2016 Olympic Games

Live Rio Olympic Updates: Helen, Elena And Adeline Take The Mat

Live Rio Olympic Updates: Helen, Elena And Adeline Take The Mat

Full results and play by play commentary from the 2016 Rio Olympic Wrestling Matches for Helen Maroulis, Elena Pirozhkova, and Adeline Gray. We'll be getting started with Helen Maroulis. She will be facing Yulia Khavaldzhy (UKR) in the second match.

Aug 18, 2016 by Christian Pyles
Live Rio Olympic Updates: Helen, Elena And Adeline Take The Mat
Follow below for full results and play by play commentary from the 2016 Rio Olympic Wrestling Matches for Helen Maroulis, Elena Pirozhkova, and Adeline Gray. We'll be getting started with Helen Maroulis. She will be facing Yulia Khavaldzhy (UKR) in the second match.


Olympic Wrestling Previews:
Men's Freestyle: 57KG | 65KG | 74KG | 86KG | 97KG | 125KG
Women's Freestyle: 48KG | 53KG | 63KG | 75KG
Greco Roman: 59KG | 75KG | 85KG | 130KG

FloArena Brackets/Live Scoring | Results | 2016 Olympic Wrestling Schedule

Watch Prelims Live:
Mat A | Mat B | Mat C | Watch Finals

Medal Matches: One more weight to go, 75kg and that'll do it for the women.

Japan's women team is so dominant, four golds and a silver. Risako Kawai wins 63kg for them, and tosses her coach afterward!

Monika Michalik wins Poland's first wrestling medal of these Olympics, and the first for Polish women since Agnieszka Wieszczek in 2008.

Wow, time to come back around for Elena's bronze medal match. Pirozhkova has Yekaterina Larionova of Kazakhstan. Still no score as Larionova is on the clock. Elena picks up a shot clock point and a late go behind to lead 3-0 entering the break. Double overs for Larionova and Elena gets pinned. USA ends the day with one medal.

HELEN MAROULIS IS OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST!!! THE FIRST AMERICAN GOLD MEDALIST FOR OUR WOMEN'S PROGRAM EVER!! SHE SHOCKED THE WORLD AND UPSET THE 16x WORLD/OLYMPIC CHAMPION SAORI YOSHIDA!!

What an incredible match from Maroulis. Gets out of a headlock for the first takedown, then counters a slideby for the second takedown. She did an excellent job holding center and cutting off the mat throughout the match.

Both wrestlers look incredibly intense before the walkout. And we're off! Both wearing white shoes with red trim, Helen in Adidas and Yoshida in Asics. 50 seconds in and a passive on Yoshida. Minute 24 in and each wrestler now has a passive. Long scramble on a Yoshida shot that ends in a stalemate at 1:53. Maroulis on the clock now. Yoshida up 1-0 after the shot clock point. Yoshida took the only shot of the match on a head inside single. Head taps from Yoshida but Helen doesn't bite. Helen gets a snap down go behind for TWO! Takedown and leads 2-1. Helen is taking ground and gets a stepout! She leads 3-1 with a minute left!!! Changed to a takedown and now it's 4-1!!!

Sofia Mattsson plays no games and pins Zhong Xuechun in 30 seconds. Mattsson wins the first women's Olympic medal for Sweden. And now it's time for Helen!

Natalya Sinishin of Azerbaijan wins the first medal of the day with a 2-1 victory over Betzabeth Arguello of Venezuela. Sinishin wins the fifth Olympic medal for the Azeri women's program. We will have another bronze medal match and then Helen will be up.

Prelims: The second semifinal will be Elena Pirozhkova against No. 4 Maria Mamashuk (BLR). Elena won 4-1 over Mamashuk at the Golden Grand Prix, but Mamashuk won Euros this year up at 69kg. Mamashuk is on the clock. Elena leads 1-0 now, not a lot of action this match. And the Americans decide not to challenge as Elena lifts Mamashuk over, but they rule a takedown and Belarus leads 2-1 at the break. Elena scored twice off that drag down go behind at GGP, but was unable to finish and it costs her a stepout. 90 seconds left here and Elena needs to get to work. Mamashuk goes on the clock. Pirozhkova loses 3-2 and will wrestle for bronze later this afternoon.

The first of two American semis is coming up on Mat B, a rematch of the Golden Grand Prix finals from November. Helen Maroulis takes on Sofia Mattsson (SWE). Maroulis beat her there, but Mattsson has been silver the past three years to Yoshida. HUGE start for Maroulis! Nearly puts Mattsson on her back and gets a lace, but still leads 2-0 less than 30 seconds in off an inside trip with her right leg. Since that early flurry, Mattsson has been shutting her down, but Maroulis continues to attack. Great whizzer and arm defense by Maroulis to win the period and keep Mattsson off the scoreboard. Helen continues to work snap downs in the first minute of the second period and goes up 4-0. Beautiful counter by Helen to go up 6-0 with under a minute left! Even better she finishes off the pin! Helen Maroulis is in the Olympic finals and has gone tech, tech, 7-4 win and a pin! Great morning by Helen Maroulis. She becomes the first American in the Olympic finals since Sara McMann at 63kg in 2004 in Athens.

Another quarterfinal for the Americans, Adeline Gray taking on Vasilisa Marzaliuk of Belarus on Mat A. Adeline beat her at worlds last year and again in the Indian Pro League. Trip attempt of Marzaliuk but no score. Adeline working her usual 2-on-1 as Marzaliuk clubs her head. Marzaliuk goes on the clock. Adeline leads 1-0 but received a passive late in the period. Long scramble there as Adeline attempts a coach lock but no points. Adeline goes on the lock at the 4:35 mark. Adeline gets pushed out, but leads 1-1 on criteria. Adeline gets tipped with two seconds remaining, loses the challenge and is defeated 4-1.

