The reigning World Champion is Katarina Burmistrova of Ukraine, who scored a 3-2 overtime win over two-time World champion Lise LeGrand of France in the finals. It was the first World title for Burmistrova, who is just now breaking through at the world level. LeGrand (whose maiden name was Golliot), is a true veteran, and continues to excel, with a 2003 European Championships title to her credit.    Placing third was Kristie Marano of the United States, who has claimed six career World medals including a 2000 gold medal. Marano  won a Special Wrestle-off at this division for the second straight year to make the U.S. team, after dropping to 63 kg during most of the year. She has ranged in weight from 138.75 pounds to 165 pounds during her career. Marano is a fierce competitor who hates losing, and has a judo background that allows her to toss her opponents for big points when needed. A native New Yorker, there should be many Marano fans in the audience for the World meet.    Burmistrova and Marano are listed on their team's rosters at this weight division. If you go through the results of recent World Championships, you see a lot of names that now appear at the Olympic weight classes of 63 kg or 72 kg. Marano is now a 63 kg wrestler, but has been unable to defeat U.S. star Sara McMann during the last two years. This weight class only lists 11 entries, clearly the smallest in the entire World Championships. This number could increase if teams choose to allow athletes to drop weight or jump up in weight if they do not make their team at an Olympic division.    Norie Sato is the Japanese entry here this year, after placing seventh at the 2002 World Championships. Sato was the 2002 Asian Champion (but there were only two athletes at the division for that meet). Expectations are high for the Japanese team, but Japan's last medal here was in 2000, and the nation does not have a good track record at this weight.    Young Shannon Samler is Canada's top hope here. Samler did not finish in the top 10 last year, mainly because she faced Marano in a early match. She did earn a sixth place in the 2000 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2002 World University Championships. Samler has dominated North American women's college wrestling in recent seasons, and is a legitimate medal hopeful competing on her continent in New York.    Ewelina Pruszko of Poland was fourth in the 2002 World Championships, but is listed at 63 kg on the Polish roster. Pruszko was at 67 kg at the European Championships, winning the bronze medal. Monika Kowalska is the entry, a ninth-place finisher at the 2001 World meet. Kowalska has competed up at 72 kg at times, so she may be bigger than some of her rivals.    Anna Shamova of Russia was second in the 2000 World Championships and third in the 1999 World Championships. Like some of the others, she has competed at 72 kg at times recently. Shamova appears on the Russian entry lists, but her weight class is not identified. If it is not Shamova entered by Russia, whoever is chosen will be expected to do very well. Elena Perpelkina was ninth at the World meet for Russia last season. Youlia Barnovskaya was fifth in the 2003 European Championships. Who will it be? We shall see at weigh-ins.    Annika Oertli of Germany placed seventh in the World Championships last year, and does appear on Germany's list for this division in New York. She was fourth at this weight class at the 2003 European Championships.    World placewinners from 2002 who do not appear on their nation's roster include Aikaterini Siavou of Greece, Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria and Xiomara Guevera of Venezuela. Siavou did wrestle at this weight at the European Championships this year, but Greece lists Sofia Kampanari as the entry. Bulgaria has no name listed here. Guevera has been competing at 63 kg.    India's veteran Sihag Kiran, second to Saito at the Asian Championships, will also be in the field. Others on rosters include Wang Jiao of China and Sha Ling Li of Chinese Taipei, neither who went to the Asian Championships this year.    With just 11 preliminary entries, the real competition in this division comes right away in the pools. If you win a pool, you are already in the medal matches. In addition, with so few names in the field, the odds are that some outstanding athletes will be randomly placed in the same pool. (The best two wrestlers might meet in the pool, with one eliminated). Don't be surprised if the field grows a little bit, as some nations may enter athletes listed elsewhere.     The quality of those on the entry list is outstanding. With Marano of the USA, Burmistrova of Ukraine and LeGrand of France in the division, all past World Champions, there is experience and proven talent. Add in Saito of Japan, Samler of Canada, Oertli of Germany and whatever Russian is chosen, and you have most of the wrestlers at a high competitive level. There won't be many matches at this division over the three days, but the ones that do occur could be something special.    RECENT WORLD RESULTS    2002 World Championships results  67 kg/147.5  lbs. - 1st - Katarina Burmistrova (Ukraine) dec Lise Legrand (France), 3-2, ot, 6:48; 3rd - Kristie Marano (USA) dec. Ewelina Pruszko (Poland), 6-1; 5th - Aikaterini Siavou (Greece); 6th - Annika Oertli (Germany); 7th - Norie Saito (Japan); 8th - Stanka Zlateva (Bulgaria); 9th - Elena Perepelkina (Russia); 10th - Xiomara Guavara (Venezuela)    2001 World Championships results    68 kg/149.75 lbs. - Gold - Christine Nordhagen-Vierling (Canada) dec. Toccara Montgomery (USA), 4-1; Bronze - Anita Schatzle (Germany) won by tech. fall over Sveta Yarashevich (Russia), 11-1; 5th - Katerina Burmistrova (Ukraine); 6th - Yanli Yang (China); 7th - Zlateve Stanka (Bulgaria); 8th - Unda Maider (Spain); 9th - Monika Kowalska (Poland); 10th - Jana Panova (Kyrghzstan)    2000 World Championships results   69 kg/149.75 lbs. - Gold - Kristie Marano (USA); Silver - Anna Shamova (Russia); Bronze - Tomoe Miyamoto (Japan); 4th - Xiomara Guevara (Venezuela); 5th - Lise Golliot - Legrand (France); 6th - Shannon Samler (Canada); 7th -  Galina Ivanova (Bulgaria); 8th - Ling-Li Sha (Taipei); 9th - Ewelina Pruszko (Poland); 10th -Natalya Bodnarets (Ukraine)    1999 World Championships   69 kg/149.75 lbs.  -  1st - Sandra Bacher (USA) dec. Anita Schatzle (Germany), 8-1; 3rd - Anna Sjamova (Russia) dec. Natalia Bodnarets (Ukraine), 8-0; 5th - Xiomara Guevera (Venezuela); 6th - Ewelina Prusszko (Poland); 7th - Galina Ivanova (Bulgaria); 8th - Nina Strasser (Austria); 9th - Heidi Skemark (Sweden); 10th - Lise Golliot (France)    TENTATIVE ENTRIES, as of 8/25  67 kg/147.5 lbs.   CANADA - Shannon Samler or Martine DuGrenier  CHINA - Wang Jiao  CHINESE TAIPEI - Sha Ling Li  GERMANY - Annika Oertli or Susan Koehler  GREECE - Sofia Kampanari  INDIA - Kiran Sihag  JAPAN - Norie Sato or Eri Sakamoto  RUSSIA - Anna Shamova  POLAND - Monika Kowalska  UKRAINE - Katerina Burmistrova  UNITED STATES - Kristie Marano    Starting August 18, TheMat.com will preview one weight class each day for the 2003 World Championships of Freestyle Wrestling at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Sept. 12-14. Please visit TheMat.com each day for a new preview of the championships. 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