“Helen Maroulis is a two-time world champion, and in 2016 she became the first American woman ever to win Olympic gold in wrestling.“
Q&A: Helen Maroulis on Defending Her Gold Medal, Difficult Path Back to the Olympics–
The following written content by Mitch Goldich
Helen Maroulis is a two-time world champion, and in 2016 she became the first American woman ever to win Olympic gold in wrestling. Her path back to the Olympics was made more difficult by a pair of concussions suffered in 2018 and a grueling experience with PTSD.
Sports Illustrated: Starting with 2016, what do you remember most about that moment when you won gold?
Helen Maroulis: Oh my gosh, I just remember feeling like it was such a dream come true. And also like these blinders came off where, I could finally just relax and take it all in. I just thought about 10-year-old Helen, and 12-year-old Helen, and 13- and 15-year-old Helen, and just remembered back to who I was along the journey. I really just remember thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe that that girl won the Olympics.” And also that normal people win the Olympics. I think I put it on a pedestal for so long, and I thought you had to have superpowers and stuff. To win with your strengths and your weaknesses, to win with who and how you are, was really cool.
SI: How meaningful was it for you to be the first American woman to win gold in wrestling? Or is it more about having that achievement for yourself, regardless of who came before you?
HM: For me, I never thought about being the first because I just assumed that all the women that came before me—I thought they were all amazing; I thought they were gonna do it. And even going into Rio, I thought that all my other teammates and I were gonna win together. My teammate who I’ve lived with and trained with day in and day out, Elena Pirozhkova, she lost in the semifinals by like a point. So that’s heartbreaking. But to be the first is really an honor, and I’m very grateful for it. I take it very seriously and I think it’s pretty special. Read more from Sports Illustrated.
