Maroulis to go for women’s freestyle gold, Taylor, Golston, Nette for bronze in UWW Ranking Event in Hungary
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
BUDAPEST, Hungary – 2016 Olympic champion Helen Maroulis will go for a gold medal at 57 kg in women’s freestyle at the Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial Ranking Event on Friday night.
Maroulis, a three-time Olympic medalist and three-time World champion, will battle 2024 U17 World champion Neha of India in the gold-medal match.
Maroulis opened with a pin over American Amanda Martinez in 2:03. Maroulis had defeated Martinez in Final X in June to make the 2025 U.S. Senior World team. She followed with a 7-0 decision over 2020 Olympic silver medalist and two-time World medalist Iryna Kurachkina, representing UWW. Maroulis crushed Tamara Dollak of Hungary in the semifinals, scoring a takedown and multiple turns before turning her with an arm bar to secure the pin in 2:17.
Three U.S. women’s freestylers have reached bronze medal matches, Erin Golston (50 kg), Felicity Taylor (53 kg) and Abigail Nette (59 kg).
Taylor, who will compete for the USA in the 2025 Senior World Championships, opened with a razor-close 8-7 victory over 2025 Asian bronze medalist Zeinep Bayanova of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Taylor was defeated by 2024 Olympian Antim of India, 10-0. She will face 2024 Olympian Zeynep Yetgil of Turkiye in the bronze-medal bout.
Golston was defeated in her first match by 2024 Olympian Evin Demirhan of Turkiye, 8-0. When Demirhan reached the finals, Golston was pulled into repechage, where she won her match by injury default. Her bronze-medal opponent is 2025 U23 European champion Natalia Pudova of UWW.
Nette fell in her opening bout to 2024 World bronze medalist Elena Brugger of Germany, 8-2. Nette, who competed in the 2022 Senior World Championships, will battle 2025 European champion Anastasiia Sidelnikova of UWW.
Two U.S. athletes were eliminated, 2025 Senior World Team member Audrey Jimenez (50 kg) and Amanda Martinez (57 kg).
The finals will be held at 5:00 p.m. local time in Budapest, which is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone.
The event will be broadcast live by FloWrestling, with results on UWW Arena.
POLYAK IMRE & VARGA JANOS MEMORIAL RANKING SERIES EVENT
At Budapest, Hungary, July 18
Women’s freestyle finals pairings
50 kg - Elizabeta Smirnova (UWW) vs. Evin Demirhan (Turkiye)
53 kg - Natalia Malysheva (UWW) vs. Antim (India)
57 kg - Helen Maroulis (USA) vs. Neha (India)
59 kg - Elena Brugger (Germany) vs. Erika Bognar (Hungary)
72 kg - Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) vs. Harshita (India)
Women’s freestyle semifinals
50 kg
Elizabeta Smirnova (UWW) pin Kseniy Stankevich (UWW), 1:48
Evin Demirhan (Turkiye) pin Natalia Pudova (UWW), 1:56
53 kg
Natalia Malysheva (UWW) dec. Seoyoung Park (Korea), 5-4
Antim (India) tech fall Felicity Taylor (USA), 10-0, 5:51
57 kg
Helen Maroulis (USA) pin Tamara Dollak (Hungary), 2:17
Neha (India) dec. Roza Szenttamasi (Hungary), 8-4
59 kg
Elena Brugger (Germany) tech fall Anastasiia Sidelnikova (UWW), 11-0, 5:31
Erika Bognar (Hungary) dec. Nazeya Bulanaya (UWW), 5-1
72 kg
Round robin
Kseniia Burakova (UWW) dec. Kristina Bratchikova (UWW), 6-3
Harshita (India) disq. Pauline LeCarpentier (France), 4:06
Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) tech fall Kristina Bratchikova (UWW), 11-1, 4:49
Harshita (India) pin Kseniia Burakova (UWW), 5:18
Kristina Bratchikova (UWW) disq. Pauline LeCarpentier (France)
Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) dec. Kseniia Burakova (UWW), 10-2
Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) disq. Pauline LeCarpentier (France)
Harshita (India) inj. dft. Kristina Bratchikova (UWW)
Kseniia Burakova (UWW) disq. Pauline LeCarpentier (France)
U.S. Women's freestyle results
50 kg – Audrey Jimenez (Tempe, Ariz./Lehigh Valley WC/Titan Mercury WC), eliminated
LOSS Priyanshi Prajapat (India), 3-0
50 kg – Erin Golston (Denton, Texas/New York AC), going for bronze
LOSS Evin Demirhan (Turkiye), 8-0
WIN Priyashi Prajapat (India), inj. dft. 0:02
Bronze bout – Vs. Natalia Pudova (UWW)
53 kg – Felicity Taylor (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC), going for bronze
VS Zeinep Bayanova (Kazakhstan), 8-7
LOSS Antim (India), tech fall, 10-0, 5:51
Bronze bout – Vs. Zeynep Yetgil (Turkiye)
57 kg – Helen Maroulis (Rockville, Md./Titan Mercury WC), going for gold
WIN Amanda Martinez (United States), pin 2:03
WIN Iryna Kurachkina (UWW), 7-0
WIN Tamara Dollak (Hungary), pin, 2:17
Gold medal – Vs. Neha (India)
57 kg – Amanda Martinez (Riverside, Ill./Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC), eliminated
LOSS Helen Maroulis (United States), pin 2:03
LOSS Iryna Kurachkina (UWW), pin 5:50
59 kg – Abigail Nette (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP), going for bronze
LOSS Elena Brugger (Germany), 8-2Bronze Bout - Anastasiia Sidelnikova (UWW),
