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Florida Teen Anastasija Zolotic Makes History in Olympic Debut with Gold Medal Taekwondo Win

Anastasija Zolotic
Anastasija Zolotic

JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Anastasija Zolotic

Another historic moment for Team USA at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Anastasija Zolotic, 18, became the first American woman to win Olympic gold for taekwondo, defeating Tatiana Minina of the Russian Olympic Committee on Sunday's 57 kg. final.

The Florida teen, who was ranked seventh going into the games, beat the firth-ranked Minina, finishing 25-17.Prior to making history, Zoltoic also took down another big competitor, besting Turkey's Hatice Kubra Ilgun, who ranked No. 2, in the quarterfinals.

"My 8-year-old self was running around the school yard saying I was going to be Olympic champion but she could never have imagined what this moment is like," she said in an interview with the Associated Press. "It's unbelievable. It really hasn't sunk in yet."

RELATED: Unforgettable Photos of Athletes Finding Out They Won Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

After her big win, the teen recorded a special message for the rest of Team USA.

"Shoutout to all my fellow teammates," she said in a selfie-style clip shared on social media. "I'm so excited to be here among so many amazing athletes."

"I was one of the lucky ones who won gold. I'm so excited to see what you guys have in stock.
Good luck to everybody and congrats to anybody who's medaled," she added.

In an interview with Today following her big win, Zolotic shared that the first person she shared the good news with back home was her mom.

"The wifi was really bad at the venue but I called her straight away," she said, adding that her mm was "so excited" that she forgot to hold the camera up to her face.

Joining her in the interview was Lee Kiefer, who won Team USA's first-ever fencing gold medal for individual foil over the weekend.

"I still don't feel like it's real," remarked Kiefer, whose win came after two previous Olympic appearances where she didn't medal.

To learn more about Team USA, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics now on NBC.