An Olympic gold medal is never a sure thing. But if you were to bank on any U.S. athlete wining in Rio, wrestler Adeline Gray will likely reward you. She’s that dominant. Gray, a three-time world champ and daughter of a Denver police officer, is seeking to win America’s first ever gold in women’s wrestling. A key to her success? She treats her sport as art. “I can’t paint, I can’t draw,” says Gray, who competes in the 75KG/165LB weight class. “Where I feel creative is on the wrestling mat.”
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- Inside Mississippi's Last Abortion Clinic—and the Biggest Fight for Abortion Rights in a Generation
- Do Current COVID-19 Tests Still Detect Omicron?
- The First U.S. Offshore Wind Farm Could Be a Lifeline for Struggling New England Cities
- Welcome to TV's Era of Peak Redundancy
- The Key Role a Local Newspaper Played in the Trial Over Ahmaud Arbery's Murder
- TIME's Top 100 Photos of 2021
- 2021: The Year the Grift Kept Giving
Read More From TIME
