As she digested her Olympic gold medal, American wrestler Amit Elor still felt like that little girl who was just starting out in the sport. Maybe that’s because she’s not that far from that point.
Elor, just 20, defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 in the 68kg final at the Paris Games on Tuesday to become the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in U.S. history, male or female. The victory extended Elor’s winning streak to 41, a streak that stretches back five years.
“I still can’t believe it,” she said. “I think I’m suffering a little bit from imposter syndrome.”
Elor’s dominance was very real to her opponents, holding a 31-2 lead through four games and not scoring in her 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 the victory, she draped the American flag over her back and hopped around on 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 everything is worth it. All those hard days, the grind, it’s all worth it for moments like this.”
She said she achieved her success by choosing not to think about it too much.
“A lot of times when we feel like we have to rise to the occasion, we think we have to make changes and adjustments,” she said. “But the truth is, we don’t. We always have to do our very best. Just because it’s the Olympics versus trials, we always have to do our very best. So that’s exactly what I did.”
Elor was already a two-time world champion, winning her first at age 18. Now the Northern California native is looking forward to potentially winning Olympic gold in her home state at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“To have the opportunity to compete and not only represent my country, but my state, and compete in my home state, is incredible,” she said. “I’ve been excited about it ever since I heard about it.”