Sarah Hildebrandt first turned heads when she claimed a bronze medal as her own at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 3 years later, she is back on the world’s biggest stage with her sights set on a shiny Olympic gold. The 7x Pan American Championships gold medalist dominated her quarterfinal bout against Zigi Feng, winning 7-4. However, she then had to face Otgonjarga Dolgorjav for a shot at her Olympic dreams. In a thrilling match, she defeated her Mongolian opponent 5-0, floating through to the women’s 50 kg final on Wednesday.

Only one step away from her first Olympic gold, she will now come face to face with India’s Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 medal contender, Vinesh Phogat. Even though she has been down this road before, she has never made it so far. The stakes are high as ever for the America, and she’s more than ready to claim her prize this time around. While many are excited to watch the two gold hopefuls come face to face, no one is as excited as wrestling legend Jordan Burroughs. He couldn’t help but share his anticipation on X, “Vinesh vs. Hildebrandt 🍿I hate that someone has to lose.”

The 6x World Champion needs no introduction. Jordan Burroughs clinched his first Olympic medal at the 2012 London Summer Games. While he couldn’t replicate those results at the 2016 Rio Olympics or make the US Olympic team heading to the Tokyo Games, his repertoire exceeds beyond the accolades he’s accumulated. For Hildebrandt and Phogat to receive a huge shoutout from the US Icon goes to show how electric the finals will be.

It has all been smooth sailing for the Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist so far. She started her second Olympic berth by locking horns with Algeria’s Ibtissem Doudou. With an early takedown in the first period, the 30-year old gained an upper hand and then transitioned to her signature move – leg lace. She moved on to the quarterfinals with a 10-0 victory. But things seemed to look a little grim as she stepped up against Zigi Feng. This time, Feng had an upper hand. But Hildebrandt’s reversal cut the Chinese wrestler’s 2-1 lead short in the first period.

With a few more takedowns on each side, Hildebrandt headed into the break leading 5-4. The second period seemed a lot tamer in comparison, but Hildenbrandt attacked with just under a minute to go. With no offence from Feng’s end, the 30-year-old was on her way to a medal bout against Otgonjargal Dolgorjav. Refusing to return home with yet another bronze, the American dominated her Mongolian opponent from the very beginning. Tomorrow Hildenbrandt will be competing for the top spot on the podium.

What’s motivating Sarah Hildebrandt to make the final push?

The Living Dream Medal Fund has been awarding wrestlers with more than $5 million for about 15 years now. Now that Hildebrandt has made her way to the finals, she could possibly receive $50k from them. But wait, it gets better! If the wrestler finds herself at the top of the podium, she would receive $200,000 on top of the reward from LTDMF. If that isn’t enticing enough, the USA stated how all their gold medalists would receive a hefty prize money of $37,500. That’s a lot of moolah!

Whether she walks away with the entire sum or a small amount depends on how Hildebrandt fares at the French capital. Regardless of where she finds herself on the podium, she isn’t going to walk away empty handed. By receiving the Living Dream Medal Fund bonus, the 30-year-old will then be a part of an exclusive club including David Taylor, Helen Maroulis, and the man who’s anticipating her thrilling finals tomorrow – Jordan Burroughs. What do you think? Will Hildebrandt emerge victorious at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Champ de Mars?