Sarah Robles

Sarah Robles isn’t your average athlete — for starters, on a good day she can lift 568 pounds, the equivalent of an adult male lion. At 23-years-old, she’s the highest ranked weightlifter in the United States, and is probably the country’s best shot at winning an Olympic weightlifting medal at the upcoming London Olympics. Unfortunately, she’s also impoverished – receiving only $400/month from U.S.A Weightlifting, she struggles to pay for food, often relying upon the kindness of her community...Read Full Story

Remember Sarah Robles, the Olympic-bound weightlifter whose financial struggles shed light upon the politics of corporate sponsorship for athletically-shaped women and, broadly, all weightlifters? Thanks to a petition launched by ThinkProgress, Robles has partnered with Solve Media, an internet ad company that will make her Olympics trip, and the prospect of the US winning a gold medal in women’s weightlifting, possible. When Ari Jacoby, CEO of Solve Media, read that Robles survived on $400 a...Read Full Story

Growing up in Desert Hot Springs, California, Robles competed in throwing events at San Jacinto High School. She became a top-ranked shot putter, earning scholarships to the University of Alabama and Arizona State University. 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...Read Full Story

Robles, the USA's best chance at an Olympic medal in weightlifting, wears gym clothes all the time, and has spoken frankly about how hard it is to find non-gym things that suit her. Designer Jill Alexander, swept in with some fancy dresses and things for Robles to wear. “She’s one of the top athletes in the world. She’s not unhealthy, she’s not lazy, but she has trouble finding clothes that fit well,” Alexander says. “She’s empowering women to speak out and say, ‘I deserve better from the...Read Full Story

Fans have rallied to help the champion and her coach travel to London for the 2012 Olympic GamesThis article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Team USA Weightlifter Sarah Robles Lives On Just $400 a MonthRead Full Story