American wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt breaks through to win Olympic gold after falling short in 2020

Sarah Hildebrandt has been one of the United States’ most consistent women’s wrestlers for the past decade, but on Wednesday she finally broke through to capture an Olympic gold medal.

Following a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo that ultimately led to her winning a bronze medal, Hildebrandt returned in 2024 with a renewed motivation to make it to the top of the podium. She realized that dream following a shutout 3-0 win over Yusneylis Guzman Lopez from Cuba to win her gold medal.

“I love this sport,” Hildebrandt said after the win. “It’s so much fun. I’m going to smile as much as I can. I think I did a great job of that this week.”

Known for her signature smile after matches, Hildebrandt’s exuberance after her victory was undeniable as she became the second member of the United States wrestling team to win gold after 20-year-old Amit Elor was the first on Tuesday at 68kg.

The championship run was a bit of a whirlwind for Hildebrandt starting on Wednesday morning after she got word that her original opponent Vinesh Vinesh from India failed to make weight, which disqualified her from the tournament. Per Olympic rules, Lopez was pulled back into the gold medal match because she lost to Vinesh in the semifinals.

In 2023 at the Pan-Am Championships, Hildebrandt dominated Guzman with a 10-0 victory, winning by technical superiority in less than two minutes.

This time around, Hildebrandt didn’t get quite the same lopsided win, but she brimmed with confidence as she shut down Guzman and scored the only takedown of the match early in the opening period. Hildebrandt’s third point came from a passivity call on Guzman after she failed to engage and the referee put her on the clock to score or face a penalty.

In the end, Hildebrandt got the win 3-0 and immediately celebrated with a raucous group of supporters in the crowd, many of whom traveled from her home state of Indiana to be with her in Paris.

Already one of the most decorated women’s wrestlers from the United States, Hildebrandt now owns an Olympic gold to go along with her bronze from 2020 and four medals in the World Championships.