Amit Elor, born to Israeli immigrant parents and who is Jewish, became the youngest American to win a gold medal in wrestling at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 in Women’s freestyle wrestling 68 kg (150-pound) at the Grand Palais Éphémère to extend her five-year winning streak. Since 2019, she has compiled a 37-0 record, outscoring her opponents 322-16.
A native of Walnut Creek, California, Elor was born to Israeli parents Elana and Yair Elor, who came to the United States from the southern coastal city of Ashkelon. She is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors who moved to the Jewish state.
She has faced online antisemitism, including death threats, since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel. Elor has also dealt with personal tragedy, losing her brother in 2018 and father in 2022.
She is the youngest in a family of six siblings, the rest of her relatives live in Israel to this day and Hebrew is her first language.
“Thank you to all the people in Israel for the support and love, I receive a lot of messages from people in Israel. This is my second home. I think of you when I fight and when I don’t,” the wrestler said earlier this week to Israel’s Sports Channel 5.
“It’s important to me that you know this. I want to dedicate this moment to my father who passed away two years ago. I think he was very proud of me and I wish he could see me today.”
She expressed her hope that her victory represented a small ray of light for Israelis, amid the country’s 10-month war with Hamas and threats of Iranian and Hezbollah attacks.
“I heard last night that almost the whole country [of Israel] was watching me and that it was on all the news networks, and I just can’t believe all the love I’ve received,” she said, according to The New York Times. “I’ve always felt that to be a huge part of my identity, but especially after the tragedy on Oct. 7, it’s been horrifying, and I feel like it’s [revealed] a new element of my identity. … I really hope that I can bring even just an ounce of joy to the people right now.”
