Former Olympic and world wrestling champion Helen Maroulis is set to compete at the 2024 No-Gi Worlds at blue belt.
Read about Helen’s new passion for Jiu-Jitsu training below and the sandbagging controversy with her competing at blue belt.
Who is Helen Maroulis?
Helen Maroulis is one of the most decorated women in the history of wrestling. Some of her impressive accolades include.
3x Olympic Medalist(1 Gold & 2 Bronze Medals)
3x World Champion
2x Pan American Champion
World Cup Champion
From Helen’s impressive resume, she’s easily one of the best wrestlers to ever compete in Jiu-Jitsu.
Maroulis and Her Passion For Jiu-Jitsu
Since accomplishing everything possible in the sport of wrestling, Helen has made the transition to Jiu-Jitsu. The former Olympic champion has been training consistently at Unity Jiu-Jitsu under former world champion Murilo Santana.
Maroulis has become passionate about Jiu-Jitsu and has set big goals for herself in the future. This includes entering the blue belt division at the 2024 No-Gi World Championship.
The Sandbagging Claims Debunked
When it was announced that Helen Maroulis was going to compete at blue belt, the news was met with backlash. Many in the BJJ community think that it’s absurd that a multi-time Olympic wrestling champion is competing at blue belt.
They believe that this is a clear case of sandbagging and that Maroulis has an unfair advantage. This was the same complaint that people made when it was announced that Pat Downey was competing at blue belt.
I admit that Helen has a huge advantage against blue belts, but this isn’t her fault. She is going by the official IBJJF rules.
Under the official IBJJF rules, a competitor cannot compete above their belt rank. Her instructor has her at blue belt, so she must compete at blue belt level.
If you think it’s unfair that Maroulis is competing at blue belt, you should take your complaint up with the IBJJF.
More Eyes On No-Gi Worlds
Despite how some might feel about Helen Maroulis competing at blue belt, there’s a positive with the situation. Her participation in the No-Gi world championship is going to put more eyes on the event.
We’ll all be watching intently to see how the Olympic champion performs in her first Jiu-Jitsu tournament.
Bobby is martial artist for almost 20 years with a BJJ black belt under Professor Sergio Miranda. He is also a karate black and former combat sports athlete, who loves all things grappling.
