Princess Khulan – the Mongolian wrestler

In the yurts of Mongolia, the story of Princess Khutulun, who defeated every man in the ring, is still told today. But for Khulan, only one thing counts: she wants to become a wrestler.

The documentary follows Khulan as she ventures the first major step from the safety of the steppe into the cold world of high-performance sports. She travels to Japan for the "Saori Yoshida Cup." Here, her childhood dream clashes with brutal reality. To compete in her weight class, she must lose weight in a very short time. The camera does not look away when playful competition turns into bitter seriousness: we see a hungry, exhausted child fighting the scales and yet not giving up.

In Japan, it becomes clear what Khulan is truly made of. She fights her way through the tournament, but in the final, she has to admit defeat. Instead of gold, there is silver and tears. But it is precisely in this moment that the parallel to the ancient legend becomes clearest—not through invincibility, but through her will. Khulan wipes away the tears and carries on. She is the modern version of the warrior princess: a little girl ready to give everything for her dream of the Olympics, setbacks included.