Amit Elor becomes the youngest USA wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal
20-year-old Olympic wrestler Amit Elor made history at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France this week.
Elor, from California, won the 68kg freestyle wrestling Olympic Gold Medal match against Meerim Zhumanazarova (Kyrgyzstan) on Tuesday. She became the youngest American to earn an Olympic wrestling gold medal, a title previously held by Kyle Snyder.
Elor earned another dominant win in the gold medal match against Zhumanazarova, earning a 3-0 victory. She was visibly emotional while celebrating with her longtime coach, former UFC fighter Sara McMann, on the mats.
“I just couldn’t believe that I became an Olympic champion,” Elor said in her post-event interview. “This has been my dream for my whole entire life. It’s hard to believe. It’s such a full circle moment. For me, the past few months, especially after I made the Olympic team, I received so many messages from younger girls telling me I was their inspiration.
“I really hope that they can chase after their dreams just like I did and they won’t give up either.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Former UFC standout Sara McMann coaches Amit Elor to a gold medal
Elor controls the second period. No points are scored, and Elor wins, 3-0.
Amit Elor of @TeamUSA is OLYMPIC CHAMPION, the youngest in USA history.#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/Bp4TGdLJ0w
— USA Wrestling (@USAWrestling) August 6, 2024
Before the Paris Olympics, Elor earned gold medals at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships in Belgrade. She became the youngest world champion wrestler in USA Wrestling history in Sept. 2022.
In Elor’s first four Olympic wrestling matches before winning the gold medal, she outscored her opponents 31-2. Her teammate, Sarah Hildebrandt, will compete for an Olympic gold medal on Wednesday.
Elor’s coach, McMann, became the first American woman to medal at the Olympics at the 2004 Athens Games. McMann hasn’t fought since an October loss to Leah McCourt at Bellator 300.
As of this writing, it’s uncertain if Elor has an interest in competing in MMA in the future, but she’d be a welcomed prospect with an elite grappling skillset.
Elor’s victory is a welcomed positive story after a controversial start to the Olympic games.
