Native Texan Olympian Gives Epic Post-Gold Medal Interview
Tamyra Mensah-Stock, an Olympic athlete who grew up in Houston, Texas, won the gold medal in women's wrestling this week then proceeded to give one of the best athlete interviews of all-time. She talked about her role as a role model, being the first black woman to ever win Olympic gold in women's wrestling and so much more with an unmatched level of joy.
You can watch the entire interview here, and I encourage you to do so because it's impossible to have a bad attitude after watching her cut a promo after the biggest win of her entire life.
"These young women are going to see themselves in a number of ways and they’re going to look up there and go, 'I can do that,'" Mensah-Stock told reporters. "I can see myself."
Not only did she win the gold, but she also dominated. Mensah-Stock, the No. 1 seed, tore through a strong field. She defeated Japan's Sara Dosho — a 2016 Olympic gold medalist — 10-0 in the first round, then beat China’s Feng Zhao 10-0 in the quarterfinals, then beat Ukraine’s Alla Cherkasova — a former world champion — 10-4 in the semifinal.
All leading up to her medal appearance beating the no. 2 seed, a three-time Olympian, in the final.
"Well, you’ve got to beat the best to know that you’re the best," Mensah-Stock said in a pro wrestling entertainment level promo. "And that’s what I keep telling myself. It doesn’t matter the draw. You go out there and you beat whoever is in front of you because that’s how you tell somebody that you were the best. I’m the bad draw."
Mensah-Stock was a WCWA national champion while wrestling for Wayland in 2015 and 2017. Then she was a world bronze medalist in 2018.
Here's a brief look at some of the "local" athletes competing in this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.