- Helen Maroulis of the United States looks to become the first American women’s wrestler to win three Olympic medals
- Tsugumi Sakurai of Japan is the betting favorite at 57kg. She is a three-time gold medalist at the World Championships
- The women’s 57kg freestyle wrestling competition begins on August 8, with medal matches on August 9
Helen Maroulis’s goal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, is to win a second gold medal in freestlyle wrestling. If she wins any medal, Maroulis will become the first American woman to win three Olympic medals in wrestling. She won gold in 2016 at 53kg and bronze in 2020 at 57kg. The 32-year-old is one of the betting favorites to place first in 2024.
One wrestler who could stand in Maroulis’s way in Paris is the 22-year-old Tsugumi Sakurai of Japan. Competing in her first Olympic games, Sakurai is a three-time world champion. Winning that title in 2021 at 55kg and then again in 2022 and 2023 at 57kg.
The reigning gold medalist at 57kg in women’s freestyle wrestling, Risako Kawai, who also won gold in 2016 at 63kg for Japan, will not compete for Japan in 2024.
Before we examine the betting odds, picks, and predictions for the women’s 57kg wrestling competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics, check out our tips for betting on the 2024 Paris Olympics and get all of our Olympic Betting Picks.
Women’s Freestyle Wrestling 57kg betting picks
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Tsugumi Sakurai
At 22, Tsugumi Sakurai has become a dominant force in women’s freestyle wrestling, racking up three world championships prior to her first attempt at picking up an Olympic medal. Sakurai is an incredibly patient wrestler. She doesn’t force things. She likes to tie up her opponent on the feet with a two-on-one and use that to get the takedown. Her strength when tying up her foe prevents her opponents from generating much offense. To succeed against Sakurai, one needs to create time and space, which has proven to be extremely difficult over the past few years, at least on a consistent basis.
Helen Maroulis
The first woman to win an Olympic gold medal for America in freestyle wrestling, Helen Maroulis, has competed in 11 Senior World Championships. Beside her Olympic medals, the 32-year-old has three golds, two silvers and two bronze medals in world championship competition. She picked up a bronze medal in 2023 at the World Championships after losing to Sakurai 6-0 in the semifinals.
Maroulis is an active wrestler on offense. She pressures and pushes the pace. Due to her experience and approach, Maroulis is excellent at making adjustments. However, she might be slowing down as she gets older. Don’t be surprised if Maroulis makes a deep run in Paris thanks for her well-rounded offense and defense.
Anastasia Nichita
The silver medalist to Sakurai at the 2023 World Championship, Anastasia Nichita was a gold medal winner at 59kg at the 2022 Worlds. The 25-year-old represents Moldova at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Nichita has an unorthodox style that frustrates her opponents as she is able to come out on top during most of her scrambles, even when she seems to be in a precarious position. Sakurai dealt with that by not giving her time and space, but there were still some points in their match where Nichita looked like she could have scored some points. Her loss to Sakurai will be a learning experience for her and could make for an interesting matchup if they face off in Paris.
Best Bets 2024 Women’s Olympic Wrestling – 57kg
Tsugumi Sakurai’s style has proved to be a problem against the best women wrestlers in the world. Her ability to remove time and space, while being comfortable in tight-scoring matches gives her an edge over her competition. The betting pick is for Tsugumi Sakurai’ to win the gold medal in Paris in women’s freestyle wrestling at 57kg.
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