Amit Elor claims gold to make U.S. Olympic wrestling history

PARIS — As she processed winning an Olympic gold medal, American wrestler Amit Elor still felt like that little girl just starting out in the sport.

Perhaps it’s because she’s not so far removed from that point.

Elor, just 20 years old, defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 on Tuesday in the 68-kilogram final at the Paris Games to become the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in U.S. history, male or female.

“I’m still in disbelief,” said Elor, who is from Walnut Creek, Calif. “I think I have a little bit of impostor syndrome.”

Elor’s dominance was very real to her opponents. She had a 31-2 advantage over four matches and was not scored upon in her final three contests.

She became the third American woman to win gold, following Helen Maroulis in 2016 and Tamyra Mensah-Stock in 2021. Women started wrestling at the Olympics in 2004.

After the win, she draped the U.S. flag over her back and skipped around the mat.

“It was one of the best moments in my life,” she said. “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.”

She said she achieved her success by choosing not to overthink.

“Often when we feel like we need to rise for an occasion, we think we need to make changes and adjustments,” she said. “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 winning at age 18. Now, the Northern California native looks forward to possibly winning Olympic gold in her home state at the 2028 Los Angeles 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 said. “I have been excited for that ever since I heard about it.”