Preview World Championships U52kg

World Ranking Leader Andreea Chitu is everywhere. The Romanian team are known as world travelers and start at most major events. Chitu medalled in almost all occasions. This year in Oberwart, Düsseldorf, Zagreb, Baku, Cluj, again Baku with a victory at the European Games but in Tyumen and the IJF Masters in Rabat she didn’t get to top 3. She won 21 of her 28 matches this year which is the highest win percentage ever. Last year Chitu won silver behind Majlinda Kelmendi, who, we published on Saturday is injured and won’t compete in Astana.

Chitu is the top seed but one of the dangerous alternatives for Majlinda Kelmendi is Distria Krasniqi. Although Chitu leads by 3-0 against the Kosovarian, Krasniqi can be a banana skin. Odette Giuffrida (ITA) built up experience to be another roadblock for anyone.

Pool B includes Mareen Kraeh of Germany won the Grand Prix of Budapest this year and took medals in Dusseldorf, Baku and Tyumen. Despite her 31-years she can medal at major events. Age is not a difference maker in this class. Age before beauty as Kraeh, Gomez, Schwartz, Ma, Sundberg, Euranie, Ramos and Heylen are all older than 30 and can still be counted among the top athletes qualifying for Rio.

This pool is typical for this age with Kraeh, Heylen, Ma, Gomez and Heylen. The Belgian wants to win her 50^th international medal in her career, a tough ambition in this field where Ma Yangnin of China won her first three international events of the season and is considered as the hot shot in this pool.

Russian Natalia Kuziutina has a wealth of experience. The triple European Champion won two World medals in 2010 and 2014 and won the IJF World Masters in Rabat in 2015. She will fight either Rim (PRK) or former World Champion Yanet Bermoy of Cuba in her first bout. In the same pool for the quarter final Japanese Misato Nakamura is definitely an outsider for the world title. She reached the final In Dusseldorf where she lost to Ma.

In pool D Erika Miranda of Brazil is the highest seeded athlete. She won silver two years ago and her pool is doable. On the other side in Pool D Annabelle Euranie seems the favourite. The French lost the European Games final against Chitu, but is still able to shine. She won World silver in 2003 and recognizes when she needs to peak.

Chitu is the favourite, but let’s start with Krasniqi. Ma Yingnan, Nakamura and Miranda will this category a world wide flavour.

Watch all statistics for each individual match here