2016 Olympic gold medalist and wrestling champion Helen Maroulis chatted with Greek-American journalist Markos Papdatos about her historic win at Rio de Janeiro, and she offered advice for wrestling hopefuls.
On August 18, she bested three-time defending Olympic gold medalist Saori Yoshida in the 53 kg division of Women’s freestyle wrestling at Rio de Janeiro, thus making her the first American female wrestler to win first place in the sport. “That felt amazing. It was incredible and it was really surreal,” Maroulis said, on her Olympic gold medal win.
A Maryland native, Maroulis noted that she is motivated primarily by “glorifying God.” While reflecting on the last three years, she admitted that she sees a “lot of growth, a lot of tears, a lot of changes but a lot of joy as well.” “I really don’t see what the medal looks like or being on the podium, it’s really those certain quiet moments, the struggles and the practice,” she said. “Also, the happy times such as traveling to places and the people that have loved me for who I was. I am really thankful that my life is a journey through the sport of wrestling, since that is what I love to do.”
In the little spare time that Maroulis has, she enjoys reading, going to the movies and hanging out with her family.
While she is not perfectly fluent in the Greek language, she has made it her New Year’s resolution to become fluent. “I love the Greek-American community. It’s nice. My dad and I are going to eat some Greek food today, so that is always fun.”
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