Women's wrestling has improved dramatically over the past few years and many of those gains (against Japan) have come in Asia with Mongolia and China finding recent success. Team China seems most poised for a talent leap with a full squad showing to Las Vegas, including a pair of former World champions. With the 2016 Olympics on the national radar it figures to be a golden year for China.
Also challenging the USA women will be a much-improved Russian team. Though they lack the success of their male counterparts, recent wins at the European Games and a runner-up finish at the Women's World Cup show that the European nation is poised to make a leap.
How the American women fare against a much-improved international community will depend on technique, preparation and at least a smidgen of luck.
48 kilos: Alyssa Lampe
Gold: 5 percent
Medal: 30 percent
Ranked No. 13 in the world, Alyssa Lampe is one of America's most consistent international performers. However, as she did last year, Lampe will face a withering field of former champions: Eri Tosaka (Japan) and Yanan Sun (China), as well an absolutely terrifying Mariya Stadnyk of Azerbaijan who just dominated opponents to win the European Games
Lampe is a two-time World bronze medalist, which means she can win on the biggest stage, but the concentration of talent on the top means she will need a great draw and the perfect matchups to make it to the repechage and wrestle for bronze.
Top wrestlers: Eri Tosaka (Japan), Mariya Stadnyk (Azerbaijan), Yanan Sun (China),
53 kilos: Whitney Conder
Gold: 0 percent
Medal: 10 percent
Don't blame Whitney Condor. She's a tough competitor and as a 2007 Junior World champion she has the pedigree and proven success to make an impact. But 53 kilos is a stacked weight with best-ever Saori Yoshida sitting on top followed by 2009 World champion Sofia Mattsson and several-time World medalist Zhong Xuechun (China).
Condor will need home support and just the right combination of draw and opponents to get herself into a position to medal.
Top wrestlers: Saori Yoshida (Japan), Sofia Mattsson (Sweden), Zhong Xuechun (China)
55 kilos: Helen Maroulis
Gold: 70 percent
Medal: 95 percent
Helen Maroulis gets her hand raised after winning in the finals of the U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The biggest threat will come from Anri Kimura (Japan) who destroyed opponents at the Asian Championships in Doha and will come well-prepared as part of a Japanese lineup with team gold on the brain.
Also threatening Maroulis at the non-Olympic weight is Irina Olganova who took top billing at Yarygin and was runner-up last year at the World Championships.
Top wrestlers: Anri Kimura (Japan) Natalya Sinishin (Azerbaijan), Irina Ologonova (Russia)
58 kilos: Alli Ragan
Gold: 0 percent
Medal: 30 percent
A star on the rise for the Stars and Stripes, Alli Ragan may not have accumulated a ton of accolades, but will have a surprisingly good chance to medal at 58 kilos.
Though Kaori Icho stands between Ragan and gold, it's believable that she could challenge much of the Icho-weakened field. Marianna Sastin, who won the World Championships in 2013, will also look to make the finals and is a tough matchup for the much shorter Ragan
Ragan will need to keep an eye out for European Games bronze medalist Grace Bullen (Norway) who could surprise fans with her division best power and athleticism. The biggest question mark will be who China decides to enter at the weight.
If Ragan pressures her opponents and can show great conditioning she's got a real chance at bronze, and maybe silver.
Top wrestlers: Kaori Icho (Japan), Grace Bullen (Norway), Petra Olli (Finland), Marianna Sastin (Hungary)
60 kilos: Leigh Janes-Provisor
Gold: 0 percent
Medal: 20 percent
Though a non-Olympic weight class, 60 kilos has attracted some of the most dynamic wrestlers in the world, including USA grappler Leigh Janes-Provisor. A veteran of the national team, Janes-Provisor may need her experience to battle back against a bunch of talented international youngsters.
Prime among that talent is Sukhee Tserenchimed of Mongolia who steamrolled her way to a world championship last year in Tashkent. However, it'll be Oksana Herhel (UKR), who beat Sukhee and Russia's Svetlana Lipatova at the Women's World Cup, who might be the favorite at the weight.
Look for Janes-Provisor to wrestle well and win a few matches against top 20 wrestlers, but struggle more agains the top five. Still, the right position in the bracket
Top wrestlers: Svetlana Lipatova (Russia), Oksana Herhel (Ukraine), Sukhee Tserenchimed (Mongolia)
63 kilos: Erin Clogdo
Gold: 0 percent
Medal: 10 percent
Erin Clogdo steps into a weight class that has seen plenty of shuffling at the top of the rankings. Still, that shuffle has more to do with an active season than a true lack of consistency.
Clogdo will need a lot to overcome Risako Kawai (Japan) and former top-ranked competitors and World champions like Valeria Lazinskaya (Russia) and Yulia Tkatch (UKR) respectively.
Top wrestlers: Risako Kawai (Japan), Yaleria Lazinskaya (Russia), Yulia Tkach (Ukraine), Maria Mamashuk (Belarus), Anastasija Grigorjeva (Latvia), Xiluo Zhuoma (China), Soronzonbold Battsetseg (Mongolia)
69 kilos: Elena Pirozhkova
Gold: 10 percent
Medal: 25 percent
Pirozhkova is wrestling up a weight class after a silver-medal performance at 63 kilos in Tashkent. She's had a checkered year at 69 kilos taking several defeats at the Grand Prix of Spain, Mongolian Open and the World Cup.
Further complicating her path to a medal Pirizhkova is facing arguably the deepest and most unpredictable weight class in the tournament. In addition to 2012 Olympic champion Natalia Vorobieva, Pirizhkova could face China's glamour girl Zhou Feng who is on a tear since winning the 2014 Asian Games and 2015 Asian Championships.
Pirozhkova would also need to best defending world title holder Aline Focken of Germany, a tough and strong competitor.
Top wrestlers: Natalia Yorobieva (Russia), Zhou Feng (chn), Alina Makhinya (Ukraine), Ochirbat Nasanburmaa (Mongolia), Aline Focken (Germany)
75 kilos: Adeline Gray
Gold: 70 percent
Medal: 90 percent
Riding high after an undefeated 18 months of competition, Adeline Gray seems poised for World and Olympic gold. She's a solid bet, but standing in her way is Team China and Zhang Fengliu, the 2013 World champion and throw-happy pinning specialist, represents this year.
The most consistent of China's 75-kilo stable of wrestlers, Zhang easily dismisses Asian bronze medalist Zhou Qian, the wrestler who had almost earned the technical fall over Gray in last year's opening bout. If indeed Zhou shows up to wrestle, her four-point double leg remains a lot to defend.
Gray has a good a chance as any top-ranked wrestler, but she'll need to limit her mistakes and fight off a slew of strong and talented women from Europe and Asia.
Top wrestlers: Ekaterina Bukina (Russia), Vasilisa Marzaliuk (Belarus), Justina Distacio (Canada), Hiroe Suzuki (Japan), Zhang Fengliu (China)
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