Women’s freestyle wrestling was adopted as a sport during the 2004 Athens Olympics. Ranking the top-five U.S. Olympic teams is straightforward since there have been only five teams. The 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympics offered four weight classes before expanding to six in 2016. Below is a breakdown of the top five teams based on results, body of work, impact, and historical significance.
5. 2012 London
Clarissa Chun was the lone medalist, but winning her bronze medal match was significant for her future. After losing by fall to Ukraine’s Iryna Merleni during the 2008 Olympics and finishing fifth, Chun turned the tables in 2012 with a 1-0, 3-0 win against Merleni to take bronze. Chun became a face for women’s wrestling and is currently the head women’s freestyle coach at the University of Iowa following a successful career at USA Wrestling. Elena Pirozhkova finished 14th but won a gold medal at the 2012 World Championships a few weeks later.
Weight | Name | Result
48 kg | Clarissa Chun | Bronze
55 kg | Kelsey Campbell | 17th
63 kg | Elena Pirozhkova | 14th
72 kg | Ali Bernard | 13th
4. 2008 Beijing
Randi Miller won bronze, while Chun and Ali Bernard competed in bronze medal matches. Miller posted two wins after falling to Japan’s 14-time World champion Kaori Icho in the quarterfinals. Chun, Miller (Texas Woman’s), and Bernard (Augsburg) are head college coaches. Marcie Van Dusen led Menlo for two seasons and is the current head women’s coach at Titan Mercury Wrestling Club.
Weight | Name | Result
48 kg | Clarissa Chun | 5th
55 kg | Marcie Van Dusen | 9th
63 kg | Randi Miller | Bronze
72 kg | Ali Bernard | 5th
3. 2016 Rio
The United States qualified four of six weights, but Helen Maroulis’ gold medal shone brightly. No American woman had accomplished this feat before the Rio Olympics. Maroulis won the 2015 Las Vegas World Championships at 55 kg, but Japan’s Saori Yoshida, a 16-time World/Olympic champion, was the favorite in the finals. Maroulis executed a tactical 4-1 masterpiece over Yoshida to make history. Elena Pirozhkova was in a bronze medal match, while three-time World champion Adeline Gray (eventual six-time champ) fell in the quarters and finished seventh.
Weight | Name | Result
48 kg | Haley Augello | 9th
53 kg | Helen Maroulis | Gold
58 kg | Did Not Qualify | DNQ
63 kg | Elena Pirozhkova | 5th
69 kg | Did Not Qualify | DNQ
75 kg | Adeline Gray | 7th
Maroulis’ gold medal at the 2016 Olympics was a monumental moment for women’s wrestling.
2. 2004 Athens
The first U.S. women’s freestyle Olympic team will always have a special place in wrestling. In 2003, the Americans won seven medals out of seven weights at the World Championships but finished second to Japan on criteria. A few weeks later, the same team knocked off Japan in Japan at the World Cup. Patricia Miranda won bronze, becoming the first American woman to medal at the Olympics. Sara McMann won silver, becoming the first American woman to reach the finals at the Olympics. Tela O’Donnell (6th) and Toccara Montgomery (7th) rounded out the inaugural four-member team.
Weight | Name | Result
48 kg | Patricia Miranda | Bronze
55 kg | Tela O’Donnell | 6th
63 kg | Sara McMann | Silver
72 kg | Toccara Montgomery | 7th
1. 2020 Tokyo
This is the undisputed best U.S. Olympic team so far. The United States was represented at all six weights and brought home four medals. Tamyra Mensah-Stock won gold, Adeline Gray won silver, and Sarah Hildebrandt and Helen Maroulis won bronze. Maroulis became the first American woman to win multiple medals at the Olympics, and Mensah-Stock became the first Black woman to win the Olympics in women’s freestyle wrestling. Every member has won multiple World and Olympic medals.
Weight | Name | Result
50 kg | Sarah Hildebrandt | Bronze
53 kg | Jacarra Winchester | 5th
57 kg | Helen Maroulis | Bronze
62 kg | Kayla Miracle | 12th
68 kg | Tamyra Mensah-Stock | Gold
76 kg | Adeline Gray | Silver
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