Sarah Robles single handedly ended a 16 year drought, for U.S. women’s weightlifting by snagging a bronze medal in the over 75kg (165 pounds) event. The proud lifter joins Tara Nott who last medaled for the U.S. team at the 2000 Games in Sydney, by taking gold in the 48kg (105 pounds) class.
Robles completed the clean portion of the lift pretty smoothly, followed by the jerk where she finished strongly. When all was said and done, the American finished the event having lifted a total of 286 kg (630 pounds).
Ironically, Robles only began to lift weights back in 2008 to gain an advantage in track and field, where she threw shot-put and discus in high school. Prior to this years Olympics, Robles competed in the 2012 Olympics, where she wasn’t able to crack the top three spots for a medal. She also competed in the 2015 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships where she finished in 6th place.
