Weightlifter Qualifies for Olympics 8 Years After Serious Injury

Melanie Roach, the female weightlifter who, you may remember, suffered a serious back injury eight years ago, has qualified for the USA Olympic team.  She attended the trials in Atlanta last weekend and ended up leading the American female team by lifting the greatest amount of weight in proportion to her own size (she weighs a sleek 117 pounds!). 

While away from the sport, she became a mother (she now has three children) and underwent surgery to remove small fragments from her spine.   If she is not the definition of a true Olympian, I don’t know what is.  Back surgery in and of itself can be debilitating for many but here she is, eight years later, heading to the Games!

The American female weightlifting team is rounded out by Carissa Gump, Natalie Woolfolk and 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Cheryl Haworth.

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