Savannah Braud may be small, but she is fully capable of lifting more than her share. Last week at weightlifting qualifiers, the Timber Creek senior took first place for the 129 pound weight class, lifting 135 on the bench, and 155 in the clean and jerk.
The state qualification coming after a hard season due to injury.
“In the middle of my season I had to take 6 weeks off because of a back injury, and I thought that in my senior year I wouldn’t be able to go to states because of that, and I would lose so much strength. But I was able to do a bunch of lunges and bench and all that other stuff that I could do with my back. I was able to qualify and it was such a great meet, such a great feeling,” said Braud.
Her determination to work around her injury came as no surprise for her coach Tyrone Harvey.
“Her dedication is second to none. She is always asking for more, what she can do to get better, and even when she was injured, we worked on other body parts and allowed her to continue to progress as much as possible, leaving no stone uncovered for her to try and develop in some way," said Harvey.
Savannah has always been an athlete, initially starting out in cheerleading. But it’s when she hit the weightroom, that she truly found her home.
“Weightlifting has made me so much more confident in my body, it has made me truly enjoy being a girl, and there are no limitations.”
One week away from states on February 7th, Savannah is working to prove she is as strong as anyone.
“I just want to place in the top 6 for sure. I just want to get PRs and do my best and go out on the platform and have no regrets.”
Click on the video for the complete Athlete of the Week story on Savannah Braun.