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Sarah Robles becomes a heavyweight in weightlifting

When Sarah Robles transferred from Alabama to Arizona State to be a redshirt thrower on the track team, she found herself looking for a place to lift in the week before the school's athletic facilities reopened. Robles looked on USA Weightlifting's Web site to find a club in the area and wound up with Joe Micela at his Performance One Advanced Sports Training in Mesa, Ariz. It was in early January 2008 when she met Micela, who suggested Robles try a local weightlifting competition four days later. She did well enough to qualify for the junior national championships. That was the beginning of the end for her throwing and the start of a weightlifting career in which Robles' progress has been so fast she has legitimate aspirations at making the 2012 Olympic team in the super-heavyweight category. That is the weight class in which former child prodigy lifter Cheryl Haworth, currently recovering from an injury, has been in a class by herself among U.S. women for a decade. Haworth, 26, won an Olympic bronze medal in 2000 and followed it with sixth places in 2004 and 2008. "If Sarah had started when she was 12 or 14, she could be Cheryl-or close to it," Micela said. Barely six months after the local competition, Robles had finished second in the World Junior Championships and decided to leave Arizona State to train and study at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University. Now the 20-year-old from San Jacinto, Calif., wants to move again, and she hopes her results in the Pan American Weightlifting Championships will earn her a place at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. No U.S. women won medals but two men, Norik Vardanian of Moorpark, Calif., (207-pound class) and Patrick Judge of Sarasota, Fla., (super-heavyweight) took overall bronzes in the four-day Pan Am event that ended Sunday at UIC. Robles was 2 kg short of a medal in clean-and-jerk and some 6 kg shy of an overall medal. "My Olympic lifts are still catching up to my strength," Robles said. "But I'm new to the sport." "For someone in their 20s to make that kind of improvement is rare," Micela said. "But Sarah is a natural athlete."

Goyang City Mayor visits IWF office

Mr. Kang Hyun Suk, Mayor of Goyang City, host of the 2009 World Championships visited the IWF Secretariat at Budapest with his delegation. Dr. Tamás Aján, IWF President and members of the IWF Secretariat met the Goyang delegation and discussed the preparation of the 2009 Goyang World Championships. Further members of the delegation were Mr. Rock Huh, Vice President KWF, Mr. Sang-Hoe Gu, Manager and Mr. Kyu-Jin Kim, Chief of Administrative Support Team of the 2009 World Championships Organising Committee. Goyang City and the Korean Weightlifting Federation are making great efforts to host perfect and memorable World Championships in November this year.

New leaders for Kenya

As a result of elections the new officials of Kenya Amateure Weightlifting Association are Pius Ochieng Chairman and John Ogolla secretary general. They are still setting up the new secretariat at Kitengela. The new chairman, Pius Ochieng is a two time Olympian, he had 10th position in Los Angeles and 15th in Seoul Olympic

