A young Oakland County woman is putting Michigan on the map for Olympic weightlifting, making gains that earned her a spot on Team USA.
This week’s All Star Kate Vibert is breaking down stereotypes while picking up a whole lot of weight. She says she’s a new kind of role model for young girls, encouraging them to feeling strong, confident and beautiful in their own skin.
“As a girl you can feel strong, you can feel good enough, it really is a place for girls to feel better than they ever have,” Vibert said.
There’s no doubt Vibert is strong.
“I went to junior nationals and there I won my weight class as a 63 kilogram weightlifter, I also won best weightlifter which means pound for pound I was the best lifter in the competition among all weight classes,” she said.
The 19-year-old was just named to Team USA, heading overseas this summer to compete and become best Olympic weight lifter in the world under 20 years old.
That’s required years of hard work, training and eating right but this Oakland Township native’s strength isn’t only in the gym.
“I really hope people can look up to me as a weightlifter and a good person because weightlifting isn’t all that I am,” Vibert said.
She’s dedicated to becoming a role model for young girls inspiring them to get involved in weightlifting to share the confidence she’s found through her success – especially when it comes to body image.
“I feel like there’s only one body mold that in history we’ve been told to be so I think being strong and being muscular is something that girls don’t get exposed to much and it’s healthy and it’s important and you should want to be strong and fit,” she said.
So what’s next after making it to the top at such a young age? Vibert has her sights set on the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.
“This is my first step, I really want to make a senior team because that’s everyone not just under 20 year olds and that’s in the near future hopefully, so that’s a big step but I definitely have more that I want to do,” she said.
Vibert will represent Team USA in Uzbekistan in July, we’ll be sure to follow her journey and let you know how she does.
