Sonoma County teen wins weightlifting golds at Pan-American championships

Sonoma County weightlifter Athena Schrijver swept the gold medals in her weight categories at the Pan American Youth Championships in Palmira, Colombia, June 3-10.

Schrijver, 17, finished 10th overall out of 66 competitors using a formula that, in part, factors in an athlete’s body weight as well as the amount lifted, according to USA Weightlifting spokesman Kevin Farley. Schrijver, who will be a senior at Maria Carrillo in the fall, also broke American records for the 16-17-year-old age group in the snatch and total combination categories.

She is currently ranked 14th among all USA Weightlifting athletes, regardless of age, in her weight class.

“Athena is one of our best young athletes,” Farley said.

The Team USA women finished third overall at the games.

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter ?@benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield. Podcasting on iTunes and SoundCloud, “Overtime with Kerry Benefield.”