Pre-teen sensation Aurora “Rory” van Ulft has captivated the strength world. At 11 years old, van Ulft took to her Instagram page on July 17, 2024, to showcase her latest achievement: a 120-kilogram (264-pound) Zercher squat — that’s more than three times her body weight.
Known for her incredible strength, such as squatting three times her body weight, the Canadian-born van Ulft is one of the strongest youth weightlifters on the planet, weighing 40 kilograms (88 pounds) with five US Youth National Weightlifting titles to her name.
Check out her Zercher squat in the video below:
[Related: For Some Olympic Athletes, Getting a Medal Through TSA Is the Hardest Part]
How Rory van Ulft Does the Zercher Squats
Rory van Ulft positioned her feet shoulder-width apart with a strap across her traps and attached to the barbell to help support the load. With arms crossed, she grasps the strap on her forearms. With her knees slightly bent, chest proud, and back neutral, van Ulft is ready for the lift.
She took a deep breath and descended into a squat by hinging at the hips and bending her knees while maintaining her grip on the straps, keeping the barbell snug to her body.
Through her full range of motion, van Ulft lowered steadily until her knees were fully bent and her hips eclipsed parallel. Upon exhaling, she propelled upward. Despite a tremble, she overcame the resistance, elevating her torso and fully extending her hips and knees at lockout.
Van Ulft is not just an Olympic weightlifter; she’s a multifaceted athlete who competes in powerlifting and gymnastics. She set the record as the youngest athlete to perform a clean & jerk of double her body weight at the 2023 Variety Village Open in Canada. She set an unofficial world record by lifting nearly double her bodyweight overhead at the 2024 Youth National Championships in Pittsburgh, PA.
Beyond her athletic prowess, van Ulft has a flair for entertainment. She recently displayed her Olympic weightlifting capacity in an audition for Canada’s Got Talent.
More Weightlifting Content
- “I’m Carrying a Legacy”: Meet 2024 Olympian Mary Theisen-Lappen
- How To Watch Weightlifting at the 2024 Olympics
- These Are the Olympic Records in Weightlifting…for Now
Featured image: @roryvanulft on Instagram
