When Jourdan Delacruz moved from Wylie to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center after her sophomore year of high school, it was all to realize a dream.

Now in 2021, she’s realizing it fully, qualifying for Team USA to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olym­pics in weightlifting. Delacruz spent her first two years at Wylie East High School before moving to Colorado Springs and finishing her schooling online while train­ing with Team USA.

“It was super nerve-racking at first,” Delacruz said. “I was mov­ing 12 hours away from home, liv­ing by myself, switching to an on­line school. It was a lot of change but it was necessary for me and my career.”

Delacruz’s commitment to the sport of weightlifting now has her competing in the Olympics. She’s currently ranked sixth in the world in the International Weightlifting Federation’s ranking for compet­itors in the 49 kg/108lb weight class. Traditionally, the top eight weightlifters per class qualify for the Olympics.

“It means so much to me with all of the years of work, all the support I’ve gotten and the sac­rifices I’ve made to get to this point,” Delacruz said. “It’s always an honor to represent Team USA.”

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By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]