The United States entered the Senior Women's World Championships for the first time in 1989. Since that time there have been 38 women who have combined for 93 World and Olympic medals, including 10 women who have won a total of 23 World/Olympic titles. 

Women's wrestling entered the Olympic Programme in 2004. In 2016, Helen Maroulis became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal and in 2021 she became the first American to win multiple Olympic medals (gold, bronze). In 1992, Tricia Saunders became the first American to win a World title. 

Five U.S. wrestlers comprised the inaugural 1989 World Championship team: Marie Ziegler, Afstoon Johnston, Asia DeWeese, Janet Trussell, and Leia Kawaii.

"I was entering my senior year of high school and had just turned 16," Johnston said. "I came from a powerhouse of a high school wrestling program with Dave Chaid being the head coach and his son, Dan, being an NCAA champion. I was so into wrestling that I had posters of wrestlers on my wall. Wrestlers were my heroes and I had them up on my wall. 

"All of a sudden, I went from competing at a boys' high school wrestling tournament to the World Championships on the next mat to these guys whose pictures I had on my wall. That’s how strange it was. I went from high school level to the World level. 

"There were only a handful of women who were at that level of wrestling. There were girls who were coming out (for wrestling) but they were very novice or just learning the basics. There was a handful of us who had been trained and knew how to wrestle. On the U.S team, at that time, you only had one wrestler per weight who was at that level — and there was no depth. I was surprised when we went to the World Championships and saw the high level of other countries because I didn’t know that existed in the United States.

"It went from nothing one day to the World Championships. It was going from high school to the Worlds. It was truly the beginning."

Below is a complete list of every woman who has won a medal at the Senior World Championships or Olympic Games. 

Afsoon Johnston

1989 Worlds - bronze

1990 Worlds - silver

Asia DeWeese

1989 Worlds - silver

Leia Kawaii

1989 Worlds - silver

Marie Ziegler

1990 Worlds - silver

1991 Worlds - silver

Shannon Williams

1991 Worlds - silver

1993 Worlds - silver

1994 Worlds - silver

1997 Worlds - silver

Tricia Saunders

1992 Worlds - gold

1993 Worlds - silver

1996 Worlds - gold

1998 Worlds - gold

1999 Worlds - gold

Margaret LeGates

1994 Worlds - silver

Vickie Zummo

1995 Worlds - bronze

Jackie Berube

1996 Worlds - silver

Kristie Davis

1996 Worlds - silver

1997 Worlds - silver

1998 Worlds - silver

1999 Worlds - silver

2000 Worlds - gold

2002 Worlds - bronze

2003 Worlds - gold

2006 Worlds - bronze

2007 Worlds - silver

Sandra Bacher

1997 Worlds - silver

1998 Worlds - bronze

1999 Worlds - gold

Patricia Miranda

2000 Worlds - silver

2003 Worlds - silver

2004 Olympics - bronze

2006 Worlds - bronze

Stephanie Murata

2001 Worlds - silver

Toccara Montgomery

2001 Worlds - silver

2003 Worlds - silver

Tina George

2002 Worlds - silver

2003 Worlds - silver

Jenny Wong

2003 Worlds - bronze

Sally Roberts

2003 Worlds - bronze

2005 Worlds - bronze

Sara McMann

2003 Worlds - silver

2004 Olympics - silver

2005 Worlds - bronze

2007 Worlds - bronze

Katie Cygan

2005 Worlds - bronze

2007 Worlds - bronze

Iris Smith

2005 Worlds - gold

Randi Miller

2008 Olympic - bronze

Tatiana Padilla

2008 Worlds - bronze

2010 Worlds - bronze

Elena Pirozhkova

2010 Worlds - silver

2012 Worlds - gold

2013 Worlds - bronze

2014 Worlds - silver

Adeline Gray

2011 Worlds - bronze

2012 Worlds - gold

2013 Worlds - bronze

2014 Worlds - gold

2015 Worlds - gold

2018 Worlds - gold

2019 Worlds - gold

2020 Olympics - silver

2021 Worlds - gold

Ali Bernard

2011 Worlds - bronze

Clarissa Chun

2008 Worlds - gold

2012 Olympics - bronze

Helen Maroulis

2012 Worlds - silver

2014 Worlds - bronze

2015 Worlds - gold

2016 Olympics - gold

2017 Worlds - gold

2020 Olympics - bronze

2021 Worlds - gold

Alyssa Lampe

2012 Worlds - bronze

2013 Worlds - bronze

Leigh Jaynes

2015 Worlds - bronze

Becka Leathers

2017 Worlds - bronze

Alli Ragan

2016 Worlds - silver

2017 Worlds - silver

Sarah Hildebrandt

2018 Worlds - silver

2020 Olympics - bronze

2021 Worlds - silver

Mallory Velte

2018 Worlds - bronze

Tamyra Mensah-Stock

2018 Worlds - bronze

2019 Worlds - gold

2020 Olympics - gold

2021 Worlds - bronze

Jacarra Winchester

2019 Worlds - gold

Jenna Burkert

2021 Worlds - bronze

Kayla Miracle

2021 Worlds - silver

Forrest Molinari

2021 Worlds - bronze