Rematch of 2014 worlds, round of 16. Elena takes on defending world champ Battsetseg of Mongolia. Battsetseg picks up a passive call against her. And Elena gets the world champ on the shot clock, Soronzonbold Battsetseg is unable to score so Elena goes up 1-0. Good action there at the end, Elena's single ends up in the Mongolian's tie, but no points and the period ends 1-0. Simple snag single for Battsetseg gives her a 2-0 lead, but a great counter for Elena and she goes up 3-2! We're down to a minute left. Pirozhkova continues to down block and we have another American in the semis!

Let's go to Helen's quarterfinal match with North Korea. Jong Myong-suk has been bronze at the past two world championships. Maroulis is ranked first at 55kg and Myong-suk is ranked fifth at 53kg. Valentin not in Helen's corner for this quarter, first passive on Jong at the 0:44 mark. Solid rubber knee from Helen to fight off that single leg, into a front head position. Jong goes on the clock. Helen up 1-0 on a shot clock point, but Jong hits a go behind to take a 2-1 lead heading into the break. Low shot for Jong but it gets stalemated. Single for Helen countered by Myong-suk to take a 4-1 lead more than halfway through the second period. Looks like there is some blood on the mat. Maroulis gets a takedown off short offense and is within one. Takedown on the edge! And another one! Helen Maroulis is in the semifinals against Sofia Mattsson of Sweden, great battle there. Finishes two takedowns in the final minute both on the edge. That was some great line dancing at the end by Maroulis.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Saori Yoshida of Japan moves on to the semifinals.

All the quarterfinal matches will now be wrestled in weight class order. Mat C is closed, so they will be doing two quarters on Mat A and two quarters on Mat B for each weight. Helen will be the first up for the Americans, the second quarterfinal on Mat B.

This will be the last match before the quarterfinals. Maroulis has fourth ranked Zhong Xuechun (CHN) on Mat A. Xuechun was the Asian champ in 2014 and 2015, and won the Rio Test Event earlier this year. Helen working a front head, looking for a go behind. Ear to ear collar tie and not a lot of movement so far. Helen takes a 1-0 lead after Xuechun is unable to score while on the clock. Helen works a snap down, picks up the foot and finishes it off with a sweep for a takedown. Another takedown for Helen off a beautiful inside trip to go up 5-0. And ANOTHER takedown to finish off the period, great last minute for Maroulis. Another tech for Maroulis, she wins 10-0 as she gets another takedown and a stepout.

Taking a break from Americans for a second to watch the biggest 53kg first round match, Odunayo Adekuoroye (NGR) vs Sofia Mattsson (SWE). Similar start to their match from worlds last year, but Mattsson is able to finish her second shot. Mattoon gets a cradle but can't quite finish it off as Adekuoroye grabs her ankle, what a scramble. Mattsson leading 6-0 now. GOOD LORD! Adekuoroye shoots from space, Mattsson buys time with a whizzer, locks up a cradle and cartwheels on her face! Finishes off the fall. Man these girls are fun to watch wrestle.

Top half 75kg quarters are rock solid: Gray vs Marzaliuk and Wiehe vs Fengliu. Yikes.

Great start for the Americans with a tech and a pin, time now for Elena Pirozhkova on Mat B. Elena beat Taybe Yusein (BUL) on a foot sweep in the Golden Grand Prix finals, and we see her try that early. Both wrestlers have a passive call against them. Elena wins the 50/50 battle in a two-on-one battle and has an arm bar, but they are brought back up. Takedown for Yusein off a blast single and it's 2-2 heading into the break. Snag single on Elena's right leg and Yusein runs the pipe to take a 4-2 lead. Counter attack for Yusein but Elena goes crotch lock FOUR times to take a 10-4 lead. Yusein ends up on top to make it 10-5 but what incredible poise for Elena to keep that crotch lock. Two-on-one brings Elena down to the mat and makes it 10-7 but Elena holds on to make us 3-0 on the day.

Up next for America will be Adeline Gray. She has world No. 7 Andrea Olaya Gutierrez (COL) on Mat C. Olaya was fifth in the world last year but did not wrestle Adeline. Gray will be in red, Olaya will be in blue. Adeline tries three times to hit her snag single, no luck yet but Olaya picks up a passive. Arm drag to takedown, and Adeline finishes her off with an arm bar! Pin in 1:53 for the two-time defending world champ.

Good morning! Welcome to day five of Olympic wrestling, we'll be getting started with Helen Maroulis. She will be facing Yulia Khavaldzhy (UKR) in the second match on Mat A. Khavaldzhy is ranked 8th in the world and was bronze at this year's European championships. The Ukrainian comes out hand fighting hard, but Helen forces a takedown on the edge to take a 2-0 lead. Go behind for Helen and is almost able to lock up a cradle. CLOSE CALL THERE! Helen got headlocked but didn't expose, ref called two for Helen and the officials are conferencing. It ended up going 1 for correct throw and 1 for reversal, Helen leads 5-1 heading into the break. Khavaldzhy gets pushed out and it's 6-1. What a knee pick from Helen for 4! And a leg lace finishes it off. Great start for Maroulis, she moves on with a 12-1 tech.

Three World Champions take the mat for Team USA today in Helen Maroulis, Elena Pirozhkova and Adeline Gray.  Stay on the live updates for up to the second details on what's going on in Rio as well as when USA wrestlers will be taking the mat.