On a bright and beautiful Tuesday, Tamyra Mensah Stock wrote her name in history books as the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling after defeating Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu 4-1 in the women’s 68-kg freestyle division finals in Tokyo.
Dominant Performance Lands Historic Victory
The No. 1 seeded American controlled the match from the start, scoring four unanswered points in the first period on two takedowns of Oborududu. Mensah Stock then played strong defense in the second period to prevent her opponent from scoring to secure the gold medal victory.
The Katy, Texas native broke down in tears of joy and formed a heart shape with her hands following the win as a tribute to family and friends who supported her journey to the pinnacle of her sport.
“I’m feeling very happy and I keep trying not to cry, but it keeps happening,” she said after her win. “I just want to go into a dark room and cry, but I’m crying from joy.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
In addition to making history as the first Black American woman to stand atop the Olympic podium in wrestling, Mensah Stock hopes her groundbreaking victory will inspire young girls to pursue the sport.
“It means that they see someone like themselves on that podium… showing them that just because you’re a female it doesn’t mean you can’t accomplish the biggest of goals,” she said.
She overcame missing out on competing in Rio in 2016 despite winning the U.S. trials to realize her Olympic dream in Tokyo. Her gold caps years of hard work and unwavering belief in herself.
“100% yes, I knew I could do it,” she affirmed. “I knew it would be hard. I prayed that I could do it. In my wildest dreams I knew.”
Carrying On Her Father’s Legacy
Mensah Stock revealed that her father, who passed away in a car accident following one of her high school meets, would have been extremely proud to see her Olympic victory.
“He would have been the loudest one here,” she said emotionally. “He would be so proud. He would be so happy.”
As the first American woman to win gold in wrestling since Helen Maroulis in 2016, Tamyra Mensah Stock’s historic Olympic triumph will reverberate for years to come as a breakthrough for Black female athletes.
