Good Counsel High School alumnus Kyle Snyder and Magruder High School alumna Helen Maroulis qualified for the 2021 Summer Olympic Games at the U.S. wrestling team trials on Saturday. Both wrestlers won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Maroulis, a 57-kilogram freestyle wrestler, defeated Jenna Burkert, 2-1, at the team trials at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Burkert is a three-time Senior World Team member and silver medalist at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Maroulis had controlled the 57-kilogram weight class after winning her gold medal in Rio in 2016 before suffering a significant concussion early in 2018. After struggling with the side effects from the concussion for months, Maroulis lost her first match in the 2018 world championships and was unsure if she would ever be able to compete again.
Overwhelmed with emotions. @helen_maroulis thought she'd never wrestle again after suffering a significant injury. She qualified for her second Olympic Games last night. #WrestlingTrials21 pic.twitter.com/onLcgurE7r
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) April 4, 2021
“There were times I thought I had to retire,” Maroulis said in a recent video interview. “But I just felt like I can’t make that final decision until Tokyo 2020.”
Snyder, a 97-kilogram wrestler, defeated fellow Ohio State graduate Kollin Moore in a 2-0 match.
The 25-year-old wrestler was the youngest American to win a gold medal in wrestling at the Olympics in 2016. Although the athlete failed to win a gold medal at the previous two world championships, he had not lost a match in his previous four tournaments leading up to Saturday’s events.
Congrats @Snyder_man45
What an accomplishment. @OLGCHS
🇺🇸 #traditionliveshere https://t.co/ESny1sZUoO— GC Athletics (@GCFalconsAD) April 4, 2021
