BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 14) – Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) may spend her Saturday looking for the best ice cream in Budapest.
It's a way of her treating herself for the gold medal in the Budapest Ranking Series she won on Friday after five bouts at 50kg, exactly a year after she won her last Ranking Series gold medal in Tunis, Tunisia.
Three years ago, Hildebrandt made the decision to move from the 53kg to the 50kg weight class in her pursuit of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. As part of her weight management, she had to give up eating ice cream, despite her love for it. She joked that she could eat ice cream like a "125kg wrestler."
It did pay off. She won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and followed it with a silver medal at the World Championships. Last year, she added another world bronze medal to her collection.
Now, at 29 years old, Hildebrandt is savoring her well-deserved treat after claiming the gold in Budapest. She won five bouts on a "fun day."
“Ice cream is something I love eating,” Hildebrandt said. “I can eat it anytime. I won five bouts so I will eat five scoops.”
With the gold in Budapest just two months before the World Championships in Belgrade, Hildebrandt has positioned herself as a strong contender for the gold medal. She showcased her skills and style throughout the tournament.
In her five bouts on Friday, Hildebrandt only gave up a single takedown. She secured three technical superiority wins and avenged a loss against world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL).
"When I saw the brackets, I was like, 'No way! First round,'" she said.
Hildebrandt faced Dolgorjav in the first round, whom she had previously met in the semifinals of the 2022 World Championships. Dolgorjav had defeated Hildebrandt, denying her back-to-back appearances in the world finals.
While the memory of that loss was still fresh, Hildebrandt knew she had to let go of it and focus on the challenges ahead.
"There is no specific strategy to wrestling her, but I wanted to approach the match with an open mind," she said. "I didn't want to force anything and instead capitalize on the opportunities that came my way. In wrestling, you never know if it will be one bout or five, especially in low-stakes tournaments like these. But I wanted to face the best, and if it had to be just one bout, I wanted it to be against her."
Dolgorjav, known for her counter-attacking game, followed a similar plan, waiting for Hildebrandt to initiate attacks. After almost a minute of sizing each other up, Hildebrandt executed a snap and scored the first takedown, taking a 2-0 lead in the bout.
Dolgorjav attempted an attack but failed to finish before Hildebrandt countered with a single-legged takedown, extending her lead to 4-0 at the break.
Hildebrandt controlled the center of the mat better than Dolgorjav, securing a 6-0 lead by defending a double-leg attack from the Mongolian. She finished the bout with a takedown on the edge and a lace.
“It was a hard day but a fun day,” she said. “In Belgrade, I was not happy and mentally I was very fixed. I escaped that mental prison after the World Championships.”
Following her victory against Dolgorjav, Hildebrandt continued her winning streak with technical superiority wins over Agata WALERZAK (POL) and Julie SABATIE (FRA). She then defeated Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (AIN) 8-1 in the semifinals.
From the other side of the bracket, Ziqi FENG (CHN) dominated with three 10-0 wins and a 10-8 win over her compatriot Jiang ZHU (CHN), securing her fourth Ranking Series medal this year.
However, despite her dominance on the way to the final, a second gold medal was not to be for Feng.
Hildebrandt faced some tense moments when Feng attempted a takedown from behind, but she managed to grab Feng's leg and score an exposure, taking a 2-0 lead.
Feng tried to regain control but couldn't find an opening against Hildebrandt's strong defense.
"They [Chinese wrestlers] are strong," Hildebrandt said. "It's always tough. But in the final, I didn't want to prove a point by forcing a takedown or rushing things."
Hildebrandt patiently waited for another opportunity to score, which came in the second period when she executed a takedown, extending her lead to 4-0. Although Feng managed to secure a takedown later, she couldn't turn Hildebrandt for the win.
During the final moments, Hildebrandt focused on being present in her body, avoiding overthinking as the clock ticked.
“In the past, I had so much running through my mind,” she said. “Now I just myself and be in my body. I have made the mistake of being in mind too much and lost.”
In the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics, Hildebrandt was on the verge of reaching the final when Yanan SUN (CHN) surprised her with a front headlock throw, ending her dream.
"The Olympics. I won't forget," Hildebrandt said, reflecting on her loss against Sun in Tokyo. "So, this time, I'm focusing on my game and mental state because that was my downfall last time."
However, that loss was followed by two more at the World Championships in 2021 and 2022, which made Hildebrandt realize that something needed to change.
“I have realized that off the mat, you need to be human,” she said. “It's not fun to be a machine wrestler. It was at the 2022 Worlds and at the last two World Championships I was like a machine and it was either I stop being a machine or I move away from the sport.”
Hildebrandt chose the former option and, with the help of her boyfriend, who is a gymnast, she began changing her approach to wrestling.
“A lot of my improvements have been off the mat,” she said. “It's tempting to be more and more, but I don't want to overdo it closer to such big events. [When I used to], it hasn't worked for me yet. So now I am like off the mat, rest, recover and calm down.”
Throughout the day, Hildebrandt maintained a relaxed approach and avoided forcing her wrestling style during the bouts.
“I am so excited and I just wanted to enjoy myself,” she said. “I want to take in these moments. Paris may be the last of my career and I want to have an awesome run.”
Her journey to the gold medal at the Paris Olympics will likely involve facing Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN), who was in the stands observing the wrestling matches from a distance.
Susaki, undefeated internationally, is currently in Hungary for a training camp in Tata after the Ranking Series. Hildebrandt was pleasantly surprised to see Susaki in Budapest.
“I was in the warm-up and I saw her and said is that Yui Susaki?” she said. “It was surprising but we had a surprise run in Los Angeles a few months ago. Anytime you can get your hands on someone. She also will be picking up on a lot too as she is a very intelligent wrestler.
“That makes it all the more special because these are high-level elite IQ wrestlers, anytime you get your paws on them, there's a little information there. But it's give and take. We have never wrestled each other so to get to train with her is beneficial for me all the way and that's what I am hanging on to.”
However, before Paris, there are the World Championships, where five wrestlers in the 50kg category will earn Olympic quotas. Hildebrandt aims to be one of them.
“I feel the hype [for the World Championships],” she said. “This was the perfect pre-World Championships tournament as there were many wrestlers from different countries.”
For now, Hildebrandt will return to the United States for the national camp and intends to maintain her humanity and enjoy her time before the World Championships.
“I want to remain human,” she said. “Maybe I will go to a concert and do other stuff.”
Perhaps indulging in some ice cream will be among her chosen activities.
