Amit Elor named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare

Amit Elor (Walnut Creek, Calif./Titan Mercury WC (TMWC)/NYC RTC) has been named the USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare, on August 7, 2024.

Elor, the 20-year-old prodigy from the United States, made history by winning a gold medal in the 68 kg women’s freestyle wrestling at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on Tuesday. She becomes the youngest American wrestler, regardless of gender or discipline, to achieve this feat.

In the finals on Tuesday night, Elor dominated 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan in a 3-0 victory. All her points were scored in the first period: she scored on a counter takedown and added another point when Zhumanazarova failed to score after being put on the shot clock. Despite continuing to press the action in the second period, no further points were scored.

Elor’s journey to gold was marked by three impressive victories. On Monday, she defeated 2023 World champion Buse Cavusoglu Tosun of Turkey 10-2, shut out Wiktoria Choluj of Poland 8-0 in the quarterfinals, and secured a 10-0 technical fall over Sol Gum Pak of North Korea in the semifinals.

Entering her first Olympics, Elor had already won two Senior World gold medals at 72 kg. Her 2022 World title made her the youngest U.S. Senior World champion at just 18 years old. Now, at 20, she surpasses Kyle Snyder, who won a 2016 Olympic gold medal at 97 kg in men’s freestyle at the same age.

Elor has maintained an undefeated mark at the Senior level since her debut in 2022, boasting a 28-0 record. Including all age-group competitions, she has an 83-match win streak, with her last loss occurring at the 2019 U17 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, where she won a bronze medal. Throughout her career, Elor has claimed eight UWW World titles: three at the U20 level, two at the U23 level, and one at the U17 level.

To nominate a wrestler for this honor please email the athlete's name, wrestling program, weekly accomplishments, and career accolades to communications@usawrestling.org.