How Tamyra Mensah-Stock Made History At Tokyo With Her Olympic Gold In Wrestling


Tamyra Mensah-Stock made Olympic history on Wednesday when her first-place finish in wrestling made her the first Black woman to win gold in the sport.

The 28-year-old became the first U.S. Black woman to win gold in wrestling after defeating Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu 4-1 in a 68-kilogram freestyle final.

Oborodudu’s silver win also put her in the record books as Nigeria’s first-ever Olympic medal in wrestling.


“I knew I could do it,” Mensah-Stock said, according to Team USA. “I knew it would be hard. I prayed I could do it. In my wildest dreams, I knew.”

Mensah-Stock is only the second female wrestler from Team USA to win gold in the sport since it was added to the Summer Games in 2004. Helen Maroulis earned gold in 2016 in the 53-kg class.

It’s the second wrestling medal in Tokyo for Team USA women, following Adeline Gray’s silver-medal performance in the 76-kg class.





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