United World Wrestling’s 2022 Ranking Series tournaments concluded last weekend with their final destination: the Zouhaier Sghaier in Tunis, Tunisia. Though the brackets were small, talented wrestlers traveled from five different continents to compete for prestigious Ranking Series points. Germany, Tunisia, India, and the United States sent particularly solid squads, though India’s pair of champions and seven total medals was enough to secure them the team title. 

America’s Olympic medalists return to international scene, Maroulis upset 

When three of USA’s returning Olympic medalists were announced on the registration for the Zouhaier Sghaier, domestic and international fans alike expected them to clean up. And for the most part they did: Tamyra Mensah-Stock proved herself as good as ever, annihilating her opponents with a combined 30-0 score and less than six minutes of total mat time. Though she didn’t experience the competitive rigor that she’ll face at Worlds, her unquestionable dominance should make American fans feel very confident. 

Sarah Hildebrandt’s second international outing of the year was nearly as dominant as her first (the Pan-Am Championships, where she didn’t give up a single point). In Tunisia, she earned a 10-0 victory by fall in the quarters, a 5-2 win in the semifinals, and an 11-0 tech over Emily Shilson, who had a really solid tournament herself en route to the finals. Hildebrandt’s only hiccup was an unexpectedly close bout against India’s 2017 Cadet World Bronze medalist Neelam. Neelam led 2-1 for much of the second period until Hildebrandt was able to crack the match open in the final minute. Though closer than expected, Hildebrandt was still able to pull out a convincing win. 

The talk of the tournament, however, was Helen Maroulis’ shocking upset to Turkey’s U23 European Champion Elvira Kamaloglu. Maroulis started the day off pretty strong, pinning compatriot Amanda Martinez and defeating India’s age-level star Mansi 8-5 in the opening rounds. She seemed poised to continue her solid performance through the semifinals, leading 7-2 in the final minute, when Kamaloglu pulled off what no one expected: she scored a late takedown and was able to pull Maroulis to her back for the fall. 

Although this loss may seem concerning and out of character for Maroulis, wrestling fans shouldn’t be worried. Like any elite wrestler, Maroulis has taken unexpected losses throughout her career and bounced back better than ever; examples include her failure to medal at the Poland Open last year, as well as her surprise loss to Tetiana Omelchenko at the Kiev between winning her 2016 Olympic Gold and 2017 World title. Maroulis is still the woman to beat for gold at Worlds this year — especially with Risako Kawai out of the mix — and expect nothing less than peak form from her in Belgrade. 

Young Indian team continues to impress 

India’s investment in women’s wrestling has been made apparent time and time again this year, from team titles at the U15 and U17 Asian Championships to compelling results at the Ranking Series events. In Tunisia, 18-year-old Antim had the performance of the tournament, winning a loaded 53-kilogram bracket. She teched Dom Parrish in less than two minutes and earned calculated victories over nine-time Pan-Am medalist Luisa Valverde of Ecuador and 2022 Pan-Am Champion Karla Godinez of Canada. 

Also performing well were 2021 Junior World medalists Bipasha and Mansi, who earned silver at 72 kg and bronze at 57 kg respectively, and 2021 U23 World Bronze medalist Nisha, who was defeated only by Tamyra Mensah-Stock. Veterans Sakshi Malik at 62 kg and Sarita Mor at 59 kg also returned hardware for their country, with Mor dominating her way to gold and Malik finishing just behind with a silver medal. 

It’s becoming increasingly clear that India will become a serious factor in the global team race within the next few years. 

Makoyed caps off Senior international debut with (yet another) gold medal 

Yelena Makoyed’s last month of international wrestling has been nothing short of remarkable. The NCAA champion’s Senior overseas debut kicked off with gold medals at both the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series and the Grand Prix of Spain. To win those titles, she needed to knock off two World bronze medalists and a World champion. Her hot streak didn’t cool off once she reached into Tunisia. 

Makoyed opened her weekend with a 14-1 tech over Turkey’s Mehtap Gultekin, but fell in the second match of her pool when confronted with domestic rival Dymond Guilford. Guilford had beaten Makoyed convincingly to make the American World Team the month prior, but this match was much closer (the final score being 7-6). Because of the round-robin pool format, Makoyed’s tournament wasn’t over. She advanced to the semifinals where she pinned 2021 World bronze medalist Samar Hamza of Egypt, earning another shot at Guilford. This time, she was able to walk away with the 5-2 victory, earning her her third international title in less than 30 days. 

The level of international excellence and domestic competitiveness between these two athletes proves just how deep the USA is at heavyweight.