Aurora “Rory” van Ulft is unlike any other athlete in the world. She scores the weights that rival the most elite weightlifters on the planet and is not yet aged to double digits. On Jan. 21, 2023, at the 2023 Variety Village Open in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, van Ulft locked out a clean & jerk of 66 kilograms (145.5 pounds) at a body weight of 32.8 kilograms (72.4 pounds).
With just over two weeks before her 10th birthday, van Ulft became the youngest athlete ever to clean & jerk twice her body weight in competition at nine years and 350 days old. Check out the lift below, courtesy of van Ulft’s Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cnur65aJ0bB/
[Related: IWF Releases 2024 Paris Olympic Games Qualification Ranking Leaderboards]
2023 Variety Village Open Results — Rory van Ulft | 40KG
- Snatch
- 44 kilograms (97 pounds)
- 46 kilograms (101.4 pounds)
- 47 kilograms (103.6 pounds)
- Clean & Jerk
63 kilograms (138.9 pounds)- 63 kilograms (138.9 pounds)
- 66 kilograms (145.5 pounds)
- Total — 113 kilograms (249.1 pounds)
Check out the entirety of van Ulft’s performance in the video below at the following timestamps:
- Snatch attempt one: 23:30
- Snatch attempt two: 26:30
- Snatch attempt three: 28:35
- Clean & Jerk attempt one: 1:22:16
- Clean & Jerk attempt two: 1:24:10
- Clean & Jerk attempt three: 1:29:30
[Related: International Weightlifting Federation Announces Results of Athletes’ Commission Elections]
van Ulft’s first snatch attempt of 44 kilograms looked like a warm-up and secured her position on the board. She upped the weight by two kilograms for her second attempt, and her form remained identical to her first lift. She and her coach, Spencer Moorman, stayed conservative with her final attempt, adding only one kilogram to the barbell. Her form stayed the course as her third attempt looked as smooth as her first.
In the clean & jerk, van Ulft opened at 63 kilograms. While she maneuvered the clean without issue, the jerk wasn’t there as her left arm gave out, and the weight was dumped behind her. Two minutes later, she stepped back to the lifting platform to attempt the same weight. A few lateral steps to her right were required to maintain her balance, but the barbell was controlled overhead and received the down call from the judges for a good lift.
Featured image via OWA LiveStream’s YouTube channel.
