Hildebrandt returns to King after golden performance in Paris

BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) – Sarah Hildebrandt returned to the place where her dream of becoming an Olympic wrestler truly began to take shape on Saturday.

The King University alum returned to snap some phots and sign autographs with fans at the school’s annual KingFest celebration.

“I felt the support literally all the way from the other side of the planet,” she said of her time at the 2024 Summer Games. “Just seeing videos of the school and the support – the attention they were bringing to just the Olympics in general – it was so special.”

“So, to get to come home with a gold medal and celebrate with all of them is just so incredible.”

Hildebrandt was 4-for-4 in the women’s freestyle wrestling 50kg weight class this summer. For her efforts, she stood atop the podium – a gold medalist – just three years after earning bronze in Tokyo.

She can still recall the pain from the semifinal loss three years ago.

“I don’t know if my heart has ever broken like that,” she admitted.

So, in Paris, she allowed herself to open up and soak in every second of her run. On Saturday, she admitted, that shift in mindset may have pushed her over the top.

“That was kind of a moment for me – instead of kind of numbing myself to all my emotions and the experience of it all, I was like ‘let’s just open ourselves up and literally take in the full spectrum of this entire experience,'” she said.

“The highs, the lows, everything in between and just have your self a part of each piece of that. I truly believe it contributed to why I was able to walk away with a gold medal.”

Hildebrandt says she still has yet to make plans about wrestling in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

“Day by day,” she said. “As long as it’s still speaking to my heart and I still feel like I can grow within these challenges, then I don’t see why I wouldn’t keep chasing it down.”

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