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Sarah Hildebrandt gives Team USA second wrestling gold medal after wild day
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- Sarah Hildebrandt gives Team USA second wrestling gold medal after wild day
PARIS — For about an hour Wednesday morning, Sarah Hildebrandt thought she had won an Olympic gold medal without even having to step back out on the mat. Family members picked up some champagne and pastries. Friends texted congratulations. She shared tears of joy with her brother and training partner, Drew.
Then, Hildebrandt said, she got a call telling her it wasn't done. She needed to be ready to wrestle.
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"They're like 'bring your shoes,' " she said. "My family's bringing over champagne, meanwhile."
This was just part of the chaos that preceded Hildebrandt's win in the 50-kilogram final at Champ-de-Mars Arena − which, despite some initial confusion, did end up taking place after all Wednesday night. After her initial opponent failed to make weight, Hildebrandt instead defeated Yusneylys Guzmán of Cuba, 3-0, to give Team USA its second wrestling gold medal in as many nights at the 2024 Paris Olympics .
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It is the 30-year-old's first senior title at the Olympics or world championships – the gold medal she's been chasing after disappointment in Tokyo.
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It also came after what she described as the craziest tournament final she's ever experienced. And that includes a final that was delayed 30 minutes because the power went out.
"I was preparing for chaos," she said, "but that was not on my bingo card of chaos."
Here's the full story: Hildebrandt's original opponent, Vinesh Phogat of India, failed to make weight Wednesday morning despite taking drastic weight-loss measures overnight, going so far as to even cut off much of her hair. The Indian Olympic Association said she nevertheless missed the 50-kilogram cutoff, albeit by just 100 grams, which is about 0.22 pounds.
Hildebrandt said her weigh-in was at 7:15 a.m. local time and, when Phogat didn't show, she started to suspect something was up. Then she heard that Phogat had been disqualified but had no idea what happened now. Had she just won the Olympic gold by forfeit? Would someone else step in?
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Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the United States reacts after defeating Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba in the women’s freestyle 50kg gold medal match during the Paris Olympics at Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris on Aug 7, 2024.
"It was kind of awkward," Drew Hildebrandt said. "We'd walk into a room and someone would be like 'congratulations!' And we're like, 'Not yet, we haven't technically won.' "
Then, at some point in the early morning, Sarah Hildebrandt said she started receiving word that she "100%" would be awarded the gold by forfeit. The celebrations began.
"We were even crying and stuff, thinking we won," Drew said. "It was crazy."
Hildebrandt declined to name the people who told her she didn't need to wrestle one more match to take home gold. ("I was getting it from multiple sources," she said.) But those sources, it turns out, were wrong. So she took a nap, woke up and tried to reset.
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"It was like a fever dream, like it never even happened," she joked.
Hildebrandt's gold gave the U.S. women's wrestling team as many Olympic gold medalists in 48 hours (two) as it had in its first five trips to the Games. Amit Elor also won her Olympic final , one day before Hildebrandt.
For the Granger, Indiana, native, winning gold meant redemption after Tokyo, where she had been a strong contender to win gold but missed out on the final in devastating fashion . Hildebrandt had a two-point lead with just 12 seconds left in her semifinal bout against Sun Yanan of China, but a late step out of bounds and takedown doomed her to a loss.
In the years since, she has established herself as one of the best wrestlers in the world in her weight class. She went on to win a bronze medal at those Tokyo Olympics. Then silver at the subsequent world championships. Then another bronze, at worlds. Then another − almost always on the podium, but off to one side, as another country's national anthem blared through the speakers.
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On Wednesday night, however, Hildebrandt wasn't one of the best. She was the best. And the Olympic gold medal draped around her neck was the proof.
"I think all of it has been – it's just crazy," she said.
After thinking she'd won gold, then not, then actually winning gold, Hildebrandt said she was just excited to celebrate with her family — for real this time.
None of it went according to plan. But even after all the chaos, Hildebrandt said, she was happy she got a chance to earn her gold medal with a victory on the mat Wednesday night, as opposed to winning it by default.
"Oh yeah, no, it would've been weird (to win by forfeit)," she said. "I'm still glad we got to wrestle."
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sarah Hildebrandt wins Paris Olympics gold for Team USA in wrestling
