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 Motivation, Inspiration, and Love Illustrate Gabby Douglas’ LA28 Logo Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas explains how her LA28 'A' illustrates motivation, inspiration and love. Hallie Clarke Becomes Youngest World Champion in Skeleton After Switch From USA Hallie Clarke became the first teenager to win a world championship in skeleton, doing so less than a year after switching from the U.S. back to Canada. Olympic Minute: Maame Biney What keeps short-track speed skater focused during a race? Find out in this edition of Olympic Minute. Para-Athlete Ezra French and His Quest for the LA28 Olympic Games Para-athletics athlete Ezra Frech shares what the LA28 games mean to him and what went into creating his LA28 'A' logo Meet Bing Dwen Dwen: the Mascot for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games Meet the mascot representing the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Inclusion in Los Angeles and Its Effect on Chloe Kim Chloe explains her love of Los Angeles' inclusive feel. View More sports in this article Wrestling tags in this article 2020 Summer Olympics Athletes to Watch Fan SportsEngine