Helen Maroulis exclusive: "Wrestling helped me to heal"

Helen Maroulis is on a spectacular medal-winning streak.

In September, at the 2023 Wrestling World Championships in Belgrade, Maroulis won bronze in the women's 57-kilogram class — her 17th medal at a major international tournament in the last 15 years.

It's an incredible achievement for the 32-year-old American, one that is testament to her skill, character and sheer force of will - especially when you consider all that Maroulis has battled through these past four years: anxiety, post-traumatic stress (PTSD), vertigo, light sensitivity, and suicidal thoughts.

Several of these issues developed as a result of the numerous concussions Maroulis has sustained throughout her career, which would eventually push her to the brink of leaving the sport altogether.

Maroulis' battle with concussions

In 2018, at the Wrestling World Championships in Budapest, Helen Maroulis suffered a first round loss to Azerbaijan's Alyona Kolesnik. What made this defeat particularly noteworthy and sent shockwaves through the international wrestling community was the fact that at that time, Maroulis was the reigning world and Olympic wrestling champion in the women's 53-kilogram class, and a favourite to defend her title in Hungary.

Yet unbeknown to many, Maroulis had been dealing with the impact of several concussions in the build-up to and during the world championships. Between 2018 and 2019, Maroulis suffered three concussions, which led to her developing PTSD and causing her to be institutionalised for a short period in 2019.

"It really felt as if my career was over," Maroulis told Olympics.com. "When I did come back I didn't feel like the same person, or the same wrestler."

Forging her path back to wrestling

In addition to ocular and vestibular training and biofeedback therapy, Maroulis used dancing as part of her recovery process during her six-month break away from wrestling.

"I started dancing in 2017 as a way of dealing with pressure," Maroulis says. "When I became injured it really became an outlet because wrestling wasn't my therapy anymore, so I really latched on to dancing and that helped a lot.

"Dancing, like wrestling, is an activity that requires you to be 100 percent present in the moment. When you are dealing with depression or anxiety your mind can be racing, but when you're dancing you're twirling and spinning and trying to make sure you catch the next step, so during that time I don't think about my problems or anything else. It's even helped my footwork on the wrestling mat!"

Ultimately, though, the two-time Olympic medallist says that its wrestling itself that helped her come back to the sport.

"My love of the sport is what got me to come back. I was fighting to get healthy, but wrestling helped me to heal as well. Once that healing took place I realised how much I loved it and I wanted to do it [wrestling] again."

An advocate for mental health

Maroulis solidified her return to the top of the sport in 2021, first at the Tokyo Olympic Games where she won bronze in the 57-kg division (becoming the first U.S. woman to win two Olympic wrestling medals), and later at the world championships, where she secured her third world title.

"I feel like the Tokyo Olympics was the first time I felt free and healthy and like my old self," Maroulis recalls.

Earlier this year, the 160cm (5 ft 3), 57kg (126lb) powerhouse competed at her seventh world championships, winning her seventh medal by taking bronze in the 57-kg division. The podium finish brought out a sense of gratitude for the Rockville, Maryland native.

"Honestly its so surreal. I don't take any of it for granted. To be at that medal ceremony and take it all in, I can't believe I get to be here."

Maroulis also touched on how important it is for athletes to keep stock of their mental health and not let it fall to the wayside in the pursuit of their goals.

"We're all human and we're all struggling with something, and it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you.

"I'm 1000 percent more aware of my mental health; I think mental health should come before anything else. I think for athletes a lot of times mental health is the first thing they sacrifice.

"If it's not managed properly the stress and anxiety that is placed on an athlete, or that they place on thesmelves, can negatively impact their mental health. Sometimes its important to take a step back and remember that your irreplacable to everyone but yourself. You have to live with yourself and take good care of yourself."

Many of the world's top wrestlers are now competing at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, with the wrestling competition taking place from 1-4 Nov. at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico.

Maroulis has already secured a quota in the women's 57-kg class for Paris 2024 by virtue of her bronze medal at the 2023 world championships.

Should she be selected to represent the USA at the Games next year, there's no doubt that Maroulis will be among the favourites for a podium finish yet again.

• Team USA returns from 2023 World Wrestling Championships with 14 medals and seven Paris 2024 quotas
• Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.