Paris Preview: U.S. prodigy Elor among six World champions in stacked 68 kg field

The No. 1 seed is 2023 World champion Buse Tosun of Turkey, who also won 2018 and 2021 World bronze medals, and a 2018 U23 World title. She wrestled in the 2016 Olympics. Her half-bracket will include No. 4 Irina Ringaci, No. 5 Tetiana Sova Rizhko of Ukraine and No. 8 seed Feng Zhou.

A 2021 World champion at 65 kg, Ringaci added World bronze medals in 2022 and 2023. She boasts U23 and U20 World titles. Sova Rizhko was a 2022 European champion and 2024 runner-up and won two age-group World medals. Zhou, with a 2015 World silver and 2018 World bronze, is in her third Olympics.

The No. 2 seed is Delgermaa Enkhsaikhan of Mongolia. Her half bracket features No. 3 Koumba Larroque of France, No. 6 Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria and No. 7 Soleymi Caraballo Hernandez of Venezuela.

Enkhsaikhan was a 2023 World silver medalist and won two age-group World medals. Larrouque has won four Senior World medals, including a 2018 silver and three bronzes. She also boasts five age-group World gold medals. Oborududu, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist, has been in eight Senior Worlds, with her best finish being fifth.  This is her fourth Olympics. Caraballo Hernandez was a 2022 Pan American champion.

Unseeded wrestlers will blow up the bracket. Two-time World champions Amit Elor of the USA and Nonoka Ozaki of Japan, plus 2019 World champion Linda Morais of Canada and 2021 World champion Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan, get drawn in randomly. 

Elor won 2022 and 2023 Senior World titles at 72 kg. At all ages, she boasts eight freestyle World titles, and won three World golds in both 2022 and 2023. The youngest Senior World champion ever for the USA, she could be our youngest Olympic champion with gold medal in Paris.

Ozaki was a 2022 World champion at 62 kg and 2023 World titlist at 65 kg. She won a Senior World bronze in 2021 and claimed four age-group World titles. Morais, also is a two-time World bronze medalist, won two World University Championships. Zhumanazarova was a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and a three-time age-group World medalist.

Others in the field are 2023 U23 World silver medalist Nisha of India, seven-time Oceania champion Tayla Ford of New Zealand, three-time age-group World medalist Wiktoria Choluj of Poland and 2024 Asian Olympic Qualifier finalist Sol Gum Pak of North Korea.

68 kg WFS Seeded Wrestlers

No. 1 Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR)

No. 2 Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)

No. 3 Koumba LARROQUE  (FRA)

No. 4 Irina RINGACI (MDA)

No. 5 Tetiana SOVA RIZHKO (UKR)

No. 6 Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

No. 7 Soleymi CARABALLO HERNANDEZ (VEN)

No. 8 Feng ZHOU (CHN)

68 kg WFS Olympians (to be drawn in)

Linda MORAIS (CAN)

NISHA (IND)

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)

Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)

Tayla FORD (NZL)

Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)

Sol Gum PAK (PRK)

Amit ELOR (USA)

(Local Paris time, six hours ahead of U.S. time zone)

Monday, August 5, 2024

3:00 p.m. - Round of 16 and Quarterfinals - Men’s Greco-Roman 60-130 kg and Women’s Freestyle 68 kg

9:00 p.m. - Semifinals - Men’s Greco Roman 60-130 kg and Women’s Freestyle 68 kg

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

11:00 a.m. - Repechage Men’s Greco Roman 60-130 kg and Women’s Freestyle 68 kg

11:30 a.m. - Round of 16 and Quarterfinals - Men’s Greco-Roman 77-97 kg and Women’s Freestyle 50 kg

6:15 p.m. - Semifinals - Men’s Greco-Roman 77-97 kg and Women’s Freestyle 50 kg

7:15 p.m. - Medal Rounds in Men’s Greco Roman 60-130 kg and Women’s Freestyle 68 kg