Chicago – August 07, 2024
Amit Elor looked exasperated as she walked to the edge of the mat Tuesday night, her mouth agape, her shoulders shrugged.
The moment she’d been dreaming about for her entire life was here, and she didn’t really know what to do. Wave at the crowd? Collapse on the ground? Before long, her coach handed her an American flag and she started skipping in circles around the mat.
“I’m still in disbelief,” Elor said shortly thereafter.
The 20-year-old might have been the only one at Champs-de-Mar Arena who was surprised that she won. She crushed her latest opponent in the 68-kilogram weight class at the 2024 Paris Olympics − Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan − just like she has crushed almost everyone else who has stepped onto the mat with her over the past four-plus years.
