Athletes to Watch: Helen Maroulis Harry How via Getty Images In 2016, Helen Maroulis became the first American woman to win a gold medal in wrestling. She did so by defeating the three-time defending Olympic champion and 13-time reigning world champion, Saori Yoshida of Japan. Maroulis got into the sport because her brother needed a training partner. She followed up her Rio performance with a world title in 2017 (she also is a 2015 world champion), but has had a series of injuries slow her progress – she suffered a concussion in January 2018, then a shoulder injury that required surgery in the fall of that year. Though she will miss the 2019 World Championships as a result, she says she is still feeling confident for 2020. Visit Helen's Team USA profile Athlete Info Sport Wrestling Height 5'3" Weight 116 Date of Birth September 19, 1991 Hometown Rockville, MD Current Residence Hoboken, NJ Trivia During high school, many opposing coaches would have whomever was slated to wrestle Helen forfeit the match, at times to sabotage. This fueled Helen to get better and her coach urged her to go to the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Grow your Olympic knowledge SportsEngine Spotlight: Chloe Kim The 2022 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony kicks off February 3rd, and SportsEngine is spotlighting eight of the reigning and emerging stars for Team USA. Karate Explained Featuring Sakura Kokumai Join Rutledge Wood as he gets a crash-course lesson in Kata, one of the forms of Karate that will be in the Olympics for the first time Olympic Minute: Maame Biney What keeps short-track speed skater focused during a race? Find out in this edition of Olympic Minute. RowToTokyo: Liam Corrigan Liam Corrigan talks about the pressures that come along with it being an Olympic year, and his aspirations of making it to the games. Steven Harrington’s Wild Wild West in Los Angeles Steven uses imagery and art to showcase his love of Los Angeles and what it represents to him. ‘The Important Thing’ Simone Biles’ Mom Wants Her Daughter to Know Before the Paris Olympics Nellie Biles shares the advice she gives her daughter - and how she supports her on the good days and not-so-good days. View More sports in this article Wrestling tags in this article 2020 Summer Olympics Athletes to Watch Fan SportsEngine