Three athletes from Team USA's wrestling contingent took to the Champ de Mars mats at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday, each fighting in a separate event: Kamal Bey in men's Greco-Roman 77kg division; Joe Rau in men's Greco-Roman 97kg; and Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Sarah Hildebrandt in the women's freestyle 50kg.

Bey and Rau lost on Tuesday, Aug. 6, but Hildebrandt won three times in an incredible day for wrestling.

Hildebrandt kicked off her campaign by defeating Kyrgyzstan's Ibtissem Doudou in an almost clinical opening Round of 16 match. She then faced China's more challenging Feng Ziqi in the quarterfinals. 

Feng saw Hildebrandt come from behind after a rough start — but the American ultimately secured a 7-4 victory.

A few hours later, the American dominated her semifinal against Mongolian Dolgorjavyn. Up 2-0 at the halfway point, she and her opponent circled one another, searching for the perfect opportunity to lunge.

With about three minutes remaining, Hildebrandt seized the moment (and her challenger) to land a takedown. Down 0-5, the Mongolian never recovered.

After the match, Hildebrandt pumped her fist and flashed her signature smile — and red, white and blue mouthguard. She's now assured at least silver in women's 50kg freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The women's 50kg morning session provided international excitement as well, particularly when Japan's 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Yui Susaki lost her Round of 16 match to India's Vinesh Phogat.

WOMEN'S 50KG BRACKET

Kenichiro Fumita became the first Japanese wrestler to win Greco-Roman gold since Atsuji Miyahara on Tuesday, besting China's Cao Liguo and improving upon his 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medal. 

Zholaman Sharshenbekov — the Kyrgyzstani who lost to Fumita in the semifinals — earned one of the two bronze medals awarded by wrestling back through repechage. The medal is Sharshenbekov's first, and the first for his country in Paris.

MEN'S GREGO-ROMAN 60KG BRACKET AND RESULTS

Team USA's Kamal Bey lost his Round of 16 match to Kyrgyzstan's Akzhol Makhmudov.

The 23-year-old Bey from Oak Park, Illinois, was a gold medalist at the 2023 Pan American Championships.

This isn't necessarily the end for Bey, who can still fight for a potential bronze medal via a repechage match.

MEN'S GRECO-ROMAN 77KG BRACKET AND RESULTS

Iran's Mohammad Saravi overwhelmed American Joe Rau in their 97kg opener, 3-1.

Another Illinois native, the 33-year-old Rau will continue to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He, like Bey, will have a second shot to earn bronze by competing in a future repechage match.   

At the Tokyo 2020 Games, Saravi earned Greco-Roman bronze.

MEN'S GRECO-ROMAN 97KG BRACKET AND RESULTS

For videos and full coverage of the day's two biggest Olympic wrestling stories — Team USA's 20-year-old wrestling prodigy Amit Elor earned 68kg gold, while Cuba's super heavyweight Mijain Lopez capped his Olympic career with a fifth consecutive gold medal in Greco-Roman 130kg, the longest win streak in a single event by any Olympian ever — check out our posts below.