Glorious Achievement: An Astonishing Turn of Events – The Comeback of  Wins Women’s 50kg Freestyle Wrestling Gold for the USA


Sarah Hildebrandt celebrates after winning gold in the women's freestyle wrestling 50kg class in Paris, on August 7.

Sarah Hildebrandt celebrates after winning gold in the women’s freestyle wrestling 50kg class in Paris, on August 7.
Sarah Stier/Getty Images

The USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt won gold in the women’s freestyle wrestling 50kg class with a 3-0 victory over Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzmán.

Hildebrandt had originally been scheduled to fight Vinesh Phogat in the final, but the Indian wrestler sensationally failed to make weight earlier on Wednesday, meaning Guzmán – who had lost to Phogat – was moved up into the gold medal bout.

It’s fair to say Hildebrandt couldn’t believe what she had done.

“Oh my gosh I just won the FREAKING OLYMPICS hahahahah DUUUUDE,” she wrote on X.

The bronze medals went to Japan’s Yui Susaki, who had never before tasted defeat until her stunning loss to Phogat, and Feng Ziqi of China.