SAUNDERS AND STENGLEIN QUALIFY FOR GOLD MEDAL FINALS AT WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN POLANDTwo U.S. athletes have qualified for the gold medal finals with semifinal wins at the 1998 Women's World Wrestling Championships in Poznan, Poland, Oct. 9. The U.S. finalists are two-time Women's World Champion Tricia Saunders (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) at 101.25 pounds and two-time World silver medalist Kristie Stenglein (Albany, N.Y./ATWA) at 165.25 pounds.
Saunders won two matches on Friday, stopping Fani Psatha of Greece, 4-0 in the quarterfinals and beating two-time World silver medalist Mette Barlie of Norway, 3-2 in the semifinals.
She will face three-time World Champion Miyu Yamamoto of Japan in the gold medal finals. Saunders and Yamamoto are long-time friends and top international stars.
Saunders, 32, will be in the World finals for the fourth time. She won World gold medals in 1992 and 1996, and was a World silver medalist in 1993. She did not compete in the 1997 season, due to a knee injury and the birth of her second child. Saunders has competed in six previous World Championship events.
Stenglein received a bye, then defeated three-time World medalist Nina Englich of Germany, 5-1, in overtime in 4:38.
She will face 1997 World Champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan in the championship finals. Hamaguchi defeated Stenglein, 4-0, in last year's finals.
Stenglein, 19, will compete in her third straight World finals, after winning World silver medals in both 1996 and 1997. She was also a 1998 Junior World Champion, which featured the best 17-20 year old women wrestlers in the world.
Two other U.S. wrestlers are alive in the consolation rounds, and remain eligible for bronze medals: Stephanie Murata (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) at 112.25 pounds and Sandra Bacher (San Jose, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) at 149.75 pounds. Both must win one more match to qualify for the bronze-medal round.
Murata pinned both of her opponents, stopping Angelique Hidalgo of France in 3:34 and Zhou Xiaoyi of China in 2:50.
Murata, 27, has dropped down one weight class from previous years, where she competed on the last two U.S. World Teams. She was seventh in the 1996 World Championships, and has won three career U.S. Nationals titles.
Bacher also won twice, pinning Aldone Homica of Latvia in 1:40 and earning an injury default over Catherine Arlone of Australia in 1:30.
Bacher, 30, was second in the 1997 World Championships and fourth in the 1996 World Championships. She is a two-time U.S. Olympian in judo.
The other two U.S. wrestlers suffered their second loss of the tournament, and are out of medal contention: Tina George (South Euclid, Ohio/UM-Morris) at 123.25 pounds and Lauren Wolfe (Okemos, Mich./Michigan WC) at 136.5 pounds.
Both were defeated by Japanese opponents. George lost by pin to Mariku Shimuzu and Wolfe dropped a 7-4 decision to Ari Suzuki.
The 1998 U.S. Women's World team is led by head coach Joe Corso of Phoenix, Ariz., assistant coach Doug Reese of Morris, Minn. and Freestyle Developmental Coach Mike Duroe of Colorado Springs, Colo.
1998 WOMEN'S WORLD WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
U.S. results on Friday, Oct. 9
46 kg/101.25 lbs. - Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) - dec. Fani Psatha (Greece), 4-0; dec. Mette Barlie (Norway), 3-2
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Stephanie Murata, Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) - pin Angelique Hidalgo (France), 3:34; pin Zhou Xiaoyi (China), 2:50
56 kg/123.25 lbs. - Tina George, South Euclid, Ohio (UM-Morris) - lost by fall to Mariku Shimuzu (Japan)
62 kg/136.5 lbs. - Lauren Wolfe, Okemos, Mich. (Michigan WC) - lost dec. to Ari Suzuki (Japan), 7-4
68 kg/149.75 lbs. - Sandra Bacher, San Jose, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC) - pin Aldone Homica (Latvia), 1:40; won by inj. dft. over Catherine Arlone (Australia), 1:30
75 kg/165.25 lbs. - Kristie Stenglein, Albany, N.Y. (ATWA) - dec. Nina Englich (Germany), 5-1, ot, 4:38