Walnut Creek's Amit Elor is youngest U.S. wrestler to win Olympic gold
PARIS - As she processed winning an Olympic gold medal, wrestler Amit Elor, from Walnut Creek, Calif., still felt like that little girl just starting out in the sport.
Perhaps it’s because she’s not so far removed from that point.
Elor, just 20 years old, defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 on Tuesday in the 68-kilogram final at the Paris Games to become the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in U.S. history, male or female.
"I’m still in disbelief," she said. "I think I have a little bit of impostor syndrome."
Elor’s dominance was very real to her opponents. She had a 31-2 advantage over four matches and was not scored upon in her final three contests.
She became the third American woman to win gold, following Helen Maroulis in 2016 and Tamyra Mensah-Stock in 2021. Women started wrestling at the Olympics in 2004.
After the win, she draped the U.S. flag over her back and skipped around the mat.
"It was one of the best moments in my life," she said. "I think I’m going to remember it for my entire life. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. And when I experience something like that, it just reminds me that everything is worth it. All the hard days, the grind, it’s all worth it for moments like these."
Amit Elor of Team United States (red) competes with Sol Gum Pak of Team Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (blue) during the Wrestling Women's Freestyle 68kg Semifinal on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Champs-de-Mars Arena on August 05
She said she achieved her success by choosing not to overthink.
"Often when we feel like we need to rise for an occasion, we think we need to make changes and adjustments," she said. "But the truth is, we don’t. We should always be trying our very best. Just because it’s the Olympics versus trials, we should always be giving it our all. So, that’s exactly what I did."
Elor already was a two-time world champion, first winning at age 18. Now, the Northern California native looks forward to possibly winning Olympic gold in her home state at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
"To have the opportunity to compete and represent not only my country, but my state, and to compete in my own state, is incredible," she said. "I have been excited for that ever since I heard about it."
According to the Jewish News of California, Elor is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and the daughter of Israeli immigrants. She attended JCC preschool in Contra Costa County and Pleasant Hill's College Park High School.
Her love of wrestling began when she was 4, according to the J., when she watched her older sister Ronny and older brother Orry excel in the sport. Both later became champions.
Before she headed off to Paris, Elor told KTVU that competing in the Olympics was a "dream come true."
She said her family is her biggest group of supporters and many came to Paris to watch her compete.
KTVU contributed to this report.