THE YOUNGEST WEIGHTLIFTING CHAMPION IN THE WORLD

THE YOUNGEST WEIGHTLIFTING CHAMPION IN THE WORLD

CANADIAN RORY VAN ULFT IS BREAKING RECORDS AND HAVING FUN

AND CIERRA MANSERGH PRESENTED AT CANFITPRO 2023 GLOBAL CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW WITH AN INTRODUCTION TO YOUTH WEIGHTLIFTING MOVEMENTS THAT HELP BUILD STRENGTH AND ATHLETICISM. WE HAD THE CHANCE TO CHAT WITH RORY AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE 10-YEAR-OLD.

When did you become interested in weightlifting?

When I was five years old, I got the chance to try out for a competitive gymnastics team. My parents had this idea to use weightlifting to make me stronger for gymnastics and reduce the risk of me getting hurt. It totally worked! Once I started, it turned out that I was really good at it and had fun doing it.

What motivates you?

I compete against myself - it is an awesome feeling to push myself to the limit and get as many personal bests as I can. It does not matter which lift it is—I just want to do better than I did yesterday. That is the key to making progress in this sport, I think.

How do you balance your fitness, school, and social life?

It is hard, but my family, friends and teachers help make it happen. Weightlifting makes me stronger faster than regular gymnastics conditioning, which gives me more time for school and hanging out with friends. My school and teachers are flexible when assigning work, especially when there is a big competition coming up. I try to make as much time as I can for my friends and family. They are really supportive and help me figure out fun ways to spend time together so that I do not miss out.

What adversity have you faced being a young, female weightlifter?

It is hard. Sometimes, it feels like the sport does not pay much attention to us younger and lighter lifters, especially the girls. We always get early weigh-in and session times, competitions usually do not line up well with school schedules, and sometimes our weight categories get left out of the big competitions. Plus, there is a rule that you must be 13 for international teams, and since I am only 10, it will still be a while before I can compete on the world stage. So, there are fewer chances for me to compete. It can be tough, and sometimes I feel like I am not always welcome at events. But I keep going because I know I deserve to be there.

Tell us about two of your top goals?

Gymnastics is my passion, and I am all about getting better so that I can see how far I can go in that sport. I hope to improve to the point where I can compete at college level someday. As for weightlifting, I just need to stay healthy and keep increasing my weight as much as I can so I can compete on the global stage one day. Right now, I am the strongest under 40kg weightlifter in the world, so the age minimum is the only thing holding me back. If weightlifting stays in the Olympics, my biggest goal is making it onto an Olympic team.

What is your favourite way to unwind/provide self-care?

I just do normal kid stuff; Play outside, read books, watch TV, and play video games with my little brother. I like to build Lego, make craft jewelry, draw and paint—all those sorts of things. My absolute favourite thing to do is visit theme parks, though. We usually take a family vacation after big sports competitions, when I am in great shape for long days walking through the parks and going on thrill rides. It is a great reward!

Who inspires you?

For me, it is all about the people around me—my coaches, teammates, and my closest competitors. They show me what is possible and motivate me to keep getting better. Right now, in gymnastics, Leanne Wong stands out as a role model who has been successful in both elite and college competitions and still manages to have fun. In weightlifting, my motivation mainly comes from athletes who are great at the Clean & Jerk, like Om Yun-Chol and Long De Cheng. I also follow Kuinini Manumua super closely - she is a member of my American club team who made it to the Olympics in Tokyo. I am also lucky to have an amazing community of online supporters who are always cheering me on and inspiring me with their own achievements.

What is your favourite part of your weightlifting career?

The highlight of my weightlifting year is always lifting with my American teammates during US Nationals Week. It is so exciting. Where I live, there are few kids my age who do weightlifting like I do. So, being with the team, catching up with friends, and making new ones—it is like stepping into a whole new world.

What is the significance of the designs you sport on your arms while competing?

When I first started competing, I was too small to fit into any commercially available weightlifting singlets. The only thing we could find in my size was a plain black toddler boys’ “pro wrestler” Halloween costume. All the other girls I was competing against wore bright colours or superhero designs, and I did not really feel like I was able to express myself the same way, so adding temporary tattoos was a way of adding some colour to my outfit and showing off my personality. I just choose whichever ones jump out at me most on the day, but I am usually drawn to designs with animals, flowers, or skulls - they all look cool! Tattoos make me instantly recognizable at events, so I have kept up with it, even though nowadays I am lucky to have great designers working with me to make what I think are easily the best-looking singlets on the planet right now.

Describe what your future looks like in five years.

It’s really hard to think that far ahead! I just try to take things in both my sports one day at a time, one rep at a time, and see what becomes possible. In five years, I will be starting high school, and hope to still be healthy and continue to improve my gymnastics skills to get a scholarship. In weightlifting, I hope to still be putting up numbers at the elite level and being able to show what I can do on the international stage. But most importantly, I want to still be having fun!