Day 4 – Pan-American Weightlifting Championships

It was day four, the last day of the Pan-American Weightlifting Championships. The first group out was the men's 105 kg weight class. With their first lift starting between 141 kg and 160 kg (between 311 lbs and 353 lbs) the day started with terrific lifts. The USA seemed to finally be holding its own in this international competition with four performers doing well in the men's 105 kg Group A. Cody Gibbs from LSU completed six good lifts, something that has been a rarity in this tournament. Having come into the tournament hurt, Gibbs was not even lifting at his best, and still performed well.The group ended with tight competition. Both having lifted 201 kg successfully, Lazaro Jose Lopez Jimenez of Cuba and Angel David Daza Tapia of Venezuela tried to out do each other. After missing 206 kg on his second attempt, Lopez Jimenez left the door open for Daza Tapia. Daza Tapia did indeed made his next lift of 206 kg to cheers of excitement, but it wasn't over as in his final attempt Lopez Jimenez was able to lift 207 kg to win. "The competition was very very exciting," Lopez Jimenez said. "Everything was very organized. I was very happy with all the people. I hope that the Olympics come to Chicago in 2016 because I love Chicago and being here and I want to come back." Next up was the women's 75+ kg weight class. Nailing the 130 kg proved momentous for many of the women; with the last two women to nail their 130 kg lifts being so ecstatic that they started jumping around, screaming, and pumping their fists. Oliba Seledina Nieve Arroyo of Ecuador dominated in the category and won easily. "I was really happy I accomplished what I needed to," Nieve Arroyo said. "When I go to the platform I forget everything and I am no longer nervous or thinking about the other athletes." The last session of the tournament was the men's 105+ kg weight class and USA athletes were out in full force. Out of the 12 men competing, seven of them were United States athletes. Patrick Judge, who was ranked 51st in 2008, started out strong and looked to be in contention for a medal. It came down to three competitors: William Alfredo Solis Arboleda (whose two sisters won their weight classes earlier in the tournament) from Colombia, Yoel Jose Morales Navas from Venezuela, and Patrick Judge from the USA. Judge ended up coming in third with a final lift of 211 kg, but it was the last two lifts of the tournament that were the best two! It came down to Yoel Jose Morales Navas from Venezuela, who in his third attempt was able to lift 216 kg, even holding it on one foot before dropping the weight! The moment then rested on the shoulders of William Alfredo Solis Arboleda from Colombia who missed the 216 kg lift on his second attempt and upped the ante to 217 kg for his third. Solis Arboleda seemed to know the outcome of his lift though and came onto the stage and performed. When that buzzer sounded the entire Colombian team was on their feet cheering and screaming. Solis Arboleda had won the gold.

2nd World University Championships slated for Taichung in July 2010

The Chinese Taipei University Sport Federation received the right from FISU to host the 2nd World University Weightlifting Championships in Taichung city. The dates of the 2nd WUC have been set for 1st to 5th July

Day Three in Cicago

The day started out with some great competition in the women's 69 kg Group A, as competing were two 4th place finishers from the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, Leidy Yessenia Solis Arboleda from Colombia in the 69 kg weight class and Christine Girard from Canada in the 63 kg weight class. Girard has now switched to the heavier weight class and thus the women are pitted against each other. "I competed in the Olympics, so this year has not been as big for me," Girard said. "I finished university so I put a lot of effort and work into that. Switching to the 69 kg weight class, the diet is definitely easier, but I do have to get stronger." Finishing 4th at any event often leaves an athlete frustrated, to work so hard and just miss out on the prize. They were sure to come out strong today with something to prove. While Solis Arboleda ended up winning the gold, Girard was extremely happy with her second place finish, as this tournament was her first competing in the new weight class. The women's 75 kg Group A proved to be extremely exciting, as the crowd watched history being made. This tournament and this weight class marks the first time a Cuban woman has competed in weightlifting in the United States. Tamara Hernandez Conde lifted for Cuba and forever will be remembered as a barrier breaker. This is a perfect example of how sport can bring people from all over the world together. The energy in this competition was also ramped up as Lidia Valentin Perez from Spain took the floor. Valentin Perez finished 5th in Beijing with a total score of 250 kg and she was no less impressive here. She dominated this group, giving the crowd a lift of 136 kg in the clean and jerk and winning with a total score of 241 kg. "It was my first time competing in this tournament," Valentin Perez said. "I am really happy because I won." (Ibero American Weightlifting Championships ) Kendrick Farris, the USA athlete who finished 8th in the Summer Olympic in Beijing was up next in the men's 85 kg Group A. Farris did have some stiff competition though in Colombian Carlos Hernan Andica Andica, who finished 10th in Beijing. But it was Cuban Elio Osdany Guerra Aranoz who won the day, with a total lift of 350 kg, 2 kg more than Andica Andica's total of 348 kg. It is fitting that a Cuban take home one of the gold medals because of the history that was made today at the tournament between Cuba and the USA. The last event of the day, the men's 94 kg Group A also belonged to Cuba, with Javier Enrique Vanega Rios winning the group. The USA finally was able to have a time to shine though, with a third place finish by Norik Vardanian, the first medal won by a United States athlete in the Pan-American Weightlifting Championships. With one final day of competition tomorrow, who knows what will happen. Will the Colombians continue to dominate? Will the USA be able to get another medal? Will an unknown come out to win it all?