The No. 1 seed, Mensah-Stock, defeated Alla Cherkasova of Ukraine in the semifinal and gold medalist Sara Dosho of Japan in the first round. She also defeated China’s Feng Zhao in the quarterfinals.
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She subsequently defeated Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria in the championship match, winning 4-1 and becoming the first American Black woman and second American overall to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling.
Mensah-Stock recalled that it was a memorable experience for her, especially when she faced up against Oborududu, the first Nigerian, male or female, to win an Olympic wrestling medal.
“Oh my my, look at us representing,” I exclaim. It’s just fantastic. I’m making history, and so are you. Making history with us. Consequently, it has great significance “explained Mensah-Stock.
Oborududu is the No. 2 seed and a three-time Olympian, something Mensah-Stock said she didn’t take lightly.
“Well, you’ve got to beat the best to know that you’re the best. And that’s what I keep telling myself. It doesn’t matter the draw.
You go out there, and you beat whoever is in front of you because that’s how you tell somebody that you were the best. I’m the bad draw.”
While she is the first Black American woman to earn an Olympic gold medal in wrestling, Mensah-Stock is not the first Black woman to make strides in the sport.
She says the people who came before her paved the path. At the Pan-Am Games in 2003, Toccara Montgomery won the gold medal.
Iris Smith, who won a world championship in 2005, followed in her footsteps, and Randi Miller, who finished behind them and won bronze at the 2008 Olympics.
Mensah-Stock expressed her desire to encourage other Black female athletes in the United States to take up wrestling.
“These young ladies will perceive themselves in many ways, and they will look up there and think, “I can do that.” I recognize myself “She stated
