medina in the semis of the Non-Olympic Weight Trials. Medina was ninth in the World last year. Conder was recently fifth in the Poland Open, an event which included many other top World contenders.

2009 World silver medalist Kum Ok Han of North Korea is a dangerous threat if she enters. She was third at the Asian Championships this year. North Korea does not always compete at the Worlds, but often has outstanding lightweight athletes when they do.

Canada’s top competitor at this division has been Jessica MacDonald, who was fifth in the 2007 World Championships. She won the World Cup and the Pan American Championships this past year. 

Among the European athletes capable of reaching the medal rounds are Natalia Budu of Moldova, Mariya Ivanova of Belarus, Angela Dorogan of Azerbaijan and Roksina Zasina of Poland.

Zasina was fifth in last year’s World Championships. Budu was fifth in the 2009 World meet. Ivanova was second at the FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals this summer, and was fifth at the European Championships this spring. Dorogan was 10th in the World last year and eighth in the European Championships.

Isabelle Sambou of Senegal was eighth last year at the World Championships, and won the gold medal at the African Championships this year. 

Others to watch include Tatiana Bakatyuk of Kazakhstan, Otgontsetseg Davaasukh of Mongolia, Karalina Tjapko of Latvia and Alexandra Englehart of Germany.

If some of the veteran stars at this division change to an Olympic weight, it may be a year which young newcomers make a name for themselves at the World level.

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2010 World Championships
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Gold –Oleksandra Kohut (Ukraine); Silver – Yu Horiuchi (Japan); Bronze – Sofia Mattsson (Sweden); Bronze – Zamira Rakhmanova (Russia); 5th – Roksina Zasina (Poland); 5th – Tatiana Bakatyuk (Kazakhstan); 7th – Estera Dobre (Romania); 8th – Isabelle Sambou (Senegal); 9th - Jessica Medina (USA); 10th – Anzhela Dorogan (Azerbaijan)

2009 World Championships
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Gold - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden); Silver - Kum Ok Han (North Korea); Bronze - Oleksandra Kohut (Ukraine); Bronze - Yuri Kai (Japan); 5th - Natalia Budu (Moldova); 5th - Di Hong (China); 7th - Alexandra Englehardt (Germany); 8th - Babita Kumari (India); 9th - Tatyana Bakatyuk (Kazakhstan); 10th - Emese Szabo (Hungary)

2008 World Championships
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Gold – Hitomi Sakamoto (Japan); Silver – Maryna Markevich (Belarus); Bronze – Vanessa Boubryemm (France); Bronze – Yuliya Blahinya (Ukraine); 5th – Jessica Bondy (Canada); 5th – Marina Vilmova (Russia); 7th – Natalia Budu (Moldova); 8th – Helen Maroulis (USA); 9th – Aguis Rivas (Venezuela); 10th – Dilek Atakol (Turkey)

2007 World Championships
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Gold - Hitomi Sakamoto (Japan); Silver - Xuecheng Ren (China); Bronze - Erica Sharp (Canada); Bronze - Anne Catherine Deluntsch (France); 5th - Alexandra Engelhardt (Germany); 5th - Tatyana Bakatyuk (Kazakhstan); 7th - Zamira Rakhmanova (Russia); 8th - Aleksandra Kohut (Ukraine); 9th - Babita Kumari (India); 10th - Georgiana-Mihaela Radoi (Romania)

2006 World Championships
51 kg./112.25 lbs. - Gold - Hitomi Sakamoto (Japan); Silver - Lindsay Belisle (Canada); Bronze - Patricia Miranda (United States); Bronze - Alena Adashinskaya (Russia); 5th - Okeksandra Kohut (Ukraine); 5th - Brigitte Wagner (Germany); 7th - Park Yeon Jim (Korea); 8th - Dina Mirzaeva (Uzbekistan); 9th - Liao Dong Hua (China); 10th - Maria del Mar Serrano (Spain)

2005 World Championships
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Gold - Hitomi Sakamoto (Japan); Silver - Vanessa Boubryemm (France); Bronze - Tsogtbaz Enkhjargal (Mongolia); Bronze - Juling Wen (China); 5th - Aleksandra Kohut (Ukraine); 5th - Erica Sharp (Canada); 7th - Stephanie Murata (USA); 8th - Dinara Mirzaeva (Uzbekistan); 9th - Natalya Smirnova (Russia); 10th - Nurzat Shaylobaeva (Kyrgyzstan)