Helen Maroulis becomes first American woman to win wrestling gold

Maryland native Helen Maroulis became the first American woman to win a gold medal in Olympic wrestling Thursday,

Helen Maroulis became the first American woman to a win a gold medal in wrestling on Thursday.

Maroulis, 24, defeated three-time defending gold medalist Saori Yoshida for first place in the 53kg division of women’s freestyle at the Rio Olympics. 

The 33-year-old Yoshida, competing for Japan, is a 13-time world champion in the sport. She had not lost a match since the 2012 games in London. 

Tears of JOY for @helen_maroulis! #USA #GOLD pic.twitter.com/JHqaPAznZz

— NBC Sports Bet (@NBCSportsBet) August 18, 2016

Maroulis, a native of Maryland, also won a world title in 2015. She is only the third person to defeat Yoshida.