Mattie Rogers

American weightlifter Martha Ann “Mattie” Rogers is one of the most decorated athletes in her sport, and one of the most popular, as well, with a devoted fanbase (and a social media following of nearly 700,000) cheering her on at competitions and adopting her training tips.

By the age of 22, Rogers was already a World University Champion, an American Open champ, and the “Best Overall Lifter” at the National Championships and 2016 Olympic Trials (despite narrowly missing a spot on Team USA that year). In 2019, she became the first American woman in history to medal at the World Championships in three consecutive years, and her U.S. records in the snatch and clean & jerk had some observers already ranking her as the best American female weightlifter to ever compete in her weight class (69kg / 71kg).

Mattie made her long-awaited Olympic debut at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021, and while she was forced to move up to the 87kg weight class for the first time in her international career, she still held her own under the difficult circumstances, completing a 108KG snatch and 138KG clean-and-jerk en route to a sixth place finish.

Growing up outside Orlando, Florida, Mattie’s earliest Olympic aspirations were actually focused on gymnastics. By 17, however, a growth spurt and an introduction to CrossFit had redirected her energy to weightlifting. Since then, she’s inspired many young women like herself to pick up a barbell and test their own limits.