As American wrestler Amit Elor reflected on winning an Olympic gold medal, she still felt like that young girl just starting out in wrestling.
Maybe that’s because she hasn’t been away from those early days for long.
At just 20 years old, Elor defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 on Tuesday in the 68-kilogram final at the Paris Games, becoming the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in U.S. history, for both men and women.
“I’m still in disbelief,” she said. “I think I have a little bit of impostor syndrome.”
Elor’s dominance was clear to her opponents. She had a 31-2 advantage over four matches and was not scored upon in her last three contests.
She became the third American woman to win gold, after Helen Maroulis in 2016 and Tamyra Mensah-Stock in 2021. Women’s wrestling was added to the Olympics in 2004.
After her win, she wrapped the U.S. flag around her and skipped around the mat.
“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 her success came from not overthinking.
“Often when we feel like we need to rise for an occasion, we think we need to make changes and adjustments,” she said.
“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.”
Elor was already a two-time world champion, first winning at age 18. Now, the Northern California native looks forward to possibly winning 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 to compete in my own state, is incredible,” she said. “I have been excited for that ever since I heard about it.”
