Note: This story and medal predictions at 50 and 53 kilograms has been updated after Azerbaijan's Mariya Stadnik and Japan's Akari Fujinami withdrew from the World Championships with injuries. 

With the chaos of COVID-19 and the Olympic Games’ postponement, it’s been three long years since wrestling had a typical World Championships. Thankfully, this year’s tournament promises plenty of intriguing storylines and ample opportunity for the American women to further prove themselves on the world stage. Don’t miss the women’s freestyle competition, which will take place from September 12th to 15th. 

Here's a breakdown and medal predictions for the five lightest weight classes: 

50 kilograms 

Japan’s Yui Susaki is arguably the top pound-for-pound wrestler across any style; she’s expected to dominate this field as handily as she did at the Olympics, blanking her four opponents by a combined score of 41-0. Susaki has never lost to an international opponent. 

Although Susaki is probably the heaviest favorite in the entire tournament,  there’s lots of other top talent in the field. Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan — a four-time Olympic medalist and two-time World champion —  would've been an easy medal pick, but she pulled out of the tournament with an injury. Stadnik’s resume is among the most impressive of any women’s wrestler in the world. Not only that, but she’s also come closer than any other non-Japanese woman to beating Susaki, having kept their 2018 Klippan Lady Open finals to a 2-2 criteria loss. Though Susaki has teched Stadnik since, it stood to reason that the experienced Azerbaijani would've had the best chance of beating her over anyone else in the field. 

On the top side of the bracket, Sarah Hildebrandt has an obvious path to the finals. As the #1 seed, she’s managed to avoid both Susaki and Stadnik. However, she’ll still face some tough opponents: she’s likely to meet this year’s European champion Evin Demirhan in the quarterfinals, and World medalists Emilia Vuc of Romania or Otgonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia in the semis. Despite these rigorous competitors, Hildebrandt’s  recent domestic and international dominance has solidified her as the clear favorite to face Susaki for gold. 

There’s a few unseeded athletes that could shake this bracket up. 2018 World bronze medalist Oksana Livach of Ukraine is a definite contender, though she’ll likely need to count on being drawn into Hildebrandt’s side to make the podium. China will be sending U23 World silver medalist Ziqi Feng in place of Olympic silver medalist Yanan Sun; though less experienced, Feng is a great up-and-comer. Also keep an eye on Jasmina Immaeva of Uzbekistan, who’s sneakily added a few solid wins to her resume this year. 

Medal Predictions: 

Gold —  Yui Susaki (Japan) 

Silver —  Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) 

Bronze —  Ziqi Feng (China) 

Bronze — Oksana Livach (Ukraine) 

53 kilograms 

The watered-down field at the 2021 World Championships provided lots of opportunity for young stars to shine, but none impressed as much as Japan’s Akari Fujinami. Just 17 at the time of the competition, Fujinami teched her way to her first World title without giving up a point. She was similarly dominant at this year’s Asian Championships in Mongolia and was widely expected to do the same at Worlds until a foot injury knocked her out of the field in Belgrade. 

On paper, Fujinami’s biggest challenger figured to be 2019 World bronze medalist Vinesh Phogat of India. Phogat was the subject of much criticism by Indian media last year after a disappointing loss in the Olympic quarterfinals. She looked slightly out of sorts at her first competition back after Tokyo: bumping up to 55kg at the 2022 Yasar Dogu, where she was pinned by Jacarra Winchester and fell to Isakova of Russia in the bronze medal match. However, she looked much more like herself at the Commonwealth Games, where she dominated her three opponents en route to 53kg gold. 

Vinesh is unseeded, meaning she could face Fujinami right out the gate. 

The other three 2021 World medalists will also compete here. Poland’s Katarzyna Krawczyk added two Ranking Series medals to her resume this season and is slotted to face Fujinami in the semifinals as the #4 seed. Silver medalist Iulia Leorda of Moldova and bronze Sam Stewart of Canada will also look to repeat their performances from last year. Two-time World Bronze medalist Maria Prevolaraki of Greece is another medal contender. 

Aside from the veterans, there’s lots of age-level stars that’ll have chances to upset the veterans for a medal, such as 2021 U23 World champion Lucia Yepez of Ecuador. Yepez impressed as a surprise qualifier for the Olympic Games in 2021, where she defeated defending World bronze medalist Valentina Islamova Brik of Kazakhstan. Wrestling fans must also watch Emma Malmgrem of Sweden, who won her first Senior European title this year at 21. Malmgrem has proven she can outscramble some of the best wrestlers in the world and should make a strong podium push here. Turkey’s Zeynep Yetgil has tons of age-level credentials and experience that should prove handy as she transitions to the Senior level. 

