The other day, -69kg weightlifter Kate Vibert hit a big jerk PR from the blocks, which furthers how much depth she’s continuing to offer her weight class. In her most recent video, Vibert hit a 135kg jerk, which could be argued as a significant lift for a couple reasons.
First, this jerk tops Mattie Rogers’ current Senior American Record (135kg) clean & jerk by 1kg. Obviously, it’s not the full lift, so they’re not a truly perfect comparison, but Vibert’s proving she can move heavier weight over head. Additionally, for context, Rogers’ has jerked well over 140kg off the blocks, so we’re just pointing out the contextual background of the 135kg compared to Rogers’ current record.
Second, this lift is another reminder of how much Vibert has improved over the last year alone. At the rate she’s moving weight, we could see an epic battle in the -69kg weight class between her and Rogers sooner than we think. Previously, Vibert competed as a -63kg athlete, but has since moved up. Check out the jerk below.
This year has already proven to be Vibert’s most competitive to date. In May, Vibert competed at the USAW National Championships and won her weight class, along with breaking not one, but two Junior American Records previously held by Rogers set back in 2015. These records add to Vibert’s current record list, as she also owns the record in the -63kg Junior American Snatch.
At Nationals, Vibert snatched a Junior American Record of 103kg, and hit a Junior American Record total of 227kg. She finished her clean & jerks with 124kg, and closely missed a 128kg third attempt, which would have topped Jenny Arthurs current 127kg record set back in 2012.
Outside of her Olympic lifts, Vibert has also been crushing big squats. Check out this 166kg (365 lb) back squat PR from early June.
Currently, Vibert is prepping to compete with Team USA at the IWF Junior World Championships, which are being held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in July.
Judging from her latest jerk PR and training videos, we’re pumped to see Vibert take the platform come July to potentially further extend and take more -69kg Junior American Records.
Feature image from @katevibert Instagram page.