Helen Maroulis is first American woman to win wrestling gold

Helen Maroulis

Tony Rotundo, used with permission.

Her victory took place in the final match on August 18 at the Carioca Arena 2 as part of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Jaineiro.

Helen Maroulis

Tony Rotundo, used with permission.

At 24 years old, Maroulis was able to defeat three-time defending Olympic gold medalist Saori Yoshida in the 53 kg division of Women’s freestyle wrestling, leaving her in second place for the silver medal.

Helen Maroulis

Tony Rotundo, used with permission.

Most impressive about her opponent, Japanese wrestler Saori Yoshida, is that she is a 13-time world champion in the sport, and she had not lost a single wrestling match since the previous Olympic Games in 2012 that were held in London.

Helen Maroulis

Tony Rotundo, used with permission.

As a result, Maroulis is only the third person to ever defeat Yoshida in a major international competition.

Maroulis’ ethnic background is Greek-American. In September 10, 2015, Maroulis won the gold medal in the World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the Women’s freestyle 55 kg category.

To learn more about Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis, follow her on Twitter and on her Facebook page.