USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt claimed the gold medal in the women’s 50 kg freestyle wrestling event at the Paris Olympics by defeating Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez. Hildebrandt’s victory marks a significant achievement, particularly after her bronze finish in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she fell short in the semifinals.
Originally, Bharat’s Vinesh Phogat was slated to compete for the gold medal against Hildebrandt. However, in a shocking turn of events, Vinesh was disqualified from the women’s 50 kg wrestling event for failing to meet the required weight mark, dashing Bharat’s hopes for a gold medal in wrestling.
Following her disqualification, Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling on Thursday, marking an emotional end to her career. Notably, she had advanced to the finals by defeating Lopez in the semifinals just two days earlier.
After securing her victory, Hildebrandt turned to the crowd and jubilantly exclaimed, “I just won the Olympics!” as quoted by Olympics.com. This triumph also adds to the USA’s success in women’s wrestling at the Paris Olympics, following Amit Elor’s gold medal in the 68 kg category earlier in the week.
Reflecting on her win and the growth of women’s wrestling, Hildebrandt said, “This victory speaks volumes about the dedication of our athletes, coaches, and supporters. The investment in women’s sports is evident in talents like Amit Elor, who, despite being so young, is incredibly skilled and confident. It’s inspiring, and that energy feeds into all of us, even those like me who are 10 years older. The environment is thriving, and our belief in ourselves continues to grow.”
In the bronze medal matches, Susaki Yui of Japan secured a dominant 10-0 victory over Ukraine’s Oksana Livach in match A, while China’s Feng Ziqi defeated Mongolia’s Otgonjargal Dolgorjav with a score of 6-0 in match B.
Bharat’s performance at the Paris Olympics so far includes three bronze medals, all from shooting events. Despite several close calls, India missed out on additional podium finishes, narrowly placing fourth in the 10m air rifle, 25m pistol, skeet team, badminton singles, and mixed archery team events.
