Note: TheMat.com has resumed its series of previews for the 2001 World Championships. Although it has not yet been determined when and where the event will be hosted, the tournament is expected to be held this year. Those athletes listed as entries for the event originally scheduled for New York City will be used in these previews.    56 kg Women's World Championships Preview     Japan's Seiko Yamamoto has won two straight World titles, one at 51 kg and the second at 56 kg. She is scheduled to return this year to to go for three in a row. Yamamoto is one of the best wrestlers in the world and will be the prohibitive favorite.    Yamamoto stopped Tatiana Lazareva of Ukraine in the gold-medal finals last year. Lazereva claimed the gold medal at the 2001 European Championships, and has earned the right to be considered the top challenger. She was also fourth at the 1999 World Championships.     Jennifer Ryz of Canada claimed the 2000 World bronze medal, beating  Salma Derchichi of Tunisia in the third-place match. Ryz will not represent Canada, as veteran Erica Sharp is the Canadian entry. Derchichi will be in the field, and seeks her first World medal.    Sara Eriksson of Sweden, a two-time World Champion, is also a talented veteran. Eriksson competed at the Dave Schultz International in 2001, up one weight class, where she was beaten by U.S. star Sara McMann in the finals. At this weight class, Eriksson was sixth at last year's World meet and is always a title contender.    Four-time World Champion Anna Gomis of France is expected to challenge for the medals once again. Gomis has been recognized by FILA as the 1999 Women's Wrestler of the Year, and if she is in top form, she will have an impact. Another four-time World Champion, Gudrun Hoie of Norway, is also in the field. Hoie last won the World gold medal in 1998, and has the experience to be a factor in the final outcome.    Mabel Fonseca of Puerto Rico, who was also a 2000 U.S. Nationals champion, is a medal contender. She placed fifth in last year's World Championships, and has tremendous talent. Fonseca won a Pan American Championships gold this year, competing up at 62 kg.    The United States will enter a veteran athlete, Tina George, who will be competing in her fourth straight World meet. George has yet to claim her first medal, but is a powerful athlete who can dominate matches when she is at her best. George was the 2001 Pan American Champion.    Konstantina Tsibanakou of Greece is a rising star. She was ninth at the 2000 World Championships, and third at the 2001 European Championships. She also claimed a silver at the 2001 Junior World Championships at 54 kg.    Russia lists four possible entries: Lubov Volosova, Olga Smirnova, Svetlana Gratchiova or Elena Gromova. Volossova won a silver medal at the 2001 Junior World Championships up at 58 kg. Opponents should expect the Russian entry to be strong and competitive.    China's Sun Dongmei was the 2001 Asian Championships gold medalist, beating India's Sunita in the finals match. India did not submit a women's roster, but could be in the field when the tournament is held.    Spain's Minerva Monteri was eighth in the 2000 World Championships and placed sixth at the 2001 European Championships. Athletes to watch from the Pan American nations include Angela Peraza of Venezuela, this year's silver medalist, and Saira Martinez of El Salvador, who claimed the bronze.    This weight class has a strong mix of veteran stars and talented young wrestlers. Yamamoto of Japan should lead the way, but past World Champions Anna Gomis of France, Sara Erikson of Sweden and Gudrun Hoie of Norway will seek a return to the top. Don't be surprised if a new World Champion is crowned, especially if many of the veterans must face each other in the pool competition.    WOMEN'S 56 kg/123.25 lbs. (22 athletes as of 9/14)  Bulgaria - Iliano Selnichka or Raya Raytchova  Canada - Erica Sharp  China - Sun Dongmei  El Salvador - Saira Mayela Martinez  France -  Anna Gomis  Germany- Yvonne Hees or Christiane Knittel  Greece - Konstantina Tsibanakou  Japan - Seiko Yamamoto  Korea - Lee Na-Lae  Macedonia - Biljana Pesko  Mongolia - Namsrai Buyankhishig  New Zealand - Gerri Roxburgh  Norway - Gudrun Hoie  Poland -  Elbieta Stryczek  Puerto Rico - Mabel Fonseca  Russia - Lubov Volosova, Olga Smirnova, Svetlana Gratchiova or Elena Gromova  Spain - Minerva Monteri  Sweden - Sara Erikson  Tunisia - Selma Derchichi  Turkey - Zeynep Yilidrim, Semra Aydin or Neslihan Ibili  Ukraine - Tatyana Lazareva  United States - Tina George