While she was winning a Olympic gold medalAmerican wrestler Amit Elor still felt like that little girl starting out in the sport.
Maybe it’s because it’s not that far from that point.
Elor, just 20, beat Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 on Tuesday in the 68-kilogram final at the Paris Games become the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in U.S. history, male or female.
“I still can’t believe it,” she said. “I think I have a little bit of imposter syndrome.”
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Elor’s dominance was very real for its opponents. It led 31-2 over four games and was not penalized in its last three games.
She became the third American woman to win gold, following Helen Maroulis in 2016 and Tamyra Mensah-Stock in 2021. Women began wrestling at the Olympics in 2004.
After her victory, she draped the American flag over her back and jumped onto the mat.
“It was one of the best moments of my life,” she said. “I think I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. And when I experience something like that, it reminds me that it’s all worth it. All the hard days, the hard work, it’s all worth it for moments like these.”
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She said she succeeded by choosing not to think too much.
“A lot of times when you feel like you’re going to step up for an occasion, you think you have to make changes and adjustments,” she said. “But in reality, that’s not the case. We should always do our best. Even if it’s the Olympics instead of the trials, we should always give it our all. That’s exactly what I did.”
Elor is already a two-time world champion, her first victory at age 18. Now, the Northern California native may be hoping to win 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 compete in my own state, it’s amazing,” she said. “I’ve been looking forward to it since I heard about it.”
