53 kg W - AUGUST 18 Can someone beat Yoshida? The winningest wrestler in history,
Japan superstar Saori Yoshida, enters as the favorite at 53 kg. Yoshida has won three Olympic gold medals, and along- side teammate Kaori Icho, seeks to be the first four-time Olympic champion ever in wrestling. Add in her record 13 World Championships golds, and her combined 16 World and Olympic titles makes her one of the greatest athletes in history. Yoshida wrestled her Senior-level career at 55 kg, and chose to drop to 53 kg when the Olympic weights for women increased, but 55 kg became a non- Olympic weight. She has won both World gold medals in her new weight class. She has suffered a recent loss and her matches are getting closer. Many young challengers want to be the one to beat Yoshida when it counts most. American Helen Maroulis could be the one to stop the streak. A 2015 World champion at 55 kg, Maroulis boasts three World medals, with a 2012 World silver and 2014 World bronze. She has not lost a match since the 2014 Worlds, and has an extended winning streak. When Maroulis is winning, she is scoring points in bunches. Yoshida beat her in the 2012 World finals. 2009 World champion and six-time World medalist Sofia Mattsson of
Sweden is another favorite. Mattsson lost to Yoshida in the last two World Championships finals. Mattsson has numerous European titles and other big wins, but was unable to win a medal at either the 2008 or 2012 Olympics, some- thing she is motivated to change in Rio. Myong Suk Jong of North Korea was a 2014 and 2015 World bronze medalist. She has not entered many international events, but will be very tough at the Olympic Games. A 2015 World bronze medalist was young Odunayo Adekuoroye of Nigeria, who thrilled the crowd in Las Vegas with her victory dance after getting her bronze. She boasts a 2015 All-Africa Games gold and a 2016 African Championships gold. Canada will bring 2014 World bronze medalist Jillian Gallays to Rio. She has been on three Senior World teams and qualified for the Olympics with a win at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier. Kumari Babita of India, a 2012 World bronze medalist, qualified through the Asian Qualifier.
Isabelle Sambou of Senegal was fifth in the 2012 Olympic Games, her best international showing ever. Sambou has won the African Championships nine times.
Maria Prevolaraki of Greece won a 2012 World bronze medal and competed at the 2012 Olympic Games up at 55 kg. Another 2012 Olympian was Thi Lua Nguyen of Vietnam, who was fifth at the 2009 World Championships. Two-time Asian champion Xuechun Zhong of China qualified for Rio by plac- ing fifth at the 2015 Worlds. 2016 Asian champion Pang Qianyu of China was fifth at the 2015 World Championships at 55 kg, but came down to 53 kg this year. 2006 and 2007 World bronze medalist
Natalia Sinishin of Azerbaijan has dropped to 55 kg and will be their entry in Rio. Katarzyna Krawczyk of Poland won the European Olympic Qualifier, and was a 2014 World Military champion. Yulia Khavaldzhy of Ukraine won a gold medal in 2nd World Olympic Qualifier in Turkey. Others to watch in the field include Joseph Essombe-Tiako of Cameroon, Nina Hemmer of Germany and Bediha Gun of Turkey. Hemmer was a 2011 Junior World bronze medalist and a 2013 World University Games bronze medalist.
Helen Maroulis: by John Sachs. 9 USA Wrestling Rio Media Guide
HELEN MAROULIS
Residence: Huntington Beach, Calif. Club: Sunkist Kids College: Simon Fraser, Missouri Baptist High School: Marquette, Mich.; Rockville, Md. (Colonel Magruder) Born: Sept. 19, 1991
Age: 24
Past Olympics: None Past Sr. Worlds: 1st (2015), 2nd (2012), 3rd (2014), 5th (2011), 7th (2013), 8th (2008) UWW World Rank: No. 1 at 55 kg
Career Notes • 2016 U.S. Olympic Team member • 2015 World champion • 2012 World silver medalist • 2013 World bronze medalist • Three-time Junior World medalist (2011 silver, 2008 & 2010 bronze) • 2013 and 2015 World Cup champion • 2011 Pan American Games champion • Six-time U.S. Open champion • Four-time WCWA women’s college national champion
USA Age-Group: 2008 Junior Nationals champion…2007 Junior Nationals cham- pion… 2007 FILA Cadet Nationals cham- pion… College: Attended Simon Fraser Univ., where she is coached by Mike Jones… Previously at Missouri Baptist Univ., where she was coached by Brian Jackson… 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 WCWA women’s national champion… High School: Spent her senior year at Marquette High School with USOEC pro- gram at NMU… Sixth in the Maryland state meet for Magruder High School… Awards: Three-time U.S. Open Outstanding Wrestler (2012, 2014, 2015) Personal: Daughter of John and Paula Maroulis… Note: One of eight international leaders for the United World Wrestling Super 8 women’s wrestling campaign…
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