Japan has dominated here, with Saori Yoshida winning the 2002 World gold, and Seiko Yamamoto winning three World titles from 1999-2001. One of Yamamoto's titles was at a lower weight class, so Japan has a three-year run of championships at this division. As this is an Olympic weight class, the competition will be very strong, but whoever Japan enters will be considered "the favorite." The wrestle-offs in Japan often help determine who the world's best wrestler is each season.    Yoshida defeated Tina George of the United States in the World finals last year, after the veteran George had her best performance. An athlete with all the tools needed for success, George was able to string excellent matches in a row the entire World tournament. Her problem in the past has been inconsistency, something that George and her coaches believe may be in the past. A member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete program, she was named Army Female Athlete of the Year last season. She won a Pan American Games gold medal this year, a confidence-builder heading into the World Championships.     Ida Theres Karlsson of Sweden claimed the bronze medal. Karlsson became Sweden's star at this division after World Champion Sara Eriksson moved up in weight a few seasons ago. Karlsson had her best performance at the World meet in Greece last year. She was sixth in the European Championships in 2003, a year after taking the European silver medal in 2002.    Tatiana Lazarova of Ukraine has a pair of World medals, a silver in 2000 and a bronze in 2001. She was unable to place in the top 10 at the division at the 2003 European Championships,     Canadian Jen Ryz is also a past World medalist with talent. She was fifth in the World Championships in 2002. The other Canadian at this division is Tonya Verbeek, who placed second to George at the 2003 Pan American Games. Verbeek defeated George in the Pan American Championships, an event held in March that was the qualifier for the Pan Am Games. With talent like this, Canada is expected to be in the medal hunt at this division for a long time.    Russia's entry will also be tough to beat. Natalia Golts, a 2002 World bronze medalist at 51 kg, moved up in weight and won the European Championships this year at 55 kg. Liubov Volosova was second at the 2001 World Championships.    2002 World Champion Sofia Poumbouridou of Greece moved up from 51 kg, and was second behind Golts at the 2003 European Championships at 55 kg. Greece will get an automatic spot in the Olympic Games at this division as the host nation, and Poumbouridou is attempting to be a challenger for an Olympic medal.  Konstantina Tsibanakou of Greece was fourth in the world last year at this division, making it a challenge for Poumbouridou just to make her own team.    Poland will be very competitive at this division. Monica Michalik was seventh in the World Championships last year at this division. Emerging as a new international threat this year was Sylwia Bilenska, who claimed a bronze medal at the European Championships.     Gudrun Hoie of Finland, a four-time World Champion, placed a solid fifth at this year's European Championships. Hoie was one of the early stars of women's international wrestling, winning her last World gold medal back in 1998.    Another four-time World champion, Anna Gomis of France, is one of three French women being considered for this weight class. Last year, Vanessa Boubryem competed in the World Championships for France. Sandrene Seve was the French entry at the 2003 European Championships, placing ninth. Whichever competes in New York will be a medal contender.    Kitti Godo of Hungary placed a strong sixth in the World Championships. Other athletes that placed in the top 10 at last year's World meed were Nadine Tokar of Switzerland and Isabelle Sambou of Senegal.    Germany will choose between Christina Oertli, Jesicca Bechtel and Sabrina Lotz at this division. Oertli was fourth at the 2003 European Championships, making her the expected choice to compete in New York.    