Wrestler Aaron Brooks Scores Olympic Berth: ‘Praise the Lord’

Published: April 24, 2024

Wrestler Aaron Brooks Scores Olympic Berth: ‘Praise the Lord’

By Movieguide® Contributor

Penn State senior Aaron Brooks is praising God as he heads to the Olympics for wrestling.

Following his victory over reigning Olympic champion David Taylor, Brooks gave God the glory.

The moment that Aaron Brooks took down one of the best to earn his first spot on the Olympic team! #WrestlingTrials24 pic.twitter.com/CqUMGdF9Eu

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) April 21, 2024

“Praise the Lord. Like I say many times, it’s a journey with Him. Just put my faith in Him. Praise the Lord,” he said.

“He gives me wisdom, knowledge that surpasses all,” Brooks added. “Some things that I wouldn’t have figured out myself, He showed me in wrestling. Praise to Him.”

When asked what advice he would give to younger athletes seeking the same Olympic dream, Brooks pointed them to God.

“I’d say seek the Lord,” he said. “He will guide your steps. Praise the Lord. Have faith in Him. That’s the best advice I can give them because it changed my life.”

Following the match, Brooks honored Taylor, saying he is “one of the first guys to make [Penn State wrestling] what it is…It’s been a blessing being around him and watching what he does.”

Sports Spectrum reported, “The friendship between Brooks and Taylor runs deeper than the two wrestlers simply having the same alma mater. While gearing up for the Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 rather than 2020 because of the COVID pandemic), Taylor had Brooks as his training partner. Each wrestler is allowed to bring one such partner to the Games, and Taylor selected Brooks to come with him to Tokyo.”

After he punched his ticket to the Olympics, Brooks shared a series of photos from the match on his Instagram along with the caption “Psalm 144.”

The first few verses of that passage read:

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
²He is my loving God and my fortress,
    my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples under me.

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A post shared by Aaron Brooks (@aaron_mbrooks)

Movieguide® previously reported on Brooks:

Penn State wrestler Aaron Brooks boldly proclaimed his Christian faith after a recent win.

Brooks won an NCAA title at a recent match and gave credit to God for his victory.

“It’s everything, Christ’s resurrection is everything,” Brooks said after the match. “Not just his life, but his death and resurrection. You can only get that through Him — the Holy Spirit only through Him.”

He continued, “No false prophets, no Muhammad or no anyone else. Only Jesus Christ himself. Acts 1:8, Power, Holy Spirit power, it’s everything. That’s where it’s from.”

Some have taken issue with the fact that Brooks stated Muhammad was a false prophet, and the video of his statement was soon deleted from the NCAA Wrestling Twitter account.