Women's division gives US a chance

Compiled by Globe Staff, 09/15/2000

MEN

WHEN: Sept. 16 (56 kg), Sept. 17 (62 kg), Sept. 20 (69 kg), Sept. 22 (77 kg), Sept. 23 (85 kg), Sept. 24 (94 kg), Sept. 25 (105 kg), Sept. 26 (over 105 kg)

US ENTRIES: Oscar Chaplin, Shane Hamman

FAVORITES:

• 56 kg: 1. Halil Mutlu, Turkey; 2. Adrian Jigau, Romania; 3. Wang Shinyuan, Taipei;
• 62 kg: 1. Le Maosheng, China; 2. Leonidas Sabanis, Greece; 3. Sevdalin Minchev, Bulgaria;
• 69 kg: 1. Galabin Boevski, Bulgaria; 2. George Tzelilis, Greece; 3. Valerios Leonidis, Greece; 77 kg: 1. Saelem Badr, Qatar; 2. Victor Mitrou, Greece; 3. Plamen Jeliazkov, Bulgaria;
• 85 kg: 1. Shahin Nassirinia, Iran; 2. Pyrros Dimas, Greece; 3. Marc Huster, Germany;
• 94 kg: 1. Akakias Kakiashvilis, Greece; 2. Szimon Kolecki, Poland; 3. Bunyami Sudas, Turkey;
• 105 kg: 1. Denys Gotfrid, Ukraine; 2. Evgeny Shishliannikov, Russia; 3. Choi Jong-kun, South Korea; 105-plus kg: 1. Andrei Chemerkin, Russia; 2. Saeed Jaber, Qatar; 3. Hossein Rezazadeh, Iran.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The day when this was a Soviet-Bulgarian dual meet is past. The Chinese, Turks, and Greeks won as many gold medals as the Russians did four years ago. This time, eight different anthems could be played. No Star-Spangled Banner, though - the US hasn't won a medal against a full field since 1976. Hamman and Chaplin will do well to make the top 10.

WOMEN

WHEN: Sept. 16 (48 kg), Sept. 17 (53 kg), Sept. 18 (58 kg, 63 kg), Sept. 19 (69 kg, 75 kg), Sept 21 (over 75 kg).

US ENTRIES: Robyn Byrd Goad, Cheryl Haworth, Cara Heads-Lane, Tara Nott

FAVORITES:

• 48 kg: 1. Danka Mincheva, Bulgaria; 2. Sri Indriyani, Indonesia; 3. Kaori Niyanagi, Japan;
• 53 kg: 1. Li Feng Ying, Taipei; 2. Binti Slamet Winarni, Indonesia; 3. Wang Xiufen, China;
• 58 kg: 1. Chen Yanqing, China; 2. Ri Song-hui, North Korea; 3. Kuo Ping-Chun, Taipei;
• 63 kg: 1. Chen Yui-Lien, Taipei; 2. Xiong Meiyin, China; 3. Valentina Popova, Russia;
• 69 kg: 1. Sun Tianni, China; 2. Milena Trendafilova, Bulgaria; 3. Erzsebet Markus, Hungary;
• 75 kg: 1. Xu Jiao, China; 2. Kim Soon-hee, South Korea; 3. Ruth Ogbeifo, Nigeria; 75-plus kg: 1. Ding Meiyuan, China; 2. Agata Wrobel, Poland; 3. Haworth.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The muscle sport makes its distaff debut, and the Chinese and their Taiwanese cousins will rule it. Give a bronze to Haworth, the 17-year-old strongwoman in the super heavyweights.