American weightlifter Jourdan Delacruz made a breakthrough at the world weightlifting championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 25-year-old, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, secured the bronze medal in the 49kg division. In the snatch, she lifted 88kg (194 pounds), and in the clean and jerk, she lifted 112kg (246 pounds). Despite missing her opening lifts, Delacruz managed to reach the overall podium. She attributed her success to her preparation and confidence in her abilities.
Delacruz’s total weight lifted, 200kg, matched her American record. She was only surpassed by China’s Jiang Huihua, who set a new world record of 215kg, and Olympic gold medalist Hou Zhihui, who lifted 211kg. Due to the rules that limit each nation to only one weightlifter per event, either Jiang or Hou will not compete in the 49kg field at the Paris Games next year.
Delacruz’s performance in Riyadh was an improvement from her previous results at the 2022 World Championships, where she finished seventh with a total weight of 191kg, and the Tokyo Olympics, where she missed three clean-and-jerk attempts at 108kg. Her parents have a background in bodybuilding, and she transitioned to weightlifting from CrossFit training in 2014. Her fellow American weightlifters, Kate Vibert and Sarah Robles, who both medaled in Tokyo, will also be competing at the upcoming world championships.
The success of U.S. weightlifters in Tokyo marked a resurgence for the team, as they won multiple medals for the first time since 2000. The achievements of Delacruz, Vibert, and Robles indicate a promising future for American weightlifting.
(Note: This rewrite has been divided into paragraphs for better readability and organization of information.)