Olympic Champion Helen Maroulis, Amidst Brain Injury PTSD, Takes Center Stage With 5 Other Americans in UWW’s Year-End Rankings

Wrestling stars from around the world stay motivated by hopes of seeing their names among the elites at the end of each year. As 2023 rolls to an end, the global wrestling authorities have once again unveiled the current standings of wrestlers from across the world. While some familiar names are justifiably on the list, many upcoming wrestlers have also blitzed into the charts with blazing performances this year.

After battling a horrific brain injury, Olympian Helen Maroulis continues to rake up points and has once again into the top 4 in the 57kg category. The staunch mental health advocate is joined by 5 other American female wrestlers who firmly establish the USA’s dominant position yet again.

Olympian Maroulis adds another feather to the hat

In a post on Instagram, UWW’s women’s end-of-the-year rankings have come to light. “The final women’s wrestling point-based rankings to close out the 2023 season”, reads the post and the 2019 World Champion Jacarra Winchester can be immediately seen among her peers in the first image. Winchester won a silver at this year’s World Championships and is leading the pack in the 55kg category. On the other hand, Sarah Hildebrandt is the third name on the 50 kg list.

NLWC member Jennifer Page-Rogers is also the fourth name on UWW’s list in the 59kg class. While there are no American female wrestlers in the 62kg division, the 2023 World Championships silver medalist Macey Kilty is the third-ranking name in the 65kg category. The final wrestler from the USA on the list is Amit Elor. However, Helen Maroulis is probably the most significant on the list.

Helen Maroulis won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 53kg category and has three World Champion golds under her belt. While Maroulis hasn’t made it to the top 3, her very presence on the list of the 57kg weight class is a marvel given the injury trauma she faced in 2018.

A long way back to the top

Helen Maroulis’ injury was a massive blow to her career on the mat. She was the first woman from the USA to win the Olympic freestyle wrestling gold in Rio 2016. Only two years after that, a traumatic head injury during a tournament in India ‘changed her personality’. What was initially believed to be just a broken nose, was quickly diagnosed as a severe brain injury that left Maroulis diagnosed with PTSD. But she wrestled past it bravely.

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“I wired myself from a young age to push through everything…the new lesson was like, you can’t keep doing this this way, you have to actually learn how to listen to your body and like, be balanced and take care of yourself..”, said Helen Maroulis in an interview after the experience. With all her grit, she stands tall against all the odds.

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