By Sean Hurd
espnW.com
Olympic wrestler Helen Maroulis, 25, made history in Rio, where she became the first American to win a gold medal in women's wrestling -- a feat that she admits she never thought would happen.

To secure the Olympic hardware, Maroulis had to take down Saori Yoshida, a 13-time world champion who had won the previous three Olympic gold medals in the event.

Maroulis is analytical and calculative, scrutinizing every decision she makes with an efficient precision. She also has been undefeated on the mat since 2014. Her career hasn't always been a smooth transition, though, from losing the 2012 Olympic trials by a point, to changing her lifestyle to make the 53-kg Olympic weight class. Maroulis' uphill battle over the past four years just to reach the Olympic title fight has been nothing short of a humbling triumph.

espnW spoke with Maroulis about her journey to Rio, life after making history and staying mentally strong.

espnW: Have you been anywhere near a mat since returning home?

Helen Maroulis: When I came back I just wanted to stay in shape and keep working out, so I would try to lift every other day, run sprints or at least go on walks. I was planning on competing in November, but these last couple of weeks I've just been getting kind of run down and I said I have to look at this from a four-year period and not jump back into this; take my time and take a break. I did get on the mat in Greece. I didn't practice, but I ran a warm-up for a kid's club.

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