Born on June 15, 2000, Aaron Marquel Brooks is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler that specializes in 86-kilogram weight classes. He is a U23 World champion, US National champion, U20 World silver medalist, and U17 World champion in freestyle. He’s also qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Aaron Brooks qualifies for the Paris Olympics 2024
Twenty-three-year-old Aaron Brooks from Hagerstown, Maryland defeated David Taylor, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, twice in the 86kg (190 lbs.) weight category at the U.S. Olympic Trials in April. By beating Taylor, Brooks, who recently became a four-time NCAA champion for Penn State University, secured his spot to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On Friday, Brooks went undefeated in three matches to win the challenge bracket and advance to the finals. Meanwhile, Taylor, another wrestler from Penn State, received a bye directly to the finals as he was the returning world medalist.
In their first match on Saturday afternoon, Brooks scored a takedown in the opening period to take a 2-0 lead. Taylor earned one point in the second period, but Brooks then scored another takedown to win the bout.
During their second match on Saturday night, Brooks scored the lone takedown late in the first period and maintained his lead to win 3-1.
“Praise the Lord,” “It’s a journey. It’s a blessing. Hopefully, it goes forward and goes back. “They know how I got here,” he said of the Washington County community, “with my faith.”
he said.
“It’s pretty cool,” “I just told [David] I loved him. He was the heart of this program… our time comes and goes. He’s inspired so many people.”
an understated Brooks told NBC after his triumph over Taylor.
Aaron’s Brother is a Professional Mixed Martial Artist
Aaron Brooks was born on June 15, 2000, in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. His parents are John Brooks, Ranelle Boyd, and Adrienne Brooks. He has a brother named Isaiah. Aaron weighs 86kg (190 lbs).
While Aaron chose freestyle wrestling, his brother Isaiah became a mixed martial arts fighter. Isaiah won his first MMA fight in January 2024. Isaiah was also a very good wrestler in high school and won a state championship in Maryland his senior year.
Aaron went to North Hagerstown High School. In high school, he won four NHSCA National championships and four MPSSAA state championships in Maryland. His overall record in Maryland was 163 wins and only 2 losses.
After high school, Aaron attended Penn State University which has one of the best college wrestling programs in the country. At Penn State, he majored in Recreation, Park and Tourism Management.
In college wrestling, Aaron became a four-time NCAA champion and a four-time Big Ten Conference champion for Penn State University. After his senior year, Aaron decided to take a grayshirt year and train at the US Olympic Training Center.
Aaron Brooks was always a Talented wrestler
In August 2018, Brooks won a silver medal at the U20 World Championships. He was a four-time NHSCA National champion and four-time MPSSAA state champion in Maryland, with a record of 163 wins and only 2 losses. Before his senior year of high school, Brooks also became the U17 World champion in freestyle wrestling. As the top recruit at 182 pounds, Brooks committed to wrestle for Penn State University’s team in early 2018.
In January 2019, he won the Dave Schultz Memorial International title in his first senior level competition. In August 2019, after making the US World Team, Brooks lost in the first round of the U20 World Championships to Abubakr Abakarov, who later won a medal at that event.
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For his first college appearance, Brooks took a redshirt year but won the Mat Town Open tournament. His redshirt was then removed, allowing him to compete for Penn State’s team. During the regular season, his record was 9 wins and 1 loss in dual meets. In December, Brooks briefly switched to freestyle wrestling to compete at the US National Championships, where he placed sixth but did not qualify for the US Olympic Team Trials.
In 2020, returning to folkstyle wrestling, Brooks won his first Big Ten Conference title. At the semifinals, he defeated Taylor Venz from Nebraska, who had previously beaten Brooks that season. Brooks was the third seed for the NCAA tournament, but he could not compete because the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the season ended, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
During his sophomore year, Brooks had a 6-0 record in dual meets. In the post-season, he became a two-time Big Ten Conference champion.
Brook Being named champion after champion in his Professional Career
In 2021 at the NCAA tournament, Brooks became an NCAA Division I National champion. He defeated fourth-seeded Parker Keckeisen in the semifinals and second-seeded Trent Hidlay in the finals. This qualified Brooks for the US Olympic Team Trials held one month later in April.
At the Olympic Trials, Brooks beat Jackson and Sammy Brooks, but lost to Zahid Valencia and Pat Downey. Entering his junior year, Brooks went undefeated with a 14-0 record in dual meets during the regular season. After making his third straight Big Ten Conference finals, Brooks suffered an upset loss to Olympic bronze medalist Myles Amine.
In 2022 at the NCAA tournament, Brooks reached the finals by defeating his 2021 finals opponent Trent Hidlay in the semifinals. Brooks then beat Amine in the finals in a rubber match to defend his title and become a two-time NCAA National champion.
Entering his senior year, Brooks had a 9-1 record in dual meets during the regular season, with his only loss coming against Marcus Coleman from Iowa State. At the Big Ten tournament, Brooks made his fourth finals and won his third title with three bonus-point victories. As the third seed at the NCAA tournament, Brooks claimed his third NCAA National championship.
In June 2023, Brooks faced his teammate and three-time Olympic and World champion David Taylor for a spot on the US World Team at Final X Newark. Brooks lost two matches to Taylor in the best-of-three series to finish as the runner-up. As a result, Brooks earned the right to represent the United States at the U23 World Championships in October.
In October, Brooks became the U23 World champion at 86 kilograms, defeating Arslan Bagaev from Russia (U20 European champion), Ivan Ichizli from Moldova (returning U23 World medalist), and İsmail Küçüksolak from Turkey (U20 World medalist). Brooks repeated his 2023 Big Ten title run, winning all three matches with bonus points to claim the championship. Following this tournament, he was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.
