Sarah Hildebrandt, Olympic wrestling champion, retires to become national team assistant coach
Sarah Hildebrandt is retiring after winning Olympic gold to become a USA Wrestling national team assistant coach.
'I have had a really long career and I've gotten the experience of what wrestling has taught me,' Hildebrandt, 31, said in a press release. 'It has made me so passionate about what this sport can do for people. If I can bring a passion and energy in support of their journey, kind of a door handle to open up their own adventure, that is exciting to me. Wrestling has given me so much. The sport has taught me everything about myself and helped me grow as a woman.'
In Paris, Hildebrandt became the fourth U.S. woman to win Olympic wrestling gold, one day after teammate Amit Elor became the third.
Helen Maroulis (Rio 2016) and Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Tokyo 2020) previously won Olympic titles.
Hildebrandt also won Olympic bronze in Tokyo, plus four world championships silver or bronze medals.
'It is not just what she has done; it is how she has done it,' national team coach Terry Steiner said in a press release. 'She has been through everything. She was a kid who couldn't make the national team and struggled. She made the world team and struggled. She got hurt. It was then that she realized things, took a pause and changed. Because of her experiences, there is not a person on our national team and around our program that doesn't respect her. The respect is not just about her accomplishment in Paris; it is how she re-invented herself to become a great champion and a great human being. She will become a great coach.'
Nick Zaccardi,
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