Sun Dongmei of China placed seventh in the 2001 World Championships, and will be a top challenger. Naidan Otgonjarjal of Mongolia was the 2003 Asian champion. Lee Na-Lae of Korea, who was third in the Asian Championships this year, is an emerging talent in this weight class.    Julieta Okot of Bulgaria, who lives and trains in New York City, has the ability to battle for medal contention. Okot, a member of the New York Athletic Club, hopes to do very well in her home city.     Some of the other athletes who have experience and could have an impact are Diletta Giampiccolo of Italy, Birgit Stern of Austria, Marzi Andrade of Venezuela, Saira Martinez of El Salvador and Minerva Montero of Spain.    Spots in the Olympic Games go to the top five placewinners at the four Olympic weights at the World Championships this year. With World champion Yoshida and Yamamoto to choose from, Japan enters as a favorite to win this division for a fourth straight year. George of the United States seeks another chance to compete in the World finals, looking to take gold this time around. World champion Poumbouridou of Greece hopes to win again, this time at a higher weight class. Canada's Ryz and Sweden's Karlsson are proven medal winners. This should be one of the most competitive women's divisions in New York, and the intensity should be very high.     RECENT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS    2002 World Championships results  121 - 1st - Saori Yoshida (Japan) dec. Tina George (USA), 10-4; 3rd - Ida Theres Karlsson (Sweden) dec. Konstantina Tsibanakou (Greece), 7-1; 5th - Jen Ryz (Canada); 6th - Kitti Godo (Hungary); 7th - Monika Michalik (Poland); 8th - Viktoria Zagainova (Russia); 9th - Nadine Tokar (Switzerland); 10th - Isabelle Sambou (Senegal)    2001 World Championships results  56 kg/123.25 lbs. - Gold - Seiko Yamamoto (Japan) dec. Liubov Volosova (Russia), 4-1; Bronze - Tetiana Lazarova (Ukraine) dec. Lee Na Lae (Korea), 5-2; 5th - Sara Eriksson (Sweden); 6th -  Yildirim Zeynep (Turkey); 7th - Sun Dongmei (China); 8th -  Gudrun Hoie (Norway); 9th - Anna Gomis (France); 10th - Yoselin Rojas (Venezuela)    2000 World Championships results  56 kg/123.25 lbs. - Gold - Seiko Yamamoto (Japan); Silver - Tatiana Lazareva (Ukraine); Bronze - Jennifer Ryz (Canada); 4th - Salma Ferchichi (Tunisia); 5th - Mabel Fonseca (Puerto Rico); 6th - Sara Eriksson (Sweden); 7th - Yulianny Orellana (Venezuela); 8th - Minerva Montero (Spain); 9th - Kostantina Katerina Tsibanakou (Greece); 10th -  Natalja Ivachko (Russia)    1999 World Championships results  56 kg/123.25 lbs. - 1st - Anna Gomis (France) pin Mariko Shimuzu (Japan), 1:25; 3rd - Gudrun Hoie (Norway) dec. Tatjana Lazareva (Ukraine), 4-1; 5th - Nelisa Romero (Venezuela); 6th - Tina George (USA); 7th (tie) - Haying Cao (China) and Natalia Ivatjsko (Russia); 9th - Sara Eriksson (Sweden); 10th - Biruta Lickia (Latvia)    TENTATIVE ENTRIES, as of 8/21  55 kg/121 lbs.  AUSTRALIA - Madeleine Schultz  AUSTRIA - Birgit Stern  AZERBAIJAN - Matanat Suleymanova  BELARUS -Olga Serbina  BULGARIA - Julieta Okot or Silvia Mutafchieva  CAMBODIA -Seng Linda  CANADA - Jennifer Ryz or Tonya Verbeek  CHINA - Sun Dongmei  CHINESE TAIPEI - Chuang Shu Fang  EL SALVADOR - Saira Mayela Martinez  FRANCE  - Vanessa Boubryem, Anna Gomis or Sandrene Seve  GERMANY  - Christina Oertli, Jesicca Bechtel or Sabrina Lotz  GREECE - Sofia Poumpouridou or Aikaterina-Ko Tsimpanakou  HUNGARY- Kitti Godo or Meses Szabo  INDIA -Alka Tomar  ITALY - Diletta Giampiccolo  JAPAN - Saori Yoshida or Seiko Yamamoto  KYRGYZSTAN - Elvira Rasulova-Mursalova  MOLDOVA - Ludmila Cristea  MONGOLIA - Naidin Otgonjargal  PAKISTAN - Khadija Irshad  POLAND-Monica Michalik or Sylwia Bilenska  RUSSIA -Natalia Golts or Svetlana Gratcheva  SENEGAL- Isabelle Sambou  SPAIN - Minerva Montero  SWEDEN - Ida-Therese Karlsson  SWITZERLAND - Nadine Tokar  TURKEY- Zeynep Yilidirim or Aysegul Karademir  UKRAINE -Tatyana Lazareva  UNITED STATES - Tina George  UZBEKISTAN - Aynura Igamberdieva  VENEZUELA - Marzi Andrade    Starting August 18, TheMat.com will preview one weight class each day for the 2003 World Championships