| 2012 Olympic Wrestling Tournament Preview - Freestyle by Mike Finn, Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine 48 kilos / 105.5 pounds (Competition held August 8, 2012) U.S. Entry: Clarissa Chun, 30, Honolulu, Hawaii Chun actually represented the United States at the 2000 World Championships — Olympic competition did not begin until 2004 — while subbing for women’s wrestling pioneer Patricia Saunders but waited eight years before another shot at competing on the highest international level. Clarissa Chun (right) became the first U.S. woman to compete in two Olympics when she defeated Alyssa Lampe at 105 pounds in the Trials in April. In 2008, Chun became the American woman to beat at this weight class. She first stunned 2004 Olympian Patricia Miranda to earn a spot on the 2008 Olympic Team and finished fifth in Beijing, where she won her first two matches — against Sofia Mattsson of Sweden and Vanessa Boubryemm of France before losing to Japan’s Chiharu Icho and Irini Merlini of Ukraine (in the bronze medal match). One month later, she competed in the 2008 Worlds — FILA also offered a World Championship for women’s wrestling that year — and captured a gold medal. Unfortunately since that banner year, Chun — who was a two-time state champion for Roosevelt High School in Honolulu — has not finished higher than seventh in World competition. She was injured and failed to make the 2010 team, when Alyssa Lampe — who finished second to Chun in this year’s Olympic Trials —finished 20th. Top Contenders • Hitomi Sakamoto, Japan — The two-time World champion (2010-11) is the latest of strong Japanese women and replaced 2008 Olympic silver medalist Chiharu Icho. Prior to that, she competed at 51 kilos (112 pounds) and also won six other World championships in 2000, ’01, ’05, ’06, ’07 and ’08 (when she defeated American Helen Maroulis). • Carol Huynh, Canada — Born in British Columbia to parents who were refugees of Vietnam, Huynh became Canada’s second Olympic medal winner and first-time champion in 2008 when she defeated Japan’s Chiharu Icho in the gold medal match. Since Beijing, Huynh has only placed in one other World Championship when she settled for a bronze medal in the 2010 Worlds. • Maria Stadnyk, Azerbaijian — In the five international events since 2008, Stadnyk has medaled in three: claiming bronze in the 2008 Olympics, winning gold in the 2009 Worlds and finishing second in last year’s Worlds to Sakamoto. In the 2011 Worlds, Stadnyk also defeated Chun in the semifinals. 55 kilos / 121 pounds (Competition held August 9) U.S. Entry: Kelsey Campbell, 26, Milwaukie, Ore. After competing in the last two World Championships at 59 kilos (130 pounds), the former member of the Arizona State men’s team dropped down one weight and knocked off fellow 2011 World Team member Helen Maroulis in this year’s Olympic Trials. Kelsey Campbell (top) dropped down from 130 pounds to earn the 121-pound weight class in London. In her two World competitions, Campbell is 3-3 overall. That includes a 3-2 record in the 2010 Worlds where she won her first three bouts before dropping a semifinal match to China’s Lan Zhang and the bronze medal match to Johanna Mattson of Sweden. In the 2010 Worlds, Campbell lost her only bout to Agata Pietrzyk of Poland. Campbell became the third different American woman at this Olympic weight. In 2004, Tela O’Donnell did not place. In 2008, Marcie Van Dusen claimed ninth place. Top Contenders Saori Yoshida, Japan — There may be no more of a prohibitive favorite than this 29-year-old wrestler who is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2004 and 2008) and has won nine straight World Championships since 2002. During the last four years, Yoshida has faced two Americans in World competition; defeating Tatiana Padilla in the 2010 Worlds and pinning Helen Maroulis in last year’s Worlds. Tonya Verbeek, Canada — The 35-year-old native of Ontario became the first Canadian woman to earn an Olympic medal when she won a silver medal in 2004 and then added a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In the World Championships, Verbeek has also collected three medals: claiming silver in last year’s Worlds (where she lost to Japan’s Yoshida) and two bronze medals in 2005 and 2009. 