How Granger native Sarah Hildebrandt punched her ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris

Audrey Jimenez is the future of women’s wrestling in the United States.

But Sarah Hildebrandt is where the sport is right now.

Saturday night, the Granger, Indiana and Penn High School graduate earned yet another spot on Team USA by dominating Jimenez — a high school phenom from Tucson, Ariz. — in a lopsided 50 Kg (110 pound) championship match at the US Olympic Trials in State College, Pa.

One win away: Bronze medalist wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt on cusp of 2024 Paris Olympics

In a best 2-out-of-3 format, Hildebrandt won two straight bouts by technical fall, 10-0 and 10-0, successfully countering every shot taken by Jimenez.

Hildebrandt will be seeking a long-elusive gold medal during the Olympics in Paris, France, which run July 26 through Aug. 11.

Also re-joining Team USA is Culver Academies graduate Kayla Miracle, who defeated Macy Kilty of Stratford, Wisc., in two straight bouts, 8-5 and 4-1.

There are only six weight classes in Olympic wrestling. Fully one third of the U.S. women’s team went to school within a 40-mile radius of South Bend.

Sitting in Hildebrandt’s corner was her brother, Drew, a former state champion at Penn (2016) and an All-American at Central Michigan University. He moved to help Sarah with her training.

Sarah Hildebrandt made note of her brother’s presence during an interview on USA Network following her championship.

“They (family) are everything,” said Hildebrandt. “I got ready for the Tokyo Olympics with my sister, now I’m getting ready for Paris with my brother. It’s surreal. It’s a dream come true. They are the reason I keep going.”

Hildebrandt, 30, won a bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She also won a bronze at the 2023 World Championships.

Ironically, Jimenez is the same wrestler that Hildebrandt beat to make the World Championship team a year ago.

Because she won a medal at that world meet, Hildebrandt was seeded directly into Saturday’s championship round. Jimenez, meanwhile, had to win a two-day, 10-wrestler challenge tournament to make the finale.

Jimenez, who represents Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, is the only female ever to win a state championship in the boys high school wrestling tournament in Arizona. She is described by USA Wrestling as a young up-and-comer with a bright future.

But Hildebrandt, who wrestles for New York Athletic Club, is a veteran, and it showed. She allowed her opponent to take shot after shot, down low, and successfully countered each time.

Olympic bronze medalist Sarah Hildebrandt returns home to a hero's welcome

Neither contest went the distance. In the second and deciding matchup, Hildebrandt scored five takedowns and wrapped her victory with 1 minute, 10 seconds remaining.

In several previous appearances on the world stage, Hildebrandt has won silver and bronze medals several times. Now she has a chance to finally complete her collection.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Sarah Hildebrandt will wrestle for US at 2024 Olympic Games in Paris