McKenzie Pauli started lifting weights towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, she’s grown into an Olympic weightlifter.
Just over a week ago, Pauli took her skills to a national competition in Colorado Springs, marking the next step in her weightlifting career.
“Before, I would do a lot of team activities and team sports, and it was a lot of drama and favoritism, so I think when I lift, it’s just me and my dad, and it’s like a really special bond, and it’s just me by myself competing. Yeah, there’s girls that you want to beat, but really, it’s just a game between you and how well you can do,” said McKenzie Pauli, Olympic weightlifter from Millcreek.
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But getting to a national competition is no easy feat. The 16-year-old weightlifter has been training hard to get to this point, practicing “snatches” and “jerks” all in a weightlifting setup from her own basement…