PARIS, France — U.S. wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt headed into her second Olympics determined to improve on her bronze at the Tokyo Games and came away with a gold medal on Wednesday.
Hildebrandt, who lives and trains in Colorado Springs, was already one of the most decorated athletes in women’s wrestling, with several golds from the Pan American games.
She was the favorite to come away with more hardware in Paris, and she delivered with a 3-0 win over Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, of Cuba, in the gold medal final for women's freestyle at 50 kg.
For a while, Hildebrandt thought she wouldn't even have a gold medal match.
Vinesh Phogat of India appeared to reach the finals of the 50-kilogram category after three wins on Tuesday. But United World Wrestling, the sport’s governing body, disqualified her after she barely missed weight on Wednesday morning.
Measures such as cutting Phogat’s hair weren’t enough to shed the necessary weight. Team India said Phogat was 100 grams — about a fifth of a pound — over the weight limit.
Hildebrandt originally thought she had won gold by forfeit. Instead, Guzman Lopez, who had lost to Phogat in a semifinal, was moved up from a bronze medal match.
“There was a lot of celebrating," Hildebrandt said. "It was very strange. ‘Oh my God, I just won the Olympics.’ And then an hour later, it was like, psych, you did not win the Olympics. I was like, ‘Oh, this is very weird.’ So there had to be a reset.”
Hildebrandt's training schedule at the U.S. Olympic Training Center leading up to the Games had her wrestling her brother. She told 9NEWS' Matt Renoux that training with her brother, who wrestled for Central Michigan and Penn State, meant more time to focus on what she needed going into the Paris Games.
"He’s here for me," she said. "The other girls in the room have themselves to get ready for. I can do all the reps. I can focus on my problems so selfishly. It’s beneficial."
She said she was focused on the physical and mental side of wrestling.
"I think those details are what separates a bronze and gold medal because everyone works hard, but how comfortable are you up here when it’s you up against another person for a gold medal," she said.
Her gold medal was Team USA's second of these Olympics after another wrestler with Colorado ties, Amit Elor, became the youngest American wrestler ever to stand atop the Olympic podium.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
> Watch Sarah Hildebrandt's gold medal final:
