Hildebrandt Smiles On the Way to Olympic Gold Medal

Three years ago, Sarah Hildebrandt was in the 50 kg women’s freestyle semifinals at the Olympic Games and was thrown to her back on a desperation move while less than :20 seconds away from a berth in the gold medal match. 

Fast forward to Tuesday evening in Paris. She was in a similar position, against Otgonjargal Dolgorjav, in the Olympic semifinals against an opponent that had beaten her in each of the last two years. Holding a 5-0 against a desperate, dangerous foe like Dolgorjav, Hildebrandt drastically changed her tactics. No, not some special secret move. It was her attitude towards the competition. 

As the final seconds ticked off the clock Hildebrandt let out a huge smile. In her post-match interview with NBC, Hildebrandt said, “Wrestlers in particular, we make this sport so serious, it can be miserable sometimes, it’s already such a hard sport, but I love this sport, I said I’m going to enjoy every second of it, I’m going to smile and take in every moment in this week. And I think I did that.”

It was all smiles Wednesday evening as Hildebrandt finished the job and won an Olympic gold medal with a 3-0 shutout of Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez. 

Not only did Hildebrandt do the customary lap with the Stars and Stripes, but she also did a lap around the walkway of the Champ de Mars Arena to find her family and friends. Gigantic hugs and tears ensued. 

But it didn’t take long for her smile to return during the NBC interview. About a month and a half away from her 31st birthday, Sarah Hildebrandt was an Olympic champion. 

Wrestling is a sport that continually evolves with the younger generation getting better and better and pushing the established stars for a spot in the limelight. Just over 24 hours ago, Amit Elor became the youngest American to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling. She won’t turn 21 until New Year’s Day. One of the legendary figures of American wrestling, six-time world champion Adeline Gray was beaten in the Olympic Trials finals by 20-year-old Kennedy Blades. 

There’s a feeling around the sport that if you don’t win it all by a certain point, you’ll never do so. 

After the 2020 Olympics, in 2021, Hildebrandt may have been at a crossroads. By that point, she had an Olympic bronze medal and a world silver medal. That’s an excellent career. Maybe it's the right time to walk away, especially after a crushing loss in the Olympic semifinals. 

Looking at the rest of the 50 kg weight class, maybe that world or Olympic title would never come. 22-year-old Yui Susaki (Japan) had just captured Olympic gold, which was already her third World/Olympic title. Again, it didn’t appear as if any sort of gold medal was in the cards. 

If Hildebrandt had serious reservations about her career path in 2021, she didn’t take long to make the decision to continue on her journey through this crazy wrestling world. Later that year, she picked up a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships. A pair of bronze medals followed at the next two - leading into the Olympic year. 

It may have been difficult for outsiders to see or believe, but as she was approaching her 30th birthday, Hildebrandt was still improving. That was on full display over the last two days in Paris. She had to get by a pair of wrestlers with world-level credentials in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Each win was incredible and impressive in its own way. 

Hildebrandt’s short offense has always been strong. It was a huge factor in both matches. At 50 kgs, her long frame presented problems for the opposition. She appeared to use that length advantage better than ever and kept some high-quality women from getting close to scoring.  

In the gold medal match, Hildebrandt showed off some early defense, stuffing a Guzman Lopez double-leg attempt. Later in the period, she hit a sweep single, one that most opponents probably know is coming, but can’t stop. Guzman Lopez was no exception. 

The final match wasn’t necessarily an offensive display, but it didn’t need to be. Hildebrandt did what she needed to do to establish a lead and kept Guzman Lopez at bay. With just over :30 seconds left in the bout, the Cuban finally got to Hildebrandt’s leg; however, Hildebrandt calmly fought it off and never really was in any danger. 

After that flurry, it was “milk the clock” time as Hildebrandt circled, kept position, and probably tried not to let out a smile too, too early. 

After the final whistle sounded, it was the entire American wrestling community who was smiling along with Hildebrandt. A day earlier, we had saluted her young teammate through yet another gold medal-winning performance. It’s fun cheering for someone who hasn’t lost in five years. Still, it brings out a different sort of smile when you see a veteran who has done everything but climb to the top of the podium, finally do so, and do it in the biggest possible moment, while showing the very best version of herself.