Amit Elor, 20, makes historical past as youngest U.S. wrestler to win Olympic gold

As she processed profitable an Olympic gold medal, American wrestler Amit Elor nonetheless felt like that little lady simply beginning out within the sport.

Maybe it’s as a result of she’s not thus far faraway from that time.

Elor, simply 20 years outdated, defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 on Tuesday within the 68-kilogram last on the Paris Video games to grow to be the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in U.S. historical past, male or feminine.

“I’m still in disbelief,” she mentioned. “I think I have a little bit of impostor syndrome.”

Gold medalist Amit Elor of Team USA — Gold medalist Amit Elor of Crew USA seems emotional on the rostrum throughout the ladies’s wrestling 68-kilogram medal ceremony after profitable gold on day eleven of the Paris Olympic Video games at Champs-de-Mars Area on Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France.

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Elor’s dominance was very actual to her opponents. She had a 31-2 benefit over 4 matches and was not scored upon in her last three contests.

She grew to become the third American girl to win gold, following Helen Maroulis in 2016 and Tamyra Mensah-Inventory in 2021. Girls began wrestling on the Olympics in 2004.

After the win, she draped the U.S. flag over her again and skipped across the mat.

“It was one of the best moments in my life,” she mentioned. “I think I’m going to remember it for my entire life. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. And when I experience something like that, it just reminds me that everything is worth it. All the hard days, the grind, it’s all worth it for moments like these.”

Gold medallist Amit Elor of Crew USA, silver medallist Meerim Zhumanazarova of Crew Kyrgyzstan (L), and bronze medallists Buse Cavusoglu Tosun of Crew Turkiye and Nonoka Ozaki of Crew Japan (R), pose on the rostrum throughout the ladies’s wrestling 68-kilogram medal ceremony on day eleven of the Olympic Video games at Champs-de-Mars Area on Aug. 6, 2024 in Paris, France.

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She mentioned she achieved her success by selecting to not overthink.

“Often when we feel like we need to rise for an occasion, we think we need to make changes and adjustments,” she mentioned. “But the truth is, we don’t. We should always be trying our very best. Just because it’s the Olympics versus trials, we should always be giving it our all. So, that’s exactly what I did.”

Elor already was a two-time world champion, first profitable at age 18. Now, the Northern California native seems ahead to probably profitable Olympic gold in her residence state on the 2028 Los Angeles Video games.

“To have the opportunity to compete and represent not only my country, but my state, and to compete in my own state, is incredible,” she mentioned. “I have been excited for that ever since I heard about it.”