Penn State wrestling legend Aaron Brooks won his Olympic debut 4-3.
But the bout wasn’t as close as the score showed.
Brooks was in command the whole way and never allowed a takedown.
In his second match, which took place roughly an hour later, the score reflected how dominant Brooks was. The four-time national champ and 2024 Hodge Trophy Winner dominated Japan’s Hayato Ishigu with an 11-1 tech fall. The two were tied at one at the brief intermission. Then, Brooks dominated, scoring five takedowns to get the tech fall.
Now, it’s onto the semifinals, which are slated to begin at 12:15. The favorite at 86 KG, Iran’s Hassan Yazdani, tech-falls Australia’s Jayden Lawrence, 10-0. Many feel that Brooks is Yazdani’s biggest threat to win a second Gold Medal.
