All to the point that picking place finishers before the weigh-ins are completed and brackets are released (which happens the day before the tournament) is a fool’s errand. Which is perhaps why I find it so much fun.
Women’s Freestyle 53kg
PICKS
GOLD: Saori Yoshida JPN
SILVER: Helen Maroulis Party in the USA
BRONZE: Sofia Mattsson SWE
BRONZE: Odunayo Adekuoroye NGR
CONTENDERS
Yoshida has sixteen world level medals. No big deal. Just a baker’s dozen plus three. Maryland’s Helen Maroulis is dropping down from 55kg where she won a gold medal in Vegas at the World Championships. Sweden’s Mattsson has lots of world medals but no golds at 53 kg because of gold medal vaccum Saori Yoshida. Nigeria’s Adekuoroye burst on to the scene with a bronze medal in Vegas and has a very bright future ahead of her.
OTHERS OF NOTE
China is sending Xuechun Zhong and North Korea is sending MyungSuk Jong. They are both contenders and their names both rhyme. FYI I am not an expert at this weight class.
RANKINGS
1 JPN Saori YOSHIDA
2 SWE Sofia MATTSON
3 NGR Odunayo ADEKUOROYE
4 CHN Xuechun ZHONG
5 PRK MyongSuk JONG
6 GER Nina HEMMER
8 UKR Yuliia KHAVALDZHY-BLAHINYA
9 VEN Betzabeth ARGUELLO
10 POL Katarzyna KRAWCZYK
11 TUR Bediha GUN
15 GRE Maria PREVOLARAKI
17 SEN Isabelle SAMBOU
18 CAN Jillian GALLAYS
19 VIE Thi NGUYEN
AZE Natalya SINISHIN
CMR Joseph ESSOMBE-TIAKO
IND Kumari BABITA
MGL Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG
USA Helen MAROULIS
Women’s Freestyle 63kg
PICKS
GOLD: Soronzonboldyn Battsetseg MGL
SILVER: Yulia Tkach UKR
BRONZE: Anastasija Grigorjeva LAT
BRONZE: Danielle Lappage CAN
CONTENDERS
Mongolia’s Battsetseg and Ukraine’s Tkach have traded gold medals over the last two world championships. Battsetseg has the most recent gold, also a second world gold and an Olympic bronze. Latvia’s Grigorjeva is a four time European champ. Canada’s Lappage does not have a world medal yet but came very close in 2014, finishing 5th.
OTHERS OF NOTE
This is the second Olympics for American Elena Pirozhkova. She has medals in four different world championships and is as much a medal contender as anyone in the field. Rui Xu of China will also be in the medal hunt, and her names is only 5 letters, the tied for the fewest of any wrestler in Rio (Thi Vu, Vietnam’s 48 kilogramer is the other, but I’m sure I didn’t need to tell you that).
RANKINGS
1 UKR Yuliia TKACH-OSTAPCHUK
2 MGL Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD
3 JPN Risako KAWAI
4 BLR Maryia MAMASHUK
5 LAT Anastasija GRIGORJEVA
6 CAN Danielle LAPPAGE
7 CHN Rui XU
8 BUL Taybe YUSEIN
9 NGR Blessing OBORUDUDU
10 HUN Marianna SASTIN
11 TUR Hafize SAHIN
12 RUS Inna TRAZHUKOVA
13 KAZ Yekaterina LARIONOVA
14 SWE Henna JOHANSSON
16 BRA Lais NUNES-DEOLIVEIRA
18 POL Monika MICHALIK
CZE Adela HANZLICKOVA
TUN Hela RIABI
USA Elena PIROZHKOVA
Women’s Freestyle 75kg
PICKS
GOLD: Adeline Gray YOO ESS AYE
SILVER: Aline DaSilva-Ferreira BRA
BRONZE: Erica Wiebe CAN
BRONZE: Etakarina Bukina RUS
CONTENDERS
“But Gray’s day only meant easy pay day.” That’s me channeling my inner Eazy-E. American Adeline Gray is the odds on gold medal favorite, having won the last two 75kg world championships. Ferreira will be enjoying actual home fied advantage and the Rio crowd should help crarry her into the finals. Canada’s Wiebe has a trophy case full of international awards, as does Russia’s Bukina.
OTHERS OF NOTE
Epp Mae of Finland should contend for a meal for a medal. Also take note of Yasemin Adar of Turkey. She won the European Championship this year and will look to keep her hot streak going in Brazil.
RANKINGS
1 USA Adeline GRAY
2 CAN Erica WIEBE
3 BLR Vasilisa MARZALIUK
4 BRA Aline DASILVA-FERREIRA
5 RUS Ekaterina BUKINA
6 TUR Yasemin ADAR
7 COL Andrea OLAYA
8 EST Epp MAE
9 UKR Alla CHERKASOVA
10 FRA Cynthia VESCAN
11 CHN Fengliu ZHANG
12 HUN Zsanett NEMETH
14 KAZ Guzel MANYUROVA
15 GER Maria SELMAIER
16 VEN Jarimit WEFFER
19 JPN Rio WATARI
CMR Annabe ALI
EGY Samar HAMZA
AND NOW FOR A TASTE OF THINGS TO COME
DISAGREE WITH OUR PROGNOSTICATION?
Let us know in the comments and claim your internet points when you inevitably prove me wrong!
Wrestling at Rio continues with the final 3 women’s freestyle weights. Here’s what you need to know.
All to the point that picking place finishers before the weigh-ins are completed and brackets are released (which happens the day before the tournament) is a fool’s errand. Which is perhaps why I find it so much fun.
Women’s Freestyle 53kg
PICKS
GOLD: Saori Yoshida JPN
SILVER: Helen Maroulis Party in the USA
BRONZE: Sofia Mattsson SWE
BRONZE: Odunayo Adekuoroye NGR
CONTENDERS
Yoshida has sixteen world level medals. No big deal. Just a baker’s dozen plus three. Maryland’s Helen Maroulis is dropping down from 55kg where she won a gold medal in Vegas at the World Championships. Sweden’s Mattsson has lots of world medals but no golds at 53 kg because of gold medal vaccum Saori Yoshida. Nigeria’s Adekuoroye burst on to the scene with a bronze medal in Vegas and has a very bright future ahead of her.
OTHERS OF NOTE
China is sending Xuechun Zhong and North Korea is sending MyungSuk Jong. They are both contenders and their names both rhyme. FYI I am not an expert at this weight class.
RANKINGS
1 JPN Saori YOSHIDA
2 SWE Sofia MATTSON
3 NGR Odunayo ADEKUOROYE
4 CHN Xuechun ZHONG
5 PRK MyongSuk JONG
6 GER Nina HEMMER
8 UKR Yuliia KHAVALDZHY-BLAHINYA
9 VEN Betzabeth ARGUELLO
10 POL Katarzyna KRAWCZYK
11 TUR Bediha GUN
15 GRE Maria PREVOLARAKI
17 SEN Isabelle SAMBOU
18 CAN Jillian GALLAYS
19 VIE Thi NGUYEN?
AZE Natalya SINISHIN
CMR Joseph ESSOMBE-TIAKO
IND Kumari BABITA
MGL Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG
USA Helen MAROULIS
Women’s Freestyle 63kg
PICKS
GOLD: Soronzonboldyn Battsetseg MGL
SILVER: Yulia Tkach UKR
BRONZE: Anastasija Grigorjeva LAT
BRONZE: Danielle Lappage CAN
CONTENDERS
Mongolia’s Battsetseg and Ukraine’s Tkach have traded gold medals over the last two world championships. Battsetseg has the most recent gold, also a second world gold and an Olympic bronze. Latvia’s Grigorjeva is a four time European champ. Canada’s Lappage does not have a world medal yet but came very close in 2014, finishing 5th.
OTHERS OF NOTE
This is the second Olympics for American Elena Pirozhkova. She has medals in four different world championships and is as much a medal contender as anyone in the field. Rui Xu of China will also be in the medal hunt, and her names is only 5 letters, the tied for the fewest of any wrestler in Rio (Thi Vu, Vietnam’s 48 kilogramer is the other, but I’m sure I didn’t need to tell you that).
RANKINGS
1 UKR Yuliia TKACH-OSTAPCHUK
2 MGL Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD
3 JPN Risako KAWAI
4 BLR Maryia MAMASHUK
5 LAT Anastasija GRIGORJEVA
6 CAN Danielle LAPPAGE
7 CHN Rui XU
8 BUL Taybe YUSEIN
9 NGR Blessing OBORUDUDU
10 HUN Marianna SASTIN
11 TUR Hafize SAHIN
12 RUS Inna TRAZHUKOVA
13 KAZ Yekaterina LARIONOVA
14 SWE Henna JOHANSSON
16 BRA Lais NUNES-DEOLIVEIRA
18 POL Monika MICHALIK
CZE Adela HANZLICKOVA
TUN Hela RIABI
USA Elena PIROZHKOVA
Women’s Freestyle 75kg
PICKS
GOLD: Adeline Gray YOO ESS AYE
SILVER: Aline DaSilva-Ferreira BRA
BRONZE: Erica Wiebe CAN
BRONZE: Etakarina Bukina RUS
CONTENDERS
“But Gray’s day only meant easy pay day.” That’s me channeling my inner Eazy-E. American Adeline Gray is the odds on gold medal favorite, having won the last two 75kg world championships. Ferreira will be enjoying actual home fied advantage and the Rio crowd should help crarry her into the finals. Canada’s Wiebe has a trophy case full of international awards, as does Russia’s Bukina.
OTHERS OF NOTE
Epp Mae of Finland should contend for a meal for a medal. Also take note of Yasemin Adar of Turkey. She won the European Championship this year and will look to keep her hot streak going in Brazil.
RANKINGS
1 USA Adeline GRAY
2 CAN Erica WIEBE
3 BLR Vasilisa MARZALIUK
4 BRA Aline DASILVA-FERREIRA
5 RUS Ekaterina BUKINA
6 TUR Yasemin ADAR
7 COL Andrea OLAYA
8 EST Epp MAE
9 UKR Alla CHERKASOVA
10 FRA Cynthia VESCAN
11 CHN Fengliu ZHANG
12 HUN Zsanett NEMETH
14 KAZ Guzel MANYUROVA
15 GER Maria SELMAIER
16 VEN Jarimit WEFFER
19 JPN Rio WATARI
CMR Annabe ALI
EGY Samar HAMZA
AND NOW FOR A TASTE OF THINGS TO COME
DISAGREE WITH OUR PROGNOSTICATION?
Let us know in the comments and claim your internet points when you inevitably prove me wrong!
