American wrestler Amit Elor defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova and became the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medallist in US history on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old defeated 3-0 in the 68-kilogram weight final at the Paris Olympics, becoming the third American to win a gold medal after Helen Maroulis and Tamyra Mensah-Stock.
Following her victory, Elor was so surprised that she started skipping in circles around the mat while holding the American flag in hand, USA Today reported.
"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 added. "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."
Besides her latest victory against Zhumanazarova on Tuesday, the athlete from Walnut Creek, California, has also achieved 41 consecutive wins at the international level since 2019.
Over four matches, the Walnut Creek, California, native outscored her opponents 31-2. And in her first two bouts, against reigning world champion Buse Tosun of Turkey and Wiktoria Choluj of Poland.
In total, Elor has achieved one Olympic gold medal and eight world championships in three different age divisions — including senior, under-23, and under-20 titles, each in the span of two years.
Speaking to the sources, Elor’s coach, Sara McMann, praised the athlete in a post-match conversation.
"She's going to break all the records," her coach, Sara McMann, said afterward. "I knew that before she even won her first senior championship."
Earlier this summer, Elor’s mother commented on her daughter’s unreal capabilities.
“She feels almost unreal to us, you know?" Elor's mother, Elana, said earlier this summer. "She’s amazing."
“It doesn’t feel almost real, because you just go from one thing to another,” Elana added. "And yesterday she was 4 years old, like 'I want to wrestle' and I’m doing everything I can to convince her not to because it’s a boys’ sport."
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