Gold Medal at Fingertips, Aaron Brooks Teases Wrestling Future After Paris Olympics: “All In or All Out”

With Paris 2024 on the horizon, Aaron Brooks stands on the brink of greatness, eyes set on gold and thoughts racing ahead. The 86 kg wrestler, who began his journey in high school inspired by champions, is sharpening his skills while hinting at a future beyond the mat. “I’m blessed,” Brooks said. The 24-year-old made headlines by defeating David Taylor at the U.S. Olympic Trials, earning wildcard status as the defending Olympic champion.

Despite his impressive credentials as a 4X NCAA champ, he remains “unseeded” for the Paris Olympics, adding a wild card element to his journey. With high expectations on his shoulders, Brooks’ recent statements suggest this might be the end of his professional career, adding intrigue to his Olympic quest.

Aaron Brooks’ quest for gold hints at the next chapter

In a recent YouTube podcast with Negley’s, wrestler Aaron Brooks shared his plans for the future beyond the 2024 Olympics. The 23-year-old, who has already made a significant impact by defeating Tokyo 2020 champion David Taylor twice at the U.S. Olympic Trials in April, mentioned he intends to “train through 2028… want to coach or dabble in MMA.” Reflecting on his victory, Brooks told NBC, “It’s pretty cool. I just told [David] I loved him. He was the heart of this program… our time comes and goes. He’s inspired so many people.” He also added, “That’s true, you’re either all in or all out. Yeah, that’s not going to be, you’re not going to put one foot in or jump into that fully.” 

Both wrestlers have trained with Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. As Brooks heads to Paris, he stands out as one of the top competitors, poised for a potential gold medal. According to betting sites, Hassan Yazdani of Iran is favored to win the men’s freestyle 86 kg. Last time, David Taylor was favored and won gold, while Hassan Yazdani secured silver.

He is closely followed by Aaron Brooks who is favored to win silver this time. In third place is Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan. However, betting sites do not ensure sure shot success and Brooks can make the gold medal happen if he puts his mind to it. Brooks has always been keen on coaching. He also doesn’t define his life as being just a wrestler. He knows he’s serving a higher calling. “If you can’t be the greatest version of yourself as a human, you can’t be the greatest at anything,” Aaron Brooks’ father John said.

“Aaron knows what his purpose in this world is. He doesn’t have a lot of confusion. Aaron knows he’s a Christian and a child of God. He knows he’s supposed to spread the word of God.” His father further added that Brooks hopes to wrestle through the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. He will then potentially transition into MMA or coaching. However, some type of ministry occupation is also an option. He has already been invited to speak at church youth groups. Brooks’ journey of triumphs from high school prodigy to Olympic contender underscores his pursuit of excellence.

Aaron Brooks’ series of triumphs: From high school star to Olympic contender

Aaron Brooks has experienced incredible success on both collegiate and international levels. He is not just a four-time NCAA champion but also one of only seven wrestlers to achieve this feat at the NCAA Division I level. Brooks concluded his collegiate career with an outstanding 89-3 record, gaining massive recognition for his performances at Penn State. He dominated there with a competition record of 50-2 and secured the Most Outstanding Wrestler award during the NCAA championship.

At Paris, Brooks is entering with a six-match winning streak after winning the 2023 U-23 World Championship and the Olympic Trials in April. He is also not seeded for the Olympics, which makes the betting on his behalf even more impressive. Of the 16 wrestlers in each weight class at the Olympics, only eight have earned seeds based on points accumulated at the 2023 World Championships, the 2024 Continental Championships, the 2024 Zagreb Open Ranking Series, and the 2024 Hungarian Ranking Series.

Brooks explained, “I didn’t do any of them because I was wrestling the college season. A lot of those guys wrestled a lot of them, so they got seeded. But for me, man, I don’t really care. Let’s just go wrestle. If I’m the best in the world, I’m the best in the world.” Being unseeded means he will be randomly drawn into the bracket the day before the competition begins. That means that Brooks could face one of the top-seeded wrestlers, such as Yazdani or Amine, in an early round. As he pursues Olympic glory, he also hints at a new career chapter. His performance will shape both his immediate future and the broader trajectory of his career.