By the end of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the US had won seven medals in wrestling but watched as two icons retired. Yet Helen Maroulis never really left wrestling. Despite taking up jiu-jitsu, Maroulis felt drawn back to the sport, and she eventually made her comeback. As it turns out, that’s exactly what inspired Sarah Hildebrandt to do the same. Now, as she embarks on her road to recovery, the Paris gold medalist has one singular focus.

That just happens to be the first homebound Olympics since 1996; LA 2028. However, Hildebrandt is taking things one step at a time as she attempts to find a new gear.

“But of course, it’s gonna be moment to moment,” Hildebrandt told NBC. “I think I’m just gonna keep gathering more information — physically, mentally, spiritually, all of the things.

“I came back because I like discovering myself in this sport. It really has been such an amazing teacher and mirror for me. So that’s what I’m going to continue doing.

She added, “However that results, and whatever that looks like, or whatever the expiration date on that is, I’m kind of just purely coming humble to it all. I’m open and just gonna go see. It’s very terrifying.”

There’s no denying it’ll be a terrifying return back especially as Hildebrandt retired at the top of her game. The freestyle wrestling star was on the verge of a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and literally had the final in her grasp. Then it all fell apart, although Hildebrandt picked herself back up, rediscovered herself as a wrestler and won gold in Paris. 

It marked a sensational comeback and one that would end with her retiring after the tournament. However, wrestling never left her mind. Instead, she became the assistant coach for Team USA’s women’s wrestling team and kept a running log of every time she felt the urge to come out of retirement. 

That urge kept growing, and less than two months after she retired, Hildebrandt was back in the drug-testing pool. It gave her a chance to return to the sport if she ever wanted to.

Then came the 2025 World Championships, with Helen Maroulis’ comeback and fourth world title inspiring Sarah Hildebrandt. Maroulis wasn’t the only one because, as it turns out, coaching the other women on the team also helped make the 32-year-old’s decision easier. So much so that by 2026, Sarah Hildebrandt had come out of retirement, training for a comeback at the US Open.

Unfortunately, her comeback didn’t quite go according to plan. Instead, while she did go on a four-bout winning streak, it ended when Cristelle Rodriguez beat her. Not only that, the American had torn her adductor, groin and abdominal muscles, forcing her back into a break. It will mark her first long-term injury in nearly a decade but Hildebrandt remains in good spirits despite it all.

“I’m taking (the muscle tears) kind of as a blessing that it’s happening this far out from (the 2028) Games still,” she explained. “We have plenty of time to recover and plenty of time to come back into it all.”

After all, her goal isn’t to win World Championships or US Opens; Sarah Hildebrandt wants to win it all again at the Olympics. That is especially in 2028, when it will be held in front of American fans for the first time since the 1996 Games. Yet, this isn’t the first time that Hildebrandt has touched upon the looming home Olympics.

Sarah Hildebrandt reflects on LA Olympics after Paris 2024

It was a nervy final for Sarah Hildebrandt, but the then 30-year-old embraced that. That was, after all, her new mantra to the sport after the torrid time she had at the Tokyo Olympics. There, Hildebrandt had a 7-0 lead over Sun Yaman and was all set to go into her first Olympic gold medal final. Then it all fell apart as the Chinese wrestler executed a throw with five seconds left.

It gave her exactly what she needed to eliminate Hildebrandt, and the American had to settle for a bronze medal. The rest is history, as Hildebrandt used it as motivation to rediscover herself as a wrestler and won gold in Paris. The aftermath was incredible, with the then-30-year-old celebrated for her achievements, though many wondered whether she would return.

The looming shadow of a home Olympics, combined with the atmosphere in LA, would make it enticing for any athlete. Hildebrandt asserted that her plan was simply on recovery, rest and focusing on the now, instead of the future.

“I don’t want to put like a fine stop to my career. I just want to see what each day brings, and I love being in the present moment,” Hildebrandt said, as per Olympics.com in 2024.

“But I will say I’m super excited to figure out who Sarah is outside of the wrestling world. And I’ve been so lucky to get to grow up in this and, and be in this environment for so long. And it’s truly created the woman that I am.

She added, “But I want to be challenged and figure out a whole new realm of worlds out there. And I know there’s so much exploring to do, and I want to get to know that Sarah as well.”

So, even with setbacks and uncertainty in the way, Sarah Hildebrandt’s return is being shaped by something bigger than titles or timelines.