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| Event type

Featherweight, Freestyle (≤53 kg), Women

Date18 August 2016
StatusOlympic
LocationArena Carioca 2, Parque Olímpico da Barra, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro
Participants19 from 19 countries
FormatSingle elimination tournament. Competitors losing to the finalists entered repechage tournament for bronze medals.

The most successful wrestler of all time, Japanese superstar Saori Yoshida, entered the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as the three-time Olympic champion and 13-time World champion. Having wrestled her entire senior career at 55 kg, Yoshida chose to drop to 53 kg when the Olympic weights for women changed. She also won World titles at the lower weight following its introduction o the Worlds in 2014.

Also dropping to the lower weight class was American Helen Maroulis, the 2015 World champion at 55 kg. She also won a World silver in 2012 and bronze in 2014, which was the last time she had been beaten. However, she was struggling to make the lower weight the entire year, but never gave up on her plan to stop the Yoshida machine. With the exception of Yoshida, Maroulis had beaten everyone else in the field, and was looking to take down the Japanese star, avenging her loss to her in the 2012 World Championships final, when she was pinned in four minutes.

Also in contention for a medal was a very motivated two-time Olympian (2008, 2012), the 2009 World champion (51 kg) and six-time World medalist Sofia Mattsson of Sweden, who lost to Yoshida in the last two World Championship finals, and had a recent loss to Maroulis.

En-route to the gold medal match Maroulis pinned World No.2 Mattsson in one semi-final, while Yoshida destroyed Betzabeth Argüello of Venezuela in the other.

The titanic showdown had so much on the line with Yoshida, a massive celebrity in Japan, as the reigning World champion at 53 kg; Maroulis was the reigning World champion at 55 kg. More importantly, Maroulis was seeking the first gold medal in women’s wrestling for the USA, while Yoshida was trying to become the second wrestler to ever win four Olympic gold medals, one day after her teammate Kaori Icho became the first.

In the gold medal match, Yoshida scored first, then the younger, stronger, confident and patient Maroulis, who had studied Yoshida for the past four years, scored a takedown on a twisting move, and took a 4-1 lead to capture the gold medal.

Azerbaijan’s Nataliya Sinişin won one bronze beating Argüello. In the other bronze bout, while Mattsson pinned China’s Zhong Xuechun 32 seconds into the match making her the second Swede to earn a bronze medal in Olympic wrestling, after fellow teammate Jenny Fransson took home the nation’s first ever women’s Olympic wrestling medal (69 kg) the day before.

PosCompetitorNOCCPVFSTTPTPR
1Helen MaroulisUSA1912416Gold
2Saori YoshidaJPN1000204Silver
=3Nataliya SinişinAZE60065Bronze
=3Sofia MattssonSWE13202411Bronze
=5Betzabeth ArgüelloVEN9101511
=5Zhong XuechunCHN10012223
7Jong Myong-SukPRK10023012
8Isabelle SambouSEN510513
9Katarzyna KrawczykPOL4001116
10Maria PrevolarakiGRE40087
11Yuliya KhavaldzhyUKR200223
12Erdenechimegiin SumyaaMGL10068
13Babita PhogatIND10015
14Nina HemmerGER10016
15Nguyễn Thị LụaVIE0005
=16Joseph EssombeCMR0008
=16Odunayo AdekuoroyeNGR0008
18Bediha GünTUR00010
19Jillian GallaysCAN00011

Round One

Date18 August 2016
FormatWinner of each match advanced to round two. Losers to eventual finalists advanced to repêchage round one.
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #118 AugSaori YoshidaJPN
Match #218 AugNataliya SinişinAZE
Match #318 AugIsabelle SambouSEN
Match #418 AugNguyễn Thị LụaVIE
Match #518 AugMaria PrevolarakiGRE
Match #618 AugBabita PhogatIND
Match #718 AugBetzabeth ArgüelloVEN
Match #818 AugJoseph EssombeCMR
Match #918 AugSofia MattssonSWE
Match #1018 AugOdunayo AdekuoroyeNGR
Match #1118 AugKatarzyna KrawczykPOL
Match #1218 AugErdenechimegiin SumyaaMGL
Match #1318 AugBediha GünTUR
Match #1418 Aug 10:00Mat AJong Myong-SukPRKGreat superiority by shutoutJillian GallaysCAN
Match #1518 Aug 10:07Mat AHelen MaroulisUSATechnical superiorityYuliya KhavaldzhyUKR
Match #1618 Aug 10:16Mat AZhong XuechunCHNDecisionNina HemmerGER

Round Two

Date18 August 2016
FormatWinner of each match advanced to quarter-finals. Losers to eventual finalists advanced to repêchage round one.
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #118 Aug 10:25Mat ASaori YoshidaJPNDecision by shutoutNataliya SinişinAZE
Match #218 Aug 10:35Mat AIsabelle SambouSENFallNguyễn Thị LụaVIE
Match #318 Aug 10:43Mat AMaria PrevolarakiGREDecisionBabita PhogatIND
Match #418 Aug 10:54Mat ABetzabeth ArgüelloVENFallJoseph EssombeCMR
Match #518 Aug 11:02Mat ASofia MattssonSWEFallOdunayo AdekuoroyeNGR
Match #618 Aug 11:08Mat AKatarzyna KrawczykPOLDecisionErdenechimegiin SumyaaMGL
Match #718 Aug 11:18Mat AJong Myong-SukPRKGreat superiority by shutoutBediha GünTUR
Match #818 Aug 11:26Mat AHelen MaroulisUSAGreat superiority by shutoutZhong XuechunCHN

Quarter-Finals

Date18 August 2016
FormatWinner of each match advanced to semi-finals. Losers to eventual finalists advanced to repêchage round two.
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #118 Aug 11:38Mat ASaori YoshidaJPNDecision by shutoutIsabelle SambouSEN
Match #218 Aug 11:38Mat BBetzabeth ArgüelloVENDecisionMaria PrevolarakiGRE
Match #318 Aug 11:53Mat ASofia MattssonSWEDecisionKatarzyna KrawczykPOL
Match #418 Aug 11:53Mat BHelen MaroulisUSADecisionJong Myong-SukPRK

Semi-Finals

Date18 August 2016
FormatWinner of each match advanced to final. Losers advanced to repêchage final.
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #118 Aug 12:50Mat ASaori YoshidaJPNDecision by shutoutBetzabeth ArgüelloVEN
Match #218 Aug 12:50Mat BHelen MaroulisUSAFallSofia MattssonSWE

Repêchage Round One

Date18 August 2016
FormatWinner of each match advanced to repêchage round two.
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #118 AugNataliya SinişinAZE
Match #218 Aug 16:00Mat BZhong XuechunCHNTechnical superiorityYuliya KhavaldzhyUKR

Repêchage Round Two

Date18 August 2016
FormatWinner of each match advanced to repêchage final.
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #118 Aug 16:24Mat BNataliya SinişinAZEDecision by shutoutIsabelle SambouSEN
Match #218 Aug 16:35Mat BZhong XuechunCHNDecisionJong Myong-SukPRK

Repêchage Final

Date18 August 2016
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #118 Aug 17:01Mat BNataliya SinişinAZEDecisionBetzabeth ArgüelloVEN
Match #218 Aug 17:14Mat BSofia MattssonSWEFallZhong XuechunCHN

Final Round

Date18 August 2016
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match 1/218 Aug 17:20Mat BHelen MaroulisUSADecisionSaori YoshidaJPN