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46 kg Women's World Championships Preview

9/29/2001
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

Note: TheMat.com has resumed its series of previews for the 2001 World Championships. Although it has not yet been determined when and where the event will be hosted, the tournament is expected to be held this year. Those athletes listed as entries for the event originally scheduled for New York City will be used in these previews.

46 kg Women’s World Championships Preview

Looking to win the World gold medal is Tricia Saunders of the United States, a four-time World Champion who did not compete in the 2000 World Championships due to injury. Saunders, who is in her mid-30’s, is nearing the end of her historic career, and would like nothing better than another World gold medal, especially if it can be won on U.S. soil.

Saunders had a tough battle with Clarissa Chun in the U.S. World Team Trials, but continued her streak of never having lost to an American competitor. Saunders has recovered from the rib injury at the Trials, and should be in top form when the World Championships are held.

Irina Melnik of Ukraine is the reigning World Champion, defeating three-time World medalist Inga Karamtshakova of Russia in the championship match last year. Karamtshakova placed first and Melnik placed second at the 2001 European Women’s Championships. Karamatshakova has a World silver and two World bronzes, and is motivated to win her first World gold this year.

Carol Huynh of Canada won the 2000 World bronze medal, and returns seeking a place in the gold-medal match. Farah Touchi of France was fourth at the 2000 World Championships, and she boasts a 1997 World bronze medal.

Japan’s Misato Shimizu placed eighth in the 2000 World Championships, but must be considered a medal contender. Japan takes its women’s wrestling very seriously, and Shimizu will be prepared for a run at the medals this time around.

Mongolia’s Tsogtbazar Enkhjargal won the silver medal at the 2001 Asian Championships, losing to Japan’s Tomoe Odo in the finals. China’s Tang Liqiong won the bronze medal at the 2001 Asian Championships.

Germany lists two possible entries, Brigitte Wagner, who was fourth at the 2001 European Championships, or Sara Ehinger, who placed ninth in the 2000 World Championships. Wagner won a gold medal at the 2001 Junior World Championships at 46 kg.

The 2001 Pan American champion was Mayerly Caripa of Venezuela. In late September, Venezuela indicated that it would be attending the World Championships, but submitted no roster. It is a good possibility that Caripa will be in the field when the tournament is held. She defeated American Clarissa Chun in the Pan American finals and Ingrid Cuellar of El Salvador placed third.

A number of wrestling nations with strong men’s team have recently started increasing their activity in women’s wrestling. Korea’s Park Young-Hee and Turkey’s Ayser Guneri will be looking to establish their nation on the world level in women’s freestyle. Park was fourth at the 2001 Asian Championships, an event that has increased in size and prestige in recent years.

It would not be surprising to see a few more athletes at the World Championships this year that were not initially entered, now that the IOC has accepted women’s wrestling as an Olympic sport.

Clearly, Saunders has the most experience and has won the most titles of any of the entries in this division. Her ability to continue to win at the lightest weight class, which features more speed and activity than any other division, is a testament to her skill and intense training. The younger opponents will be looking to take over this weight class, and the competition should be exciting.

WOMEN’S 46 kg/101.25 lbs. (19 athletes as of 9/14)
Cambodia - Kang Noch Bovor
Canada - Carol Huynh
China - Ciu Ying or Tang Liqiong
Chinese Taipei - Kao Hsin-I
Czech Republic - Olga Orlovska
El Salvador - Ingrid Xiomera Maderano Cuellar
France - Farah Touchi
Germany - Brigitte Wagner or Sarah Ehinger
Greece - Agoro Papavassiluou
Guinea-Bissau - Leopoldina R. Davyes
Japan - Misato Shimizu
Korea - Park Young-Hee
Mongolia - Tsogtbazar Enkhjargal
Russia - Inga Karamtchakova or Liliya Kaskarova
Spain - Alicia Abuja
Tunisia - Faohila Louati
Turkey - Ayser Guneri, Sevgi Icoz or Serife Lule
Ukraine - Irina Melnik
United States - Tricia Saunders

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Mat Town USA

9/27/2001
Ted Witulski/USA Wrestling

The familiar setting in Lock Haven as in many cities throughout Pennsylvania for
athletes is the local wrestling room. Hot and stuffy, tightly packed bodies fighting for space. The consistent sound of limbs pounding on the mat, going through repetitions of drills to hone the techniques meant to make champions.

The wrestling look is familiar as well, a steady stream of steely eyed competitors with worn tournament t-shirts and tattered sweatshirts. Bruises and scrapes and taped fingers are commonplace with the athletes on the crowded training surface. Wrestlers quickly go from drill to drill and rarely grab an occasional shot of water. There’s little time for let up, a wrestler’s drive and focus is always on that next
goal. But, even in Lock Haven, also known as “Mat Town USA”, it’s sometimes necessary for one athlete to take the occasional “PTO”--a ponytail timeout, in Mat Town USA.

Sara McMann has earned her way on to the United States Women’s World Wrestling Team. McMann who wrestles at 62 kgs is one of many American Women Wrestlers transforming the look of amateur wrestling nationwide. However, McMann with a wide smile and an infectious laugh off the mat in no way would be a disappointment to the fan of hard-nosed, in your face wrestling.

