Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Lilly Workneh (ed) (retail) (epub)

Author:Lilly Workneh (ed) (retail) (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rebel Girls
Published: 2021-09-28T00:00:00+00:00

OCTOBER 11, 1944

GHANA AND UNITED KINGDOM

“WRITE BECAUSE YOU REALLY ENJOY IT, AND LEARN TO BE A GOOD READER BECAUSE THE BEST WRITERS READ VORACIOUSLY.”

—MARGARET BUSBY

ILLUSTRATION BY NICOLE MILES

MARÍA ISABEL URRUTIA

WEIGHTLIFTER

When María was just 13 years old, she competed in shot put, a sport that involved throwing a heavy metal ball as far as she could. She won many competitions in South America. Though María’s father complained that the sport was too dangerous for a girl, she continued to compete.

As a young woman, she worked as a phone operator to help pay for her training. She woke up at four a.m. every day to go to work. Then she trained in the afternoon and went to school in the evening.

In 1988, María represented Colombia at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. She did not win a medal, but while there, she met a Bulgarian trainer who had a great idea. He convinced her to try a new sport: weightlifting.

After just three months of weightlifting, María competed at the world championships in Manchester, England, and won the silver medal! She was so skilled that she won nine more medals after that.

Sadly, her government didn’t offer her much support. She needed equipment to get stronger but could not get any. Feeling defeated, she decided to retire from the sport. Just then, the Olympic committee added women’s weightlifting to the 2000 Olympic Games. Maybe just one more competition, she thought… and she won!

María was the first Colombian to win an Olympic gold medal. After her victory, she retired, became a politician, and did her best to help her fellow athletes get the support they needed to succeed.

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