Aaron Brooks, the 2023 U23 world champion in 86 kg, stunned the world when he defeated the wrestling great David Taylor in the Olympics qualifier. Entering the Paris Olympics as a dark horse, the former Nittany Lion bulldozed his way to the 86 kg semi-finals. However, he couldn’t overcome the challenge put forth by the fifth-seeded Magomed Ramazanov of Bulgaria.

The match ended with a 4-3 victory for Ramazanov. However, appearing in his first-ever Olympics, the 24-year-old Hagerstown native managed to take bronze medals home. It’s already an accomplishment that many athletes hope for, and it was enough for his hometown to honor his star athlete.

To honor their champion athlete, Hagerstown held the “Aaron Brooks Homecoming of Hope” event at Meritus Park on September 8, 2024. On the occasion, the Mayor of Hagerstown, Tekesha Martinez, presented the key of the city to the Olympic bronze medalist. Making him feel truly social and celebrating the city, he also named a day in his honor.

The day was quite eventful for the 2023 US national champion in the 86 kg category. The celebration was brimming with cheers, applause, and a sense of pride. Fans were lining up for his autographs, treating him like a celebrity and acknowledging his extraordinary feat. Later in the day, a police-escorted procession was organized that took him to Meritus Park, where he was honored with the city key.

Elated with the king-like treatment that he most surely deserves, Brooks couldn’t suppress his happiness, exclaiming, “It’s just surreal… It’s kind of like an outerbody experience, just how much love and support you guys show me. Just seeing how much this means to you, it means a lot to me.” And Brooks isn’t stopping anytime soon. With his unwavering determination and exceptional wrestling skills, Aaron Brooks aims to continue making Hagerstown proud.

Aaron Brooks Already Focused on the Los Angeles Olympics

Since kickstarting his career in professional wrestling, Aaron Brooks has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with. He has completely dominated the collegiate wrestling landscape, claiming four NCAA Division I National Championship titles. Representing Penn State University, he also bagged four Big Ten Conference championship titles, proving again he is a wrestling legend in the making.

His journey at the Paris Olympics was as spectacular as his illustrious career. In the quarterfinals, he put to dust the 2x world championship bronze medalist Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan with a nail-biting 4-3 finish. Although his journey couldn’t go past the semifinals, it hasn’t deterred the former Nittany Lion from rising and aiming for Olympic glory once again. He is 24 now and quite confident that he can return to the Olympics in the future and win gold. “God willing, I’ll be back… I’m just getting started,” Brooks said.

His world reverberated the spirit of a true champion. His hero-like homecoming will inspire him further to improve upon his game and reclaim the glory that was snatched from him at the Paris event.