Sara McMann at age 21 sports a wrestler’s build born out of the same hard work and sacrifice that other male wrestlers have been carrying though the generations of competitive wrestling. Call her cut, shredded or ripped---the traditional muscle terms once reserved for males can be fairly used in describing this World Team athlete.

On a recent visit to a mall in Colorado Springs McMann had a familiar conversation. While picking up some lotion to combat the drying skin from the frequent training and showering during the Women’s World Camp, a thirty-something retailer jealously remarked on how wonderful it must be to be so muscled and physically fit to McMann.

McMann politely accepted the compliment from the lady, but as she headed out of the mall she said, “I hear that a lot from people, but if they only knew how hard I had to work to get this way they wouldn’t even think about trading places with me. There’s no shortcuts in wrestling; I’ve done things that would make a billygoat puke.”

McMann is as tough minded as wrestlers come. “Steel sharpens Steel”, is one of her favorite phrases. She walks the walk and talks the talk, and rarely is wrestling far out of McMann’s thoughts.

Sara McMann knew about wrestling from an early age following an older brother to youth wrestling practices. Like many youngsters on the sides of mat waiting for practice to finish up Sara could be seen mimicking the movements of the older kids on the mats, the sprawls, the shots, the running and the pushups. “I loved being around wrestling when I was growing up”, McMann said, “My dad was of the mindset that wrestling was for the boys, so I didn’t get started until I was in high school.”

Eventually though, as the teenage years rebelliousness came out Sara’s parents
Thomas and Paula relented and allowed McMann to join the wrestling team at her high school in North Carolina. McMann’s community and coach weren’t quite ready to allow girls to wrestle but once challenged, McMann’s mother was in full support and Sara’s father conceded to the push. “Wrestling was something I always wanted to do. It just sucked me in. I wasn’t doing it to be a trailblazer or to tread on the “boys” territory. I just wanted to wrestle.”

McMann eventually won over her high school coach, Tim Hutchins, with her hard work. According to McMann she liked it when the coach in the heat of a tough practice would yell, “You’re getting outworked by a girl. You guys better suck it up.”

McMann wrestled on varsity consistently throughout her high school career. She competed in the middleweights wrestling up to a 135 pounds. Her senior year she finished with a 15-13 record, and at least one stern lecture. Once when an opponent backed out of a match for the fear of losing to a girl, McMann did the unsporting thing and through her headgear across the gym. “I got treated like any other wrestler. There was no way my coach was going to accept that kind of tantrum. I learned the same type of lessons about sportsmanship from wrestling and in the same ways.”

With Women’s Wrestling no longer in its infancy and battling for recognition in the Olympic movement, McMann has a great deal of respect for the women that started to lay the groundwork for acceptability. Tricia Sauners, multiple-World Champion and America’s World Team representative at 46 kgs, is among those the McMann cites. “She is a great person who speaks her mind and is always willing to
help me on a personal level”, says McMann “and wrestling wise she’s very strategic and tough.”

While many people promoting Women’s Wrestling believe that true acceptance can only be gained by the addition of the sport into the Olympics, McMann doesn’t seem hung up on that barrier. “Sure I want to see Women’s Wrestling in the Olympics, but not at the expense of Men’s Wrestling. If that doesn’t happen then it’s not like I’m going to stop wrestling. I’ll just have to settle for being a multi-World Champion instead.”

Throughout the summer after her victory in the World Team Trials, McMann would venture from her residence in Lock Haven to workout at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. McMann’s heavy regiment of training is bolstered by her disappointment from last summer’s World Championships.

When speaking about the Worlds from 2000, Sara’s jaw tightens and eyes narrow. “I didn’t have a good Worlds last year”, McMann shortly replies, “I lost to the girl who won it, Nikola Hartman from Austria, and ended up finishing 9th.” There’s no humor in her voice remembering the experience. Her mood quickly sours but returns to what it will take to be a champion.

Like any wrestler after a bitter defeat McMann uses last summer’s tournament to motivate her for this year’s Worlds. “I’ll be attacking every second of my match. I can’t sit back and wait for my opponent. I have to take the match to her.”

McMann expresses her love for close combat competition saying, “I was meant to wrestle and I thrive on the pressure of a big tournament,” as she finishes a meal before heading to another practice at the wrestling room. McMann always looks forward to her trips to the OTC. The coaching and training partners coupled with the environment of the Olympic setting would heighten anybody’s determination
to maximize their potential before a major competition.

In getting access to terrific training, McMann cites the importance of the support of the Sunkist Wrestling Club founded by Art Martori. This year all six women on the World Team wrestle for the Sunkist Club. The clean sweep of Women’s weight classes is not lost on McMann. “We joked that the Women’s World Team warm-up should have the Sunkist logo on it. But, really I couldn’t have reached the level I’m at without the great support of Art Martori and the Sunkist Club. They get me to the tournaments and make sure I have access to great partners and coaches, and it has really helped me to improve.”

When and where Sara McMann will get to wrestle for another shot at her first World Title is still a mystery. The stunning tragedy in New York set her goal back a bit farther out of reach. However, her training did not drop off as word of the postponement worked its way to the wrestlers. “It’s a terrible thing that happened. I really want to wrestle in the United States, but that’s in doubt now. Regardless,
when I get the chance to wrestle again I’ll be ready.”