Poland Open Ranking Series Wrestling: 5 wrestlers to keep track ahead of Tokyo Olympics
The Poland Open Ranking Series will feature 365 wrestlers, including 30 Olympians from 44 nations, in Warsaw. The final Ranking Series event of the year and also the Tokyo Olympic cycle, the Poland Open will take place from June 8 to 13.
READ: Poland Open Ranking Series 2021 Wrestling: Complete player list, schedule, live streaming details
The competition will have a massive implication on seedings for the Tokyo Olympics and also the remaining 2021 wrestling calendar. The six-day event will be a testing ground for many wrestlers.
Five grapplers you should keep an eye out for at Poland Open
#5 Mohammad Hossein Askari (IRI): 97kg freestyle
The return and recent emergence of Mohammad Hossein Askari has put the 97kg freestyle title up for grabs. For the last five years, the 97kg weight division has been a battleground for two Olympic Champions, Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia and Kyle Snyder of the USA. But after Askari pinned Snyder at the 2020 Rome Rankings Series, it became a three-way warzone. He will be the favorite to win his fifth gold medal since his comeback after a doping ban.
#4 Roman Vlasov (RUS): 77kg Greco-Roman
Roman Vlasov is a two-time Olympic champion and is looking to join the list of all-time greats by winning his third gold medal. If he can take care of business in Japan, he will be joining the likes of Buvasir Satiev, Aleksandr Karelin and Mijain Lopez with three Olympic golds.
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The Poland Open is his first competition of the year and he will headline the 77kg Greco-Roman bracket. He has built a reputation for being one of the strongest wrestlers around.
His raw strength has been used on many occasions to launch opponents in his numerous world and continental title-winning performances. He will be looking to set the tempo for another Olympic medal hunt by dominating the Poland Open Ranking Series.
#3 Vinesh Phogat (IND): 53kg women's wrestling
Vinesh Phogat has been one of the most consistent wrestlers over the past decade for India. Steady as they come, the 26-year-old is a seven-time Asian Championship medalist. She earned a spot on the podium at the 2019 World Championships to win India an Olympic quota in the 53kg category. Vinesh Phogat is the current Asian Champion. India will be pinning their hopes on the young grappler at the Poland Open Ranking Series.
Helen Maroulis (USA): 57kg women's wrestling
Helen Maroulis announced herself to the world by defeating Saori Yoshida, one of the greatest women wrestlers. The Japanese, who was in the hunt for her fourth Olympic gold in 2016, was thumped by Maroulis in her maiden Games. Over the last five years, the U.S. wrestler has battled career-ending injuries and depression, which led to her almost quitting the sport.
But she has now returned stronger and now looks set to leave her footprint on the sport. She will be the favorite in the 17-woman bracket packed with Olympic, world and Asian medalists. Watch out for the dynamic grappler at the Poland Open Ranking Series.
#1 Natalia Vorobyeva (RUS): 76kg women's wrestling
Natalia Vorobyeva, a mother-of-one, capped off a successful comeback season in 2019. She captured her second world title in her first major international event since the 2016 Olympics. One of the heavyweights in probably the deepest weight category in women's wrestling, she will be eyeing a strong finish to the Poland Open. Her top challengers will be Olympic champion Erica Wiebe and four-time world medalist Aline Rotter-Focken