Despite choking scare, Penn High grad Sarah Hildebrandt adds another medal to collection

Another world tournament, another medal for Sarah Hildebrandt.

The Penn High School graduate earned a bronze medal in the 50Kg (110 pound) weight class Wednesday night during the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Hildebrandt defeated Emilia Vuc of Romania, scoring a 10-0 technical fall, in a scary match where the Granger native was choked and passed out on the mat during the first period.

Tough loss: Granger's Sarah Hildebrandt falls just short in Olympic wrestling semifinal

Hildebrandt scored a pair of takedowns to lead 4-0. Vuc got Hildebrandt in a front headlock/head pinch and was able to get behind Hildebrandt, who was unconscious on the mat. Medical assistance came to her aid, and she was able to get up and recover. Officials called it an illegal move and took the two points for Vuc off the scoreboard. Once recovered, Hildebrandt went back to her offense, and added three more takedowns to secure the technical fall late in the second period.

“At one point, I was like, ‘Whoa,’” Hildebrandt said in an interview after the match, broadcast on YouTube. “It was like, I didn’t know where I was. There was definitely a loss of oxygen.”

At the break between periods, Hildebrandt said she had to get her head back in the game.

“(My coaches said) Refocus, keep your positioning, she’s just looking for a throw,” said Hildebrandt. “Just stay calm. You don’t have to force anything.”

Hildebrandt was in the bronze medal match after dropping a 6-2 decision in the semifinals to 2021 World bronze medalist Otgonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia.

In that semifinal match, Hildebrandt scored first on a leg attack for a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Dolgorjav was able to get a takedown and exposure in the first period to lead 4-2 at the break. Hildebrandt was unable to score in the second period, and as she pressed the action late in the period, Dolgorjav scored a counter takedown.

The 2011 Penn graduate, who turns 29 years old on Sept. 23, has now won two silver medals and a bronze medal at the World Championship level. She also won a bronze medal at the Olympics in Tokyo.

The last two world meets and the Olympics have all occurred since August of 2021, and the intense grind has taken its toll, Hildebrandt said.

“It hit me that this is like, my third world championships in one calendar year, 13 months,” said Hildebrandt, referring to the Olympics and the last two world meets.

“Pretty much one calendar year,” she said. “This is something that normally happens once a year. But we had three in one year, mixed in with world trials, ranking tournaments, I’ve done a lot of wrestling.”

She admitted the frustration of not capturing that elusive gold medal at the world level is weighing on her.

“It’s been rough, mentally,” said Hildebrandt. “I dropped a (semifinal) match, I don’t know if that was because of my preparation or flaws in other places,” she said.

“This sport can be really hard and it stings a lot. It makes me doubt what I’m doing a lot,” she said. “But in the end, I know I will bounce back and that’s what makes me a good wrestler.”

Hildebrandt said she will take some time to evaluate her training, but for now, she remains committed to another trip to the Olympic Games, this time in Paris, France, in 2024.

“I’m going to sit back, re-evaluate some things, let myself heal up in places, and come really fresh back to the mat, because Paris is looming,” said Hildebrandt. “And we have to get some jobs done in 2023, as well.”

Another wrestler with local connections, Culver Academies graduate Kayla Miracle, earned a silver medal in the 62 Kg (136 pound) weight class.

Miracle was the first girl in Indiana high school history to reach the IHSAA state wrestling finals, in 2012, just as Hildebrandt was the first girl to ever reach a semistate in 2011.

In the gold medal match, Miracle was defeated by Nonoka Ozaki of Japan, 10-0.

In the semifinals, Miracle pinned Ana Godinez Gonzalez of Canada in 1:37.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Sarah Hildebrandt claims bronze at World Wrestling Championships