Valley weightlifter to make Olympic debut on Sunday

An East Valley woman, who is rated America’s top weightlifter, will make her Olympic debut on Sunday in London.

Craig Rintoul, who has trained with Sarah Robles for almost five years, said he had a feeling when he first saw her lift that he would be watching her in the Olympics one day.

“If all the stars align, and Sarah had the perfect day, she could be right in there for medal contention,” he said. “Gold medals? I don’t know. She’s looking at the top five, maybe the bronze, because you never know what’s going to happen with the people above you. They can miss, they can bomb out, the can get hurt.”

Rintoul said Robles’ main job is to focus on her lifts, not the other competitors.

According to Rintoul, Robles was living on a $400 per month stipend from USA Weightlifting and needed donations to get to London.

“A lot of her money goes to living expenses,” he said. “She doesn’t have money to do things.”