Sarah Elizabeth Robles (born August 1, 1988) is an American weightlifter. She qualified for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and earned a bronze medal in

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift Weight training#Equipment, weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various t ...

at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, becoming the first US athlete to medal in

Olympic weightlifting Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete trying to successfully lift ...

in 16 years. She repeated her feat in the +87 kg category at the

2020 Olympic Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, once again earning bronze, and becoming the first US woman to earn two Olympic weightlifting medals.

Career

Growing up in Desert Hot Springs, California, Robles competed in throwing events at San Jacinto High School in San Jacinto, California. Top-ranked in

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

, she earned scholarships to the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

and

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. As part of her shot put training at a local Arizona gym under coach Joe Micela, she began doing Olympic-style lifts in 2008. That same year, after only three months of weightlifting, Robles qualified for nationals and stopped competing in shot put, losing her scholarship in the process.

Competition

Robles won the silver medal at a 2010 Pan American competition and became a three time national champion. At the 2011 World Championships, she finished in eleventh place in her weight class but first place among American women weightlifters. Robles qualified as one of two American women to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

2012 Summer Olympics

Despite being the highest-ranked weightlifter in the United States, Robles lived on less than $400 a month leading up to the

. Commentators have suggested that this was the result both of the lack of popular attention to the sport of weightlifting, as well as Robles and other women in the sport having larger body types than those of women athletes traditionally portrayed in mass media. Robles has been quoted as saying that, "You can get that sponsorship if you're a super-built guy or a girl who looks good in a bikini. But not if you're a girl who's built like a guy." As of July 16, 2012, a company called ''Solve Media'' was Robles's sponsor. In competition, Robles came in 6th place in the +75kg, lifting in the snatch, and with the

clean and jerk The clean and jerk is a composite of two weightlifting movements, most often performed with a barbell: the clean and the jerk. During the ''clean'', the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across the deltoids, without res ...

for a total of .

Doping controversy

On June 29, 2013, Robles failed a test for "DHEA, testosterone, and pregnanediol", and on August 8, 2013, was sanctioned by the International Weightlifting Federation. and the

United States Anti-Doping Agency The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

, which cited the discovery as "the presence of an exogenous androgenic anabolic steroid and/or its metabolites", removing her from competition for two years. Robles disputed the doping accusation, asserting that treatment for

Polycystic ovary syndrome Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. The syndrome is named after the characteristic cysts which may form on the ovaries, though it is important to note that this is a sign and no ...

(PCOS) using

Dehydroepiandrosterone Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), also known as androstenolone, is an endogenous steroid hormone precursor. It is one of the most abundant circulating steroids in humans. DHEA is produced in the adrenal glands, the gonads, and the brain. It functio ...

(DHEA) was advised by her physician. She did not seek a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) prior. Joe Micela, Robles's coach, stated that he did not approve of the DHEA use, calling it a "stupid decision", though he did not think it impacted Robles's performance. Robles's appeal of the suspension for medical reasons was denied.

2016 Summer Olympics

On August 14, 2016, Robles won the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

in Weightlifting at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's +75 kg with a snatch of and a clean and jerk of for a total of . She was the first athlete from the United States to win a medal in

since the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

2020 Summer Olympics

Robles represented the United States at the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

in Tokyo, Japan, earning bronze. Competing in the women's +87 kg event on August 2, 2021, Robles lifted in the snatch. She then lifted in her clean and jerk, for a total of .

2022

She won the gold medal in the women's +87kg event at the

2022 Pan American Weightlifting Championships The 2022 Pan American Weightlifting Championships were held in Bogotá, Colombia from 24 to 29 July 2022. Medal summary Men Women Medal table Ranking by Big (Total result) medals Ranking by all medals: Big (Total result) and Small (Snatch an ...

held in Bogotá, Colombia. She also won the gold medals in the snatch and clean & jerk events in this competition.

2023

Robles won the silver medal in her event at the

2023 Pan American Weightlifting Championships The 2023 Pan American Weightlifting Championships were held in Bariloche, Argentina from 27 March to 1 April 2023. Colombian weightlifters did not compete at the competition after Colombia withdrew its entire team due to a dispute over team fees ...

held in Bariloche, Argentina.

Health

Robles has a deformity in her arm known as

Madelung's deformity Madelung's deformity is usually characterized by malformed wrists and wrist bones and is often associated with Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis. It can be bilateral (in both wrists) or just in the one wrist. It has only been recognized within the pa ...

, which results in a

radius In classical geometry, a radius ( : radii) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the latin ''radius'', meaning ray but also the ...

that is shorter than normal and bowed. The deformity leads to significant pain during lifts, and Robles treats the pain with wrist wraps and warming creams. Robles lives with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which typically disrupts reproductive functions and metabolism.

Personal life

Robles is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

and is of Mexican ancestry.

External links

SarahLiftsHeavy.comOfficial Biography PageNBC Olympics: "Who is ... Sarah Robles"NBC Olympics Biography Page
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robles, Sarah 1988 births Living people Weightlifters at the 2012 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 2016 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 2020 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 2011 Pan American Games American Latter Day Saints Doping cases in weightlifting American female weightlifters American people of Mexican descent Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in weightlifting Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics World Weightlifting Championships medalists People from Desert Hot Springs, California Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in weightlifting Weightlifters at the 2019 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games Pan American Weightlifting Championships medalists 21st-century American women