30 American athletes to watch at the 2024 Paris Olympics
By Nick Villano
3. Aaron Brooks
Wrestling
Aaron Brooks took what many considered the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world and sent him into retirement on his way to the Paris Olympics. Dave Taylor was considered unstoppable at 86 kgs, but then he was stopped. And he was stopped again. Brooks beat him twice in a row in a best-of-three series to qualify for the Olympics. After the match, Taylor decided his time as an active wrestler was over, and he accepted the head coaching gig for Oklahoma State.
It’s not too big a surprise despite the upset. Brooks always felt like the next in line for 190 pounds. He is a four-time NCAA Champion at Penn State. This past season, he won the Hodge Trophy as the nation’s best wrestler in any weight class. He’s one of seven people ever to claim four NCAA Championships.
Now, as his college career ends, his next era begins. It took an upset to get Brooks to Paris, but we don’t expect him to leave the Olympics for a long time. However, let’s compartmentalize. He needs to win the gold here first before he can worry about Los Angeles and beyond.
It’s rare that we can see the start of something great and just kind of know it’s great. Brooks seems like he is on pace to become a wrestling legend. Watch him against this very exciting field.