Date of competition: Thursday, September 15

One of the greatest wrestlers of all time, without a doubt, is superstar Saori Yoshida of Japan, who has won two Olympic gold medals and eight World titles at this division. She stacks up well with all of the great stars in men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman in terms of achievements and performance. She doesn’t just win matches, she dominates them. When an athlete can keep the score close, it is pretty rare.

What makes Yoshida dangerous is that she no longer has the pressure of being undefeated at the Senior level, after losing to American Marcie Van Dusen at the 2008 World Cup. She seems to have the same intensity that she has maintained throughout her career. With another Olympic gold medal opportunity less than a year away, we should expect Yoshida to remain in peak form at this year’s World Championships.

Placing second at the 2010 World Championships was Yulia Ratkevich of Azerbaijan. She moved to this weight class from 59 kg, where she was a 2009 World champion. Ratkevich did not wrestle at the European Championships, but was third at the 2011 FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals held on her home mats in Baku. With this as an Olympic qualifying event, it seems she will be the choice in Istanbul.

One of the true warriors in women’s wrestling history is Anna Gomis of France, who was third in the World Championships last year at the age of 36. Gomis won four World titles, the most recent in 1999 and was a bronze medalist at the 2004 Olympics. She was only 15th at the Europeans this year, but Gomis seems to peak for the big events. If she wrestles in Istabul at age 37 and wins another medal, her amazing story will continue to develop.

The United States will be represented by 2011 Junior World silver medalist and two-time Junior World bronze medalist Helen Maroulis, who wrestled in her first Senior World meet in 2008 at 51 kg, when she placed eighth. Tatiana Padilla, who has won two World medals and competed at this weight the last three World Championships, was injured and did not try out this year. Maroulis has shown strong results internationally, and will clearly be in the medal hunt.

One of the most successful competitors at this weight in 2011 has been Sweden’s Ida-Therese Nerell, who won both the European gold medal and the FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals gold medal. Previously known as Ida-Therese Karlsson, she did not compete in the 2009 and 2010 seasons but seems to have come back strong. Nerell was a three-time World medalist before her break from the sport, and wrestled in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. She must be considered a top medal contender this year. 

Another veteran to watch is Tonya Verbeek of Canada, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist who most recently won a World bronze medal at this weight in 2009. Last year, she wrestled up at 59 kg and did not medal at the Worlds. She has been back at 55 kg this year, winning the Dave Schultz Memorial in the USA plus international events in Germany and Spain. At 34, Verbeek may be considered past her physical prime, but like Gomis, does not seem to care about Father Time.

Ludmilla Cristea of Moldova had a great performance with a silver medal at the 2011 European Championships, her third career European silver. However, she has not won a World-level medal yet. She won a summer event in Ukraine, a good tune-up prior to Istanbul.

Maria Gurova of Russia was fifth in the World Championships last year, and added a bronze medal at the 2011 European Championships. She won a major tuneup event, the Poland Open, which should give her momentum going into the Worlds. Russia has other options, but the preliminary Russian roster lists her as their entry.

China is also a strong international power which has many options for its World Team selection. Lan Zhang is listed on their preliminary roster. She has not competed much this year, but was a Junior World champion and Senior World silver medalist at 59 kg in 2010. She dropped to 55 kg to win a silver at the 2010 Asian Games. If China changes athletes, it could consider Chen Yang, who won a silver at the 2011 Asian Championships or Senlian Yang, who was second at the 2011 World Cup.

2008 Olympic bronze medalist Jackeline Renteria of Colombia returned last year, but only wrestled in a few events and skipped the World Championships. She did not enter the 2011 Pan American Championships either, but is listed as an entry for the Worlds in Istanbul. She has tremendous athletic abilities and will be a tough draw for anybody.

Anastasija Grigorjeva of Latvia made big waves in 2010 by winning the European Championships, but did not make an impact at the World Championships. This year, she has been up at 59 kg for all events, including a number of medals at international tourneys. The preliminary roster has her back at 55 kg for Istanbul, where she will be a challenger.

Marwa Amri of Tunisia was the African champion this year, a continent which is improving in women’s wrestling. Katarzyna Krawczyk of Poland was a bronze medalist at the European Championships this year. Aiym Abdilina of Kazakhstan was fifth in the World last year.

Others to watch include Nomin-Erden Batbaatar of Mongolia, Ana Maria Paval of Romania, Lenka Martinikova of the Czech Republic, Tetyana Lazareva of Ukraine and Jenny Maliaqui Suazo of Peru.

Because this is an Olympic weight, and this is an Olympic qualifier, we could see some new entries coming in from other divisions. In any case, it will be highly competitive.

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2010 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold – Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver – Yulia Ratkevich (Azerbaijan); Bronze –Anna Gomis (France); Bronze – Tatiana Padilla (USA); 5th – Aiym Abdilina (Kazakhstan); 5th – Maria Gurova (Russia); 7th – Byambatseren Sundev (Mongolia); 8th – Jillian Gallays (Canada); 9th - Ana Maria Paval (Romania); 10th – Sylwia Bilenska (Poland)

2009 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver - Sona Ahmedli (Azerbaijan); Bronze - Alena Filipava (Belarus); Bronze - Tonya Verbeek (Canada); 5th - Tatiana Padilla (USA); 5th - Anna Gomis (France); 7th - Ana Maria Paval (Romania); 8th - Aiyim Abdildina (Kazakhstan); 9th - Yura Gandolgor (Mongolia); 10th - Geeta (India)

2008 Olympic Games
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver - Xu Li (China); Bronze - Tonya Verbeek (Canada); Bronze - Jackeline Renteria (Colombia); 5th - Ida-Theres Nerell (Sweden); 5th - Ana Paval (Romania); 7th - Olga Smirnova (Kazakhstan); 8th - Natalia Golts (Russia); 9th - Marcie Van Dusen (USA); 10th - Ludmilla Cristea (Moldova)

2008 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs. - Gold - Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver - Tetyana Lazareva (Ukraine); Bronze - Tatiana Padilla (United States); Bronze - Anna Zwirydowska (Poland); 5th – Britanee Laverdure (Canada); 5th – Ana Maria Paval (Romania); 7th – Natalja Smirnova (Russia); 8th – Naidan Otgonjarjal (Mongolia); 9th – Ainur Artikbaeva (Uzbekistan); 10th - Enid Rivera Velasquez (Puerto Rico)

2007 World Championships
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
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
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)