Even in a sport known for dramatic moments and unexpected twists of fate, it took quite a combination of events for Olympic weightlifter Sarah Robles to stand before what amounted to a hometown crowd Saturday night at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Robles, 27, who grew up in California and trained for much of her weightlifting career in Arizona after a stint in track and field, moved to Houston almost two years ago to restart a career that was thrown off track after the 2012 Games.
Reinstated by the International Weightlifting Federation early this year, she was a last-minute addition to the USA Weightlifting team for the world championships and finished sixth in the women’s superheavyweight division, the highest ranking for any member of the 15-member U.S. delegation.
Personal records
Robles lifted 279 kilograms (615 pounds) in the snatch and clean and jerk, 12 kilograms better than her seventh-place Olympics total, and set personal records for the clean and jerk and total weight.
Tatiana Kashirina of Russia won the gold medal with 333 kilograms (734 pounds).
Robles continues to work her way back from one of the toughest setbacks an athlete can absorb, but she said her performance Saturday, and the support system she has built since her move to Houston, has paid personal and professional dividends.
“Given the circumstances coming into this competition, I think I did very well,” she said. “My lifts on the platform adequately reflect what I’ve done in training. I’m happy with my performance.”
Career setback
Robles was suspended in 2013 when a test revealed the presence of a banned substance that was included in an over-the-counter supplement recommended by her doctor to treat polycystic ovary syndrome.
She moved to Houston in January 2014 to train with Tim Swords, a former college football player who has trained weightlifters in the Clear Lake area for more than 20 years, whom she met at an international competition in 2008.
Other than some local competitions, the world championships was her first competition since her reinstatement and her first major international competition since the 2012 London Games.
“If I had quit, I would have wasted my potential and wouldn’t have accomplished my goals,” she said. “I consider what happened to be an injury to my career.
“When you have a something that is a huge blow to your character and something that tarnishes the image (of USA Weightlifting), you try to do your best. You do the right things.
“And so I got a job, I selected a new coach, I saved money and came to Houston to prepare for 2016. When I make plans and goals, I do everything I can to accomplish them.”
Robles works as a receptionist at a veterinary hospital and coaches weightlifting for Crossfit athletes as she awaits the decision on how many weightlifters the U.S. will send to Brazil. Results from the world championships will be used to determine those slots, and individual athletes will be selected at the 2016 national championships.
She said coming to Houston has worked out.
“Houston has turned out to be one of the better things that has happened to me in my life,” she said. “I have two jobs and two networks of support. My spirituality is back where it needs to be. I’m happy with how fulfilled and well-rounded my life is.”
Courtesy of: Houston Chronicle