Medal Predictions: 

Gold — Vinesh Phogat (India)

Silver — Katarzyna Krawczyk (Poland) 

Bronze — Emma Malmgrem (Sweden) 

Bronze —  Lucia Yepez (Ecuador) 

55 kilograms 

55 kilos is headed by yet another Japanese wrestler: 2020 Olympic champion Mayu Shidochi (nee Mukaida). Before descending down to 53kg to win her Olympic title, Shidochi won two World titles at 55kg — a weight she’s never lost at internationally. She’s a tier above the rest of the very tough, albeit quite youthful,  field in Belgrade and will be expected to bring home the gold medal. 

Her prime challenger will be Jacarra Winchester, a 2019 World champ at this weight, who placed fifth in Tokyo. Winchester’s taken a few bumps this year. She fell to Jenna Burkert in the first match of their Final X series and lost in the Pan-Am finals to Canada’s Karla Godinez. Nonetheless, Jacarra’s always been able to peak at the right time, and she’s the most credentialed athlete in the weight behind Shidochi. 

Winchester  may get her opportunity for revenge against the aforementioned Godinez, who will be representing Canada at 55kg after failing to win the 53kg World Team spot. Godinez has had an impressive season, winning a silver medal at the Zouhaier Sghaier Ranking Series in addition to her Pan-Am title, and has a great pathway to a medal in the sixth-seeded spot. She and Winchester will be on opposite sides of the bracket, so a rematch would only be possible in the finals. 

In addition to Godinez, lots of other young talent will be present in this bracket. Oleksandra Khomenets of Ukraine was one of the biggest stars at the World Championships last year, winning a bronze medal at 18. She’s looked great this year but has fallen just a bit short in big moments, losing in the final seconds of the Senior Euro finals and again by a similar margin in the U20 World quarterfinals (to eventual champion, Japan’s Ruka Natami). She’ll absolutely be in the medal hunt again this year.

Khomenets’ loss in the Euro finals came against Andreea Ana, who made history last year by becoming the first Romanian woman to win a U23 World title. She wrestled in the Olympics at 53kg last year but has had much more success at 55 kilos. She holds the #3 seed and is projected to face Godinez in a highly-anticipated quarterfinal bout. 

Furthermore, multiple age-level stars will be dropping from 57 kilos to try to find a podium spot in this slightly-less-stacked weight class. Cuba’s Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia dominated the age-level Pan-Am Championships last year and added a Senior title at 57kg a couple months ago. She’s relatively inexperienced internationally but should immediately be able to hang with the majority of the competitors. Turkey’s Elvira Kamaloglu owns a U23 Euro title and two Ranking Series silver medals from this year —  as well as a win over Helen Maroulis —  and will look to make a similar impact down a weight class. 

Although the young stars own the biggest storylines of the tournament, the seasoned veterans will not go down easy. Returning World finalist Nina Hemmer will look to add another medal to her collection, as will Poland’s 2017 World bronze medalist Roksana Zasina. Ecuador’s 53kg Olympian Luisa Valverde is notoriously inconsistent, but has an impressive hitlist and the skills to put together a commendable run. 

A name unfamiliar to many, but certainly one to watch, is China’s Mengyu Xie. Xie has only competed at one Senior Worlds before — she finished 10th —  but has some impressive results including an Asian title and a 10-0 tech victory over Japan’s U23 World Champion Saki Igarashi. Though we have pretty limited information about her, don’t be surprised if she makes a run and picks up some solid wins in Belgrade. 

Medal Predictions: 

Gold — Mayu Shidochi (Japan) 

Silver —  Jacarra Winchester (USA) 

Bronze —  Karla Godinez (Canada) 

Bronze —  Nina Hemmer (Germany) 

57 kilograms 

Last year, Helen Maroulis won her third World title: the pinnacle of a triumphant comeback from what many thought might be a career-ending concussion. She’s in prime position to win her fourth gold medal this year, especially since the field is missing five-time World and Olympic Champion Risako Kawai. This rematch — which is one of the most anticipated in all of women’s wrestling — will have to wait for now as Kawai recently had her first child and won’t return to the mat until December (in time for the beginning of the Japanese Olympic Trials process). 

Helen’s Japanese opponent this year will be 2021 55kg World champion Tsugumi Sakurai. Sakurai impressed domestically at her new weight class this year, going through the typical Japanese gauntlet of age-level World Champions. While Helen’s greater experience will make her the favorite on-paper, Sakurai is incredibly talented and will make this match interesting. She’s unseeded and thus could meet Maroulis at any point in the bracket. 

One of the top medal contenders is Ukraine’s Alina Hrushyna (née Akobiia), who owns the #6 seed. Hrushyna has consistently impressed on the age-level scene and has a long list of accolades including a U23 World Gold and a Senior European title. 

