U.S. wrestler Helen Maroulis on gold medal win: ‘I just dreamed about this match so much’

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Helen Maroulis hopes to change women’s wrestling in the United States after making history in Rio de Janeiro.

The 24-year-old wrestler from Rockville, MD was guaranteed a spot in the 53kg freestyle final after winning four straight matches on Thursday morning, including a win over fellow world champion Sofia Mattsson in the semifinal, but her biggest task was waiting for her in the final: Saori Yoshida.

One of the best wrestlers in history, the 13-time world champion Japanese star was pursuing her fourth gold medal in the Olympics, but Maroulis had the perfect strategy to upset Yoshida and become the first American woman to win a gold medal in wrestling.

“I’m stepping on the mat and I don’t even know how this is gonna get done. I don’t know,” Maroulis said after the win. “I’m just gonna trust, and I’m just gonna give my all. I want to be proud of myself knowing that I gave my all and I didn’t give too much respect to my opponent. At the end of it, I was like ‘really? I just did this? Oh my gosh.’”

Maroulis started working with her coach Valentin Kalika focusing on beating the dominant Japanese wrestler. For two years all she did was study her tapes and techniques, and the win came on the biggest stage possible.

The recipe was simple, Maroulis explains: stop looking for perfection everywhere and start believing in yourself.

“If I lose but I gave it my all, I can be proud of that, but I don’t wanna lose because I was scared,” she said. “I always say I just wanna be free from the fear. I’m free from fear. I’m enough. And I just feel free to go out there.

”I didn’t think about the gold medal. I kind of forgot that I was wrestling for a gold medal. I just dreamed about this match so much that I was just wrestling her, and then when I was done with it I was ‘oh and I get a gold medal now’. Cool.

“I tried really hard not to dream about the future because it’s not how you get things done, but I had a feeling I’m gonna cry because a) I know I’m a crier, and b) this was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done mentally, physically, emotionally.”

The first woman to win a gold medal in wrestling for the United States hopes that her perfect trip to Rio de Janeiro changes the landscape of the sport without the need to make a transition to mixed martial arts (MMA) to show how effective it can be.

“I hope this just catapults women’s wrestling,” Maroulis said. “I’ve always said I don’t wanna jump into MMA just to make wrestling popular. I think wrestling can be popular. I really think it can grow. I hope now, with this gold medal, that girls see that there’s a sport for them.”