Helen Maroulis becomes Team USA's first-ever 3-time Olympic medalist in women's wrestling with 57kg bronze
Team USA’s Helen Maroulis hoped to achieve victory against Canada’s Hannah Taylor in the Women’s Freestyle 57kg Bronze Medal Match on Friday, with everything on the line.
She was able to make quick work of Taylor, capturing the bronze by a score of 4-0. In the process, she became Team USA’s first-ever three-time Olympic medalist in women’s wrestling with the result, a fantastic achievement.
For the win, Maroulis was able to get Taylor to her back for the fall at 24 seconds, which secured her the win, and added to his myriad of accomplishments.
Elsewhere on Friday for Team USA on the wrestling mat, Aaron Brooks clinched the 86kg bronze medal with 5-0 win over Uzbekistan’s Javrail Shapiev, while Spencer Lee was upset with a late takedown from Japan’s Rei Higuchi during his quest for gold in 57kg freestyle wrestling final, settling for silver.
More on Helen Maroulis, 2024 Paris Summer Olympics
Moreover, Helen Maroulis’ Olympic journey was far from a guarantee. The 32-year-old has been wrestling since a young age, but many, including her parents, couldn’t see the forest through the trees, even when she believed in herself wholeheartedly.
“I started wrestling when I was seven years old and I fell in love with the sport,” said Maroulis, via Team USA’s website. “My parents said wrestling is not an Olympic sport and there’s no future, so you have to quit and later that summer (September 2001) the IOC announced that women’s wrestling would be added to the Olympics.
“From there, I decided that my dream was to go to the Olympics because that was what afforded me the opportunity to do what I love.”
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As you can tell, Maroulis was vindicated in her decision to follow her dreams by her success, and she’s at peace with herself and her career, regardless of the result in Paris.
“I feel so at peace, super content and extremely grateful,” added the veteran wrestler. “I‘ve just had so many good cries – I’m like ‘I’ll never be four weeks out again, I’ll never be two weeks out again, I’ll never have this doubts or these nerves again.’”
“What a gift that I get to feel this way – it makes me feel alive and makes me love what I get to pursue. It’s a blessing.”
All in all, Helen Maroulis has been an inspiration to women around the world, and not just those into wrestling. Her athletic career should be lauded, as she continues to impress at the highest level imaginable.