63 kilos / 138.75 pounds (Competition held August 8, 2012) U.S. Entry: Elena Pirozhkova, 25, Greenfield, Mass. Born in Russia, Pirozhkova grew up in Massachussetts as a naturalized citizen … and America’s best at this weight since qualifying for the first of four straight World Championships in 2008. (FILA also offered a World Championship in only women’s freestyle that Olympic year). Since then she has compiled an 11-7 record in these tournaments and finished in the top 10 at every Worlds. Elena Pirozhkova (top) defeated another former World medalist Adeline Gray at the Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City. That includes a silver medal finish in the 2010 Worlds, where her only loss was to Japan’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Kaori Icho (who defeated America’s Sara McMann during the gold medal match of the 2004 Olympics and then Randi Miller, the bronze medalist for the U.S., during the 2008 Olympics). Pirzohkova also lost in the 2011 World semifinals to Icho and then to Ruixue Jing of China in the bronze medal match . Top Contenders • Kaori Icho, Japan — Not only has the 28-year-old Japanese wrestler won this weight class in the two previous Olympics, she also has gold-medal performances in seven World Championships: 2002, ’03, ’05, ’06, ’07, ’10 and ’11. She was quite the nemesis for 2004 Olympian Sara McMann, who lost to Icho in four of those Worlds: 2002, 2003 (gold medal match), 2005 and 2007. • Lyubov Volossova, Russia — This three-time World medalist is one reason America’s Elena Pirozhkova did not medal in her first two Worlds (2008 and 2009) when the Russian defeated the American and eventually finished second in those two international events to another Japanese wrestler, Mio Nishimaki. After settling for a bronze medal in the 2010 Worlds (where Pirozhkova beat the Russian), Volossova failed to place in last year’s Worlds, losing to Nasanburmaa Ochirbat of Mongolia. • Marianna Sastin, Hungary — The 28-year-old wrestler finished second to Icho in last year’s Worlds but that was not the only time she secured a silver medal. The first time came in 2005 when she competed in the non-Olympic weight of 130 pounds. Sastin also finished third at 59 kilos in 2009 (when she defeated American Deanna Rix). 72 kilos / 158 pounds (Competition held August 9) U.S. Entry: Ali Bernard, 26, New Ulm, Minn. Bernard, who lost to Stephany Lee in the finals of the Olympic Trials in Iowa City in April, learned on June 28, that she would get a chance to compete in her second straight Olympics after Lee tested positive of illegal drugs. A thankful Ali Bernard claimed her first World medal last September when she pinned Guzel Manyurova of Kazahkstan in the bronze medal match. Bernard, who won a bronze medal in last September’s World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, finished fifth at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where she split four matches. The graduate of the University of Regina in Canada and five-time Canadian college champion defeated Nigerian Amarachi Objajunwa in the first round before losing to eventual silver medalist Jiao Wang of China in the second round. In consolation, Bernard defeated Jenny Fransson of Sweden before losing to Japan’s former World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi in the bronze medal match. A former two-time Junior World champion (2003 and 2005), Bernard has competed in two Senior World Championships: losing her only match during the 2009 Worlds to Bulgaria’s Stanka Zlateva before coming back to the 2011 Worlds where she won four of five matches — including an avenging victory over Wang of China before losing to Zlateva in the semifinals. In the bronze medal match, Bernard defeated Gouzel Manyurova of Kazahkstan. Top Contenders • Stanka Zlateva, Bulgaria — This 29-year-wrestler has been the most dominating wrestler at this weight since 2006, despite finishing second to Jiao Wang of China in the 2008 Olympics, Zlateva has won five World titles at 72 kilos: 2006, ’07, ‘08, ‘10 and 2011. (The Bulgarian defeated American Ali Bernard in both 2009 and 2011). Zlateva settled for a bronze medal in the 2009 Worlds, where her only loss was to another Chinese wrestler: Xiaoging Qin. Zlateva also represented Bulgaria in the 2004 Olympics where she finished 12th. • Ekaterina Bukina, Russia — The 25-year-old from Moscow has earned two World medals the last two seasons: claiming a bronze in 2010 and silver last September (her only losses were to Bulgaria’s Stanka Zlateva). • Kyoko Hamaguchi, Japan — At one time, this 33-year-old wrestler from Tokyo and daughter of professional wrestler Animal Hamaguchi, was the most dominant women’s wrestler at this weight; winning World championships in 1997, ’98, ’99, 2002 and ’ 03). Since then, Hamaguchi has medaled in seven other World or Olympic competitions: two silver (2005 and 2006) and five bronze (2000 Worlds, 2004 and 2008 Olympics, and 2008 and 2010 Worlds). During her career, Hamaguchi has defeated several Americans at either the Worlds or Olympics: Kristie Davis (1997-99 and 2006) and Toccara Montgomery (2003 and 2004) before losing to Iris Smith in the gold medal match of the 2005 World Championships. She also defeated American Stephany Lee in the 2008 Worlds |
| 2012 Olympic Games - London Team USA Weight Class Previews - Women's Freestyle |
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