“‘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,’ she says. The 23-year-old from California became the highest ranked weightlifter in the country last year after placing 11th at the world championships, beating out every male and female American on the roster. On her best day, she can lift more than 568 pounds — that’s roughly five IKEA couches, 65 gallons of milk, or one large adult male lion.
But that doesn’t mean much when it comes to signing the endorsement deals that could pay the bills. ”
…
“She was self-conscious about her body from a young age, until middle school, when she first got into sports and discovered she could use her large frame to her advantage.
‘When she got into sports, she came home one day and she said, ‘I finally feel accepted.’ That’s when she just kind of settled into herself,’ her mom Joy Robles says.”
