GAINESVILLE, Fla. (BVM) — When Amanda Myers, 23, was a kid, she had no idea that one of her main goals in life would be to compete in women’s weightlifting for Team USA at the Olympics.

Myers’ weightlifting journey began in high school when one of her friends tried out for the team. That’s when Myers decided to challenge herself with the new sport. It quickly became evident to her that she enjoyed lifting weights and partaking in competitions.

“In general, I love the feeling of sore muscles and being dead tired,” Myers said. “I realize this is not a popular opinion, but it gives me this sense of accomplishment that I really pushed my body that day and got either a little better in my sport or a little healthier.”

Myers has been weightlifting for nine years and has been officially competing for five years.

“Weightlifting in general is a very difficult sport for many reasons,” Myers said. “The lifts themselves are extremely technical. Snatch alone takes people many years to become proficient at, and even lifters who have been competing for 10 years would not say they have mastered it. Out of the two lifts though, snatch is my favorite to train for this reason: I know I always have something to improve on.”

For Myers, one of the often-overlooked components of the sport is the mental game that is required for the athletes.

“Like many sports, you have to have the right mindset to be successful,” Myers said. “The mental game is something I find most people underestimate about the sport. In the gym, there are definitely days where everything you do in your lifts just feels off. You also have to make sure that you remain focused on yourself. Before my last national competition, I decided to stop following every lifter I had on my social media and once I did, I was so focused. I wasn’t comparing myself to elite Olympic team members, which is silly, but we all do it in some capacity. I was just training to be the best athlete possible, no matter what other lifters were doing.”

When Myers attended the University of Alabama, she competed on the weightlifting team for two years, and served as secretary during her second year. Myers represented the Crimson Tide in the 58 kg. open women’s class in her first collegiate competition, where she won first place.

Currently, Myers is a senior attending the University of Florida, and is pursuing a major in biology with a focus in pre-veterinary studies. Outside of school, she lifts for Team Florida Gainesville, which is a USA-affiliated team based in Gainesville, Fla.

“I always envied teams that were as close as families because I wanted that,” Myers said. “Since joining Team Florida Gainesville, I finally have it. I feel odd when I have to miss a day at the gym, and I look to my teammates as kin. They have seen me through my hardest times and still let me in. Regardless, I will not get ‘TFG’ tattooed on my forehead, no matter how many times my coach tells me to. Sorry, Donny.”

While Myers does train on a team, they are all individual competitors, and sometimes even compete against one another in competitions. But they are a team nonetheless, and, as a result, Myers has had to make social sacrifices in order to keep up with her training.

“Being on a team requires a level of accountability that is sometimes cumbersome in college,” Myers explained. “I prioritize my sport over most things — under school, of course — so I sacrifice a lot of social events or clubs because I have to train every day. I tend to stay in town when my friends go on weekend trips because missing that many days just puts me in a disadvantage competitively.”

For Myers, training partly consists of working with a sandbag for physical training and getting monthly massages to help break down tight muscles while helping her body move better. She typically trains five to six days per week for an hour and a half to two hours each day.

This coming year, Myers plans on competing at the USA Weightlifting National Championships, especially since she was unable to compete last year.

“I would like to podium at University Nationals and the Under-25 Championship,” Myers said. “I would also love to qualify for an international team to compete in a foreign country for Team USA, though this is more long term. I plan to continue lifting through vet school as it keeps me sane, and I will certainly need the stress outlet. I do not foresee being able to quit altogether when I enter into my career, so I’ll likely continue to do it at least as a hobby for as long as I can lift the bar.”

Myers’ biggest fans are her parents, and they will continue to be as her weightlifting journey continues.

“I am beyond grateful for their continuing commitment to every single athletic endeavor I pursue,” Myers said. “They have gone to nearly every game or competition since I was in little league and accept my commitment with the same seriousness that I do. They may not understand the ins and outs of my sport, but they absolutely try! I don’t think I could have reached this point in my athletic career without their pom-pom waving every step of the way.”

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