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Each Vinesh and Susaki had been in disbelief after the ultimate whistle. Vinesh, thumping the mat after which laying flat with tears in her eyes, was maybe amazed how the almighty scripted her story — from the career-threatening harm at Rio 2016, from the protest on the streets to a transparent path to the rostrum, from getting dragged on the highway to taking down the unbeaten, from rehab room put up surgical procedure only a 12 months in the past to sparring periods, from one weight class to a different.
Robust life, however she wrestled on.
The primary response on Susaki’s face after the defeat was like she did not know what it means when the referee raises the opponent’s hand. She had by no means skilled that on the finish of a world match she fought in her profession earlier than dealing with Vinesh in Paris.
However that was that. A 3-2 win. Vinesh progressed, then beat Ukraine’s former European champion Oksana Livach within the quarters and Pan American Video games champion Yusneylis Lopez Guzman of Cuba within the semis to change into the primary Indian feminine wrestler to achieve an Olympic remaining.
Medal confirmed, however greater than that, an opportunity to change into the primary Indian girl to win a person Olympic gold medal now simply six minutes away.
A comfort for Susaki as nicely. Vinesh reaching the ultimate made the Japanese alive for repechage and bronze.
The one particular person on this planet who can now cease Vinesh from changing into an Olympic gold medallist is Sarah Hildebrandt — her American opponent within the remaining, with a powerful document.
WHO IS SARAH ANN HLDEBRANDT
The 30-year-old Sarah, a bronze medallist from Tokyo Video games and four-times World Champoinships medallist, made her worldwide debut in 2013 within the 55kg weight class and went on to win the primary of her seven Pan American Championships gold as a 19-year-old — after taking on the game impressed by her two brothers who had been additionally wrestlers.
Sarah selecting to wrestle was in opposition to the want of her mother and father, who eventully got here to phrases together with her determination after insistence by her center faculty that wrote to them about their daughter’s abilities in wrestling, in response to data obtainable on the Paris Olympics web site.
Such was her build-up that her mom would find yourself being her sparring associate throughout observe periods.
“After I began wrestling, my mum would come over to observe practices with simply me and my coach and I might find yourself wrestling her. This candy girl let me beat her up at 5:30 within the morning, for the sake of my enchancment,” Sarah, who’s the reigning Pan American champion apart from being the bronze medallist from the 2023 Budapest World Championships, is talked about as saying on the Paris 2024 web site.
Through the years since arriving on the worldwide mat 11 years in the past, Sarah has switched from 55kg to 53kg, after which to her present weight division, 50kg.
SARAH’S ROAD TO THE FINAL
She started her Paris journey with a powerful 10-0 victory by technical superiority in opposition to Ibtissem Doudou of Algeria.
Sarah adopted that up with a 7-4 overcome China’s 2023 World Championships bronze medallist Feng Ziqi within the quarters.
Within the semis, she defeated the 2023 World Championships silver medallist Otgonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia with a cushty 5-0 win.
SARAH’S WRESTLING RITUALS AND THE FLASH CARDS
Earlier than taking the mat in a match, Sarah’s favorite music is the AC/DC band, together with her walkout quantity being the tremendous hit tune ‘Thunderstruck’.
Sarah, who trains on the US Olympic and Paralympic Coaching Heart in Colorado, has an attention-grabbing ritual in the case of finding out her opponents — she makes flash playing cards.
“I actually make flash playing cards on opponents like I am at school, simply type of research them when I’m within the sauna, and stuff like that,” she informed FloWrestling earlier than arriving to Paris.
“Simply going over issues like what their first tie is, which means do I need to circle, their strikes that could be frequent, some no-no’s at my finish, like ‘let’s not even try this’…It simply type of retains you recent as a result of I would like my wrestling to be the principle star after I step on the mat, the principle factor I’m centered on.
“Clearly I’m going to come back ready. There are issues particularly that I’m going to do and never going to do in opposition to individuals. So simply have an thought like let’s circle proper after the whistle, or they’re gonna do that after the whistle…simply having these concepts behind your thoughts,” she added.
“When stuff begins rolling, it simply comes naturally.”
On Wednesday, it will not be the largest match of the profession for less than Vinesh. Sarah, too, will probably be competing to win her first ever Olympic gold.
It’ll be a contest.
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