Should seeds hold, Hrushyna will face Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist and #3 seed Evelina Nikolova of Bulgaria in the quarterfinals. Hrushyna defeated Nikolova, 6-2, in the Euro finals earlier this year, but Nikolova will do her best to flip the script in Belgrade. They’re on the opposite side of the bracket from Maroulis; depending on where Sakurai is drawn in, the winner of this match has a good shot of making the final. 

Helen’s projected quarterfinal matchup is no slouch either. Poland’s Anhelina Lysak has earned a pair of European medals and a U23 World title. Lysak is not afraid to take risks, an attribute that has made her volatile throughout her career. Helen is the obvious favorite, but Lysak has a bright future at the Senior level. 

Other women with great shots of making the podium include 53kg Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Bolortuya Bat-Ochir, who is trying her hand at a new weight class. She competed all year down at 53 kilos so this jump up two weights comes as a surprise. She’s spent some time at 55kg, but it’s unclear how she’ll fare up yet another weight class against stiff competition. Also watch 2021 

59kg World Bronze medalist Sarita Mor, who moved down a weight after 2021 57kg World silver medalist Anshu missed the Indian World Team selection due to recent surgery. Sarita was the top seed at 59 kilos but has announced that she intends to remain at 57kg throughout the entirety of the next quad. She’ll be unseeded but should absolutely be considered a podium threat. 

If you’re looking for a dark horse, consider turning to Hannah Taylor from Canada, who is a two-time U23 World Bronze medalist, or Esther Kolawole, who also owns a U23 World bronze and is a great emerging talent for Nigeria’s wrestling program. 

Ultimately, this bracket will be largely impacted by where Tsugumi Sakurai gets drawn in. Hopefully she gets placed opposite to Helen; a finals bout between these two talented ladies will be one of the biggest matches of the tournament regardless of style. 

Medal Predictions: 

Gold — Helen Maroulis (USA) 

Silver — Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) 

Bronze —  Alina Hrushyna (Ukraine) 

Bronze —  Anhelina Lysak (Poland) 

59 kilograms

Unlike most of the other weight classes being contested in Belgrade, 59kg doesn’t have a clear favorite for the title. Only one medalist returns from last year: Mongolia’s Shoovdor Baatarjav, who has taken bronze at the last three World Championships. The only other Senior medalist in the field is Canada’s Diana Weicker, who bumped up to this weight class after losing the 53kg spot at the Canadian World Team Trials. Weicker has only competed at one international tournament at 59kg, the Zouhaier Sghaier, where she failed to medal. As skilled as she is, the weight gap will be  tough to overcome. 

Although there isn’t much established talent at this weight, there’s several women on the precipice of becoming Senior-level stars. Moldova’s Anastasia Nichita has long been an age-level talent and has extended her successes to the Senior level with European and Yasar Dogu titles this year. She has wins over nearly half the registered field and is a prime title threat. 

Nichita will have one of her toughest matches in the quarterfinals against Norway’s Grace Bullen. Leading up to the 2019 World Championships, Bullen was widely regarded as a medal threat both in Nur-Sultan and at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. She was already a U23 World champion and owned European titles. However, a tough year in 2021 saw her fail to qualify for the Olympics or win a match at the Worlds hosted by her home country. Bullen made her return after eight months off of international competition at this year’s Matteo Pellicone, where she teched her way to a gold medal. 

China’s Qi Zhang hasn’t competed internationally since 2019, but has arguably the best hit list in the weight class. She owns wins over the aforementioned Baatarjav, last year’s 59kg World champion Bilyana Dudova, and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Iryna Kurachkina, to name a few. This will be her first time wrestling at the Senior World Championships since she was 19. 

Japan’s entry at this weight is not a well-known name yet, but has already won a World title this year — 20-year-old Sakura Motoki picked up three falls en route to winning a U20 World title in Bulgaria last month. As this is her first Senior international competition, it’s hard to predict how she’ll fare against the older opponents, but Japan’s track record implies that she’ll be able to hold her own against everyone in this bracket. 

Beyond the above obvious challengers, there are a couple athletes that will seek to fill in the gaps and chase spots on the podium. Ukraine’s Solomiia Vynnyk has a win over Anastasia Nichita from last year’s U23 Worlds and placed 5th at Senior Worlds last year. Poland’s Jowita Wrzesien placed second at the European Championships this year and picked up a big win over Nigeria’s two-time World medalist Odunayo Adekuoroye at the Pellicone. 

The way this weight class will shake out is uncertain, but expect this year’s podium to be full of first-time Senior World medalists. Nichita’s looked great this year and seems like the woman to beat at 59kg, but Zhang, Bullen, and Motoki all have the talent and accolades to put them in consideration as well.

Medal Predictions 

Gold — Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) 

Silver — Qi Zhang (China) 

Bronze — Grace Bullen (Norway) 

Bronze —  Sakura Motoki (Japan)