WEIGHTLIFTING TEAM

As one of the county’s newest sports, weightlifting gains popularity each season, and with larger groups participating, the competition grows as well. For 2022-23 the snatch lift was combined with the clean and jerk to become a separate category called Olympic lifting. In prior seasons, only traditional lifting, which combines an athlete’s best performances on the bench press and clean and jerk, was part of the competition.

This season, eight athletes made it to the big show at the FHSAA Girls Weightlifting State Championship in Lakeland. A majority of this year’s top lifters are underclassmen, fueling even greater excitement for one of the Keys’ fastest-growing athletic offerings.

From all of us at the Keys Weekly, we congratulate the standout lifters on the 2023 All-Keys Girls Weightlifting Team.

Hurricane freshman Vanessa Gabriel won runner-up medals in both lifting styles at districts, then secured a fifth place Olympic lifting medal at regionals. Gabriel is a young, driven athlete whose regional lifts qualified her for a trip to states, where she placed 17th.

RIZZO Sophomore, Coral Shores

Valentina Rizzo made the most of her first year in the sport, qualifying for the state meet in Olympic lifting. At districts, she won third place in Olympic lifts and fourth in traditional. At regionals, she placed fourth and seventh, respectively.

VALERIE THENE Senior, Key West

Key West’s homecoming queen may be a beauty, but she lifts like a beast. Thene placed third in regionals in Olympic lifting and fifth in traditional. She was the lone Conch to qualify for the state meet this season.

DAZMINE JENKINS Junior, Key West

Known for her speed on the track, Key West’s Dazmine Jenkins secured a third place medal in Olympic lifts and fourth in traditional at the district championships this season, and went on to place third and sixth in the same categories at